Daily Motor News – Monday 9 December

Pearson Ham Group considers potential Aviva, DLG deal 

Pearson Ham Group has assessed the potential implications of Aviva’s proposed acquisition of Direct Line Group. It was announced last week that DLG had accepted a £3.6bn takeover offer from Aviva, after rejecting two previous offers as well as an approach from Ageas earlier in the year. Full story

Flood warnings as thousands without power after Storm Darragh 

Tens of thousands of homes remain without power and flood warnings continue in the wake of Storm Darragh. Two men died when trees fell on their vehicles in separate incidents during the storm over the weekend, which caused power outages and significant disruption to travel. Full story

Used electric cars are selling faster than petrol and diesel models 

Motorists are snapping up used electric vehicles faster than any other type of car as rock-bottom second-hand prices make them more appealing than petrol and diesel alternatives. In the month of November, dealers were, on average, selling an EV in just 33 days of adding them to their forecourts, according to a new market report. The average across all fuel types is 40 days, with diesels taking the longest of all – a total of 42 days, says cap hpi. Full story

Driver ambulance alerts to improve road safety 

An ambulance service says it is the first in Europe to fit digital alerting to its emergency vehicles so that road users can be warned of their presence. South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (Secamb) is testing the system which enables real-time alerting between emergency and other vehicles with the aim of improving road safety. Full story

EV running costs drop by 15% for those charging at home 

Electric vehicle running costs have dropped by 15% to an average of 24p per KwH, the lowest level since 2021, according to new research. Electricity prices on the public charging network, according to Allstar’s AllCosts report, have also dropped in line with domestic pricing, with the average cost now standing at 78p/kWh. Full story

Raising speed limit for HGVs in Scotland will boost efficiency and improve road safety 

Transport Scotland’s National Speed Management Review Consultation could see the speed limit for HGVs on single track roads raised to 50 mph: Logistics UK’s Senior Policy Manager Alexandra Herdman says that the move, which will bring Scotland into line with England and Wales, will boost efficiency and reduce C0₂ without compromising road safety. Full story

New report looks at demand for warranty insurance  

A comprehensive market study of European insurers by specialist transactional risk insurance brokers HWF Partners shows that 1,540 policies were placed in the first six months of 2024. At the same time, claim numbers under W&I policies have increased alongside payments to insured parties. W&I insurance is an established feature of M&A transactions. Full story

BVRLA hears of fleet EV positivity amid ZEV mandate debate  

Research for the BVRLA’s Industry Outlook report found that 51% of fleets expected to increase their volume of electric cars next year. In addition, 66% said they planned to install workplace charging infrastructure, and 66% also said they favoured a 2030 deadline, or sooner, for the phasing out of the sale of new ICE cars. Full story

Road safety charity celebrates achieving ‘Investing in Volunteers’ status 

Britain’s leading road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has been awarded the prestigious Investing in Volunteers award. The charity, which has around 5,000 volunteers across the country that help to deliver its driver and rider courses, received the accolade in recognition of volunteer management. Full story 

Fast expanding GSF Car Parts opens National Distribution Centre 

GSF Car Parts, the UK’s fastest growing motor factor, chaired by former Euro Car Parts founder Sukhpal Ahluwalia, has opened a National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Wolverhampton. The company took over the 500,000 sqft facility in Wolverhampton in May, and will serve as the central logistics hub, modernising GSF’s supply chain infrastructure and streamlining delivery processes into its 194-strong national branch network. Full story

Chinese car makers turn to hybrids to avoid EV tariffs from the EU 

Following higher EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, car makers such as BYD, SAIC and Geely have increased their hybrid exports to Europe, in an attempt to boost their European market share in this way. Other Chinese car producers have also moved their assembly and production facilities to the continent, to further slash the cost and impact of tariffs. Full story

Uber’s first international robotaxi service is live in the UAE 

Uber launched a robotaxi service with its partner WeRide in Abu Dhabi, its first international effort to make a wide number of autonomous vehicles from different operators available on its platform. The vehicles will include safety drivers, so it won’t be a fully autonomous service at launch. But Uber and WeRide said they aim to offer driverless vehicles to passengers in 2025. Full story