With December here, it’s time to look back at all the exciting car news that has been revealed this month. From Toyota to Rolls-Royce, self-driving cars to pay rises, we’ve covered a little bit of everything this month – so read on to finish the year off right with our ultimate December car news roundup.
Toyota has been given an £11m backing by the government for their hydrogen Hilux project
The government wants to help find an alternative zero-emission vehicle for parts of the UK that are more isolated, especially for areas where electric vehicle charging is impractical. This has driven the government to give Toyota £11m backing to build this new vehicle in 2023, as part of a larger £70m zero-emission vehicle scheme.
“The project is an exciting opportunity to investigate a further application of Toyota’s fuel cell technology in a vehicle segment that is key to a number of industry groups and will help support the sector’s move towards decarbonisation,” the carmaker said in a statement.
Level Four self-driving taxis are launched in Las Vegas by Uber
American start-up Motional has partnered with Uber to officially launch a robotaxi service for the public in Las Vegas. A fleet of Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric SUVs has been modified by Motional to be a safe and cost-effective service for the US public.
Although self-driving cars have been a cause for concern in recent years, this car is fitted with 30 exterior sensors as well as cameras, radar and lidar systems to identify hazards at an “ultra-long range”, enabling Level Four autonomy.
Rolls-Royce workers have been awarded a 10% wage increase
Following discussions with Unite the Union, Rolls-Royce employees at the Goodwood factory have been given a pay award worth up to 17.6%, alongside a one-off payment of £2000. This means that employees will get an average pay increase of £2972 per annum.
“In the course of our normal pay negotiations process, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was pleased that Unite the Union supported and recommended a positive pay deal,” Rolls-Royce said in a recent statement.
Steve Morris, executive chairman of Morgan, has officially stepped down from the role
Morris has been the executive chairman of the business for over 40 years, however, he has now passed the position onto Lawrence Price. Although nobody knows what his next move will be, if it’s half as successful as his time at Morgan, he’s sure to go on to do some great things.
Morris leaves with Morgan on a high, having recently launched the acclaimed Morgan Super 3 – a follow-up to the now cult-like Morgan 3 Wheeler – and overseen a refresh of the Plus Four and Plus Six.
