Daily Motor News – Thursday 10 April 2025 

‘Car cloning made me dread the morning post’ 

A 24-year-old car cloning victim has told how he ended up dreading the morning post after fines demanding thousands of pounds started to pour through his letterbox. 

Cambridgeshire-based Eathan Cooper received his first fine last summer for a bus lane violation in Essex while on a trip to Madrid, in Spain. Read more

Retreat or negotiating strategy? Trump steps back from all-out trade war 

For days, Donald Trump and his White House team had insisted they were fully committed to their decision to impose sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries. They even derided a report on Tuesday that said the president was considering a 90-day pause – news that triggered a brief stock market surge. Read more

New CII report says Boards and senior leaders must ‘walk the walk’ to improve outcomes for vulnerable customers 

A new Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) roundtable report calls for a ‘coalition of the willing’ to move beyond identifying characteristics of vulnerability, and put customers ahead of targets. The Managing Vulnerability in Insurance Roundtable Summary Report says Boards and senior leaders must ‘walk the walk’ by engaging directly with customer experiences, instead of delegating responsibility to compliance or customer service teams: “Many firms are stuck in a tick-box mentality and not striving for genuine customer-centricity.” Read more

Why the RTA claims process is still flawed and how to fix it 

Almost four years and more than a million claims on from the launch of the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal, the system designed to simplify the process is still beset with problems. Read more

Police seize 173 uninsured vehicles in crackdown 

Police have made 69 arrests and seized vehicles in a six month operation in the Thames Valley. 

Operation Scalis involved local neighbourhood and roads policing teams using ANPR technology. Read more

QBE becomes certified as Family Friendly Workplace 

QBE Europe has become the first insurer in the UK to be certified as a Family Friendly Workplace.  

The Family Friendly Workplace scheme was set up by UNICEF in Australia in 2021 to recognise employers leading the way with working parents and carers. Read more

Polestar 3 SUV sets the standard for child safety 

As Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) continue to grow in popularity, accounting for 54 per cent of new cars sold around the world last year, with families in particular attracted to their perceived practicality and safety, the Polestar 3 has set a new standard for child safety. Read more

XPENG rolls out major global software update with XOS 5.6 

XPENG has launched a major over-the-air software update, XOS 5.6, as part of its continued commitment to enhancing the intelligent driving experience for global users. 

The latest version of XPENG’s in-car operating system introduces improvements to its core driver assistance and charging technologies, reinforcing the brand’s position as a leader in connected mobility. Read more

McLaren Racing and Deloitte UK pioneer circularity in Formula 1 with development of FIA-commissioned Circularity Handbook 

McLaren Racing, Deloitte UK and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) today reveal details of the F1 Constructors’ Circularity Handbook, designed to improve sustainable practices in the development and manufacture of the F1 car. Read more

Autoglass offer insight into Software Defined Vehicles 

Because Autoglass is part of Belron, we can call upon the expertise of people like Abba Bako, Future Trends Research Manager. Here, Abba gives us his take on Software-Defined Vehicles: Read more

Volkswagen’s EV sales rise in Europe, plunge in China 

Volkswagen Group’s sales of battery-electric cars more than doubled in Europe in the first quarter but fell by over a third in China, data showed on Wednesday, in a sign of the automaker’s diverging fortunes in the electric car market. Read more

A New $25,000 American EV Truck Company Is Backed By Jeff Bezos: Report 

New cars are ridiculously expensive. New electric cars, even more so. Could a new American EV startup change that equation? 

According to a scoop from TechCrunch’s Sean O’Kane, that’s the goal of Slate Auto. It’s a new automaker that could go out of “stealth mode” soon with an electric pickup truck aiming for an enticing price tag of around $25,000. Read more

Nuro Announces Series E Financing at $6B Valuation, Backed by Leading Financial and Strategic Investors 

Nuro, Inc., a leader in autonomous driving technology, today announced it has raised $106 million so far in its ongoing Series E funding round, which values the company at $6 billion. Read more

Nissan to launch next-generation autonomous driving technology in FY2027 

Nissan today announced it will launch its next-generation ProPILOT technology from fiscal year 2027. The system, featuring Nissan Ground Truth Perception technology with next-generation Lidar and Wayve AI Driver software, will set a new standard for autonomous driving with advanced collision avoidance capability. Read more

Merging Auto Technologies with Crash Data Saves Lives on U.S. Roads 

US: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 2.38 million people were injured in traffic crashes on U.S. roadways in 2022. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in cars and trucks have the potential to reduce traffic crashes, prevent serious injuries, and save thousands of lives each year. But increasing safety on our nation’s roads requires analysis of enormous amounts of data from industry and government stakeholders.  Read more

QNX Now Powering WeRide’s Next-Generation ADAS Platform 

QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and WeRide Inc. (NASDAQ: WRD), a global leader in autonomous driving technology, today announced the two companies are working together to help accelerate the advancement and deployment of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) for automotive OEMs and suppliers around the world. Read more

Revealed – the four mega-trends revolutionising the insurance proposition 

The challenges and opportunities facing the insurtech sector were under the spotlight at Insurtech Insights Europe. Speaking with Insurance Business on the ground at the conference, Rob Schimek (pictured), group CEO of the international insurtech bolttech highlighted four ‘mega-trends’ that he sees driving the market. Read more

Unexpected car repairs cost drivers more than £600 a year 

As many as six-in-10 (59%) drivers say they are hit with unexpected repair costs for their main vehicle each year, with the average bill coming out at £617 across all ages of car. More than a third (37%) of those facing these repairs said they experienced financial difficulty in paying for them. Read more

His Majesty’s Treasury has announced the reappointment of Nikhil Rathi as chief executive of the FCA for a second term. 

Admiral Money – the personal loans and car finance business – has appointed Emma Powell as new CEO, with departing CEO Scott Cargill to move to Admiral Group’s UK Insurance business. Read more

ITAS has extended its partnerships with Mercedes and Volkswagen Group until 2030.