Here’s our ultimate rundown of the most exciting cars news of the week, from new car releases to f1 cap breaches. Here are our top car stories from the past 5 days.
F1 finds Red Bull and Aston Martin guilty of cost cap and procedural breaches
In a sport as intense, ever-changing, and closely competitive as Formula One, even the tiniest of advantages can mean the difference between winning and losing. That’s why the recent news that Red Bull and Aston Martin have been found guilty of violating Formula One’s cost cap is major news within the industry. The cost cap is set at £114m and was introduced to level the playing field and prevent larger teams with deeper pockets from spending their way to victory.
Although it was announced on Monday that Red Bull had been found guilty of the breach, it was only marked as a ‘minor’ offence, meaning it was in the lower of the two categories, a breach of less than 5% (£2.49m). The team, alongside Aston Martin, has also been found guilty of a “procedural” breach, due to the late submission of files.
The consequences of these breaches have yet to be announced, but there are a variety of penalties that the teams could face. Fewer drivers being allowed on the track, suspensions, increased limitations, and a reduction of future cost caps could all be possibilities for the teams.
Whatever the penalty, the finding of these breaches has put into question the legitimacy of Red Bull’s previous titles, and many fans are questioning Verstappen’s previous wins.
What do you think would be a fair consequence for the teams?
Nissan, one of the most popular brands in the Russian market, announces total exit from the country
In a move that has shocked the automotive world, Nissan has announced that it will be completely exiting the Russian market. This news comes as a surprise as Nissan has been manufacturing in Russia since 2009, and is one of the most popular car brands in the country.
Nissan suspended manufacturing in Russia in March, weeks after Russia launched its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, and now the company has approved the sale of its Russian operations to NAMI. Nissan will take a one-off impact of 100 billion yen (6 and a half million pounds), and the relevant authorities are expected to formalise the sale in the coming weeks.
The terms of this sale will allow Nissan to buy back the entity and its operations within the next six years if they wish, as well as providing 12 months of protection to their current Nissan employees under the new ownership.
Do you think Nissan will buy the entity back within the time period set?
The Peugeot 408 is set to arrive in 2023, with an exclusive £43,000 edition
In 2023, the Peugeot 408 will be arriving with an exclusive £43,000 special edition, in which there are only 50 being manufactured.
The 408 model has been in the making for the past 7 years and boasts the best features of SUVs, hatchbacks and saloons. In a relatively compact car, you can expect a powered tailgate, a foot-activated sensor, and heated seats, as well as ample space and good driving dynamics.
This new car measures 4690mm in length, and 1480mm in height, which is 440mm longer and almost 40mm higher than the previous 308 models. Design project manager, Pierre-Paul Mattei, stated in his recent Q&A that the company noticed an empty space in the market where others didn’t.
Check out the full specifications here (https://www.peugeot.co.uk/models/408.html)
Would you buy the new Peugeot 408?
Waze and The Transport for West Midlands partner for smoother journeys for road users
A new partnership between traffic controllers and route guidance provider ‘Waze’ promises smoother journeys for drivers in the West Midlands.
Waze is a free app for apple and android phones that aims to help you avoid traffic and allows you to be able to take the best route to your destination, and there’s never been a time that this app is more needed than now since there has been an increase in levels of traffic, congestion and extended journey times in the region.
The Transport for West Midlands has partnered up with Waze with the aim of reducing journey times by sharing more accurate traffic data, so hot spots can be anticipated, accidents can be managed, and traffic can be re-routed more effectively.
The Director for Network Resilience, Transport for West Midlands, Mark Corbin, says that “By sharing our transport information with Waze we benefit its users but the company benefits the wider public by sharing its data with us. In the end, everyone benefits through less congested roads and better incident management.”
Do you think the new traffic management system is needed?
Cost of living crisis has a major impact on the potential sales of EV vehicles
The RAC’s annual report on motoring has revealed that the number of drivers planning to buy an EV as their next car has risen to an all-time high. However, the cost of living crisis is having a major impact on when these purchases are actually going to be completed.
An online survey showed that 14% of people were planning to switch to an EV when they next buy a car, a figure that was recently at only 10% in 2021. Even though many drivers are planning to make the switch, the report also showed that just 15% would make the purchase in the next five years, while 21% believe they will be driving an EV in 5 to 10 years.
Some common concerns around the purchase of an EV included the continuous rise in the price of electricity, alongside the fear that they wouldn’t be able to complete long journeys. Despite this, the increase in petrol prices, as well as deteriorating environmental health, it’s highly likely that the majority of the public will eventually make the switch to electric vehicles.
Have you had to adapt your job around the rise of electric cars?
