TEN IN TEN

02 / TAVARES WARNS OF “FIGHT” WITH CHINA

Speaking with reporters at CES back in January, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares warned of an upcoming “fight” with China if European regulators failed to take action. Tavares told Germany’s Automobilwoche that, due to regulations that make EVs 40% more expensive to build in Europe, Chinese cars are much cheaper than European models, and the only solutions were changes to trade policy or moving factories to more favourable locations.

01 / MERCEDES-BENZ RETIRES EQ ELECTRIC SUB-BRAND

Mercedes-Benz plans to drop the ‘EQ’ badge from its electric and hybrid models in 2024, according to German industry newspaper Handelsblatt. Launched in 2019, the EQ range distinguished the manufacturer’s plug-in models from its internal combustion cars –a distinction that becomes more redundant as boss Ola Källenius accelerates the brand’s transition away from fossil fuels.

05 / TOYOTA DEVELOPS HYDROGEN HILUX

Toyota is putting its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain into its legendary pickup truck, the Hilux. In a project partially funded by the British government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK is leading a consortium to build a proof-of-concept fuel-cell Hilux at the company’s plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire. For more about Toyota, hydrogen and the skills you’ll need in the future, head to page 28

03 / HUAWEI PLOTS AUTOMOTIVE VENTURE

Huawei is understood to be mulling a foray into the automotive industry, with a memorandum of understanding signed between the controversial Shenzhen Corporation and Chinese battery giant CATL. Huawei is said to be planning its own “global high-end automotive brand” using CATL technology, although it’s not clear how a Chinese brand removed from telecoms infrastructure projects will be able to win over Western regulators with a car.

04 / MUNRO UNVEILS ELECTRIC 4X4

Scottish EV start-up Munro has unveiled its first model, the MK_1, which will go into production this year. Taking aim at the emerging ‘electric off-roader’ market, the cartoonishly cuboid MK_1 has some commendable mud-plugging credentials thanks to its traditional ladder chassis format and 141-mile maximum range. Munro says the car will be designed to last up to 50 years with the correct maintenance.

07 / RUSSIAN CAR SALES DOWN 58.8%

The Russian automotive industry has been badly damaged by the war in Ukraine, with sales down by almost 60% in 2022. Sanctions have forced domestic manufacturers to find new supply chains, Western companies have pulled out entirely and economic uncertainty has inflated retail prices and reduced consumer demand. Chinese and Iranian manufacturers may move in to absorb whatever is left.

06 / CONCERNS RAISED OVER DRIVERLESS CAR COMPUTER EMISSIONS

The energy consumed by the computer systems of self-driving cars is poised to become a new frontier in carbon emissions. In modelling trials by researchers at MIT, a global fleet of a billion autonomous vehicles driving for an hour every day would have the same carbon footprint as every data centre in the world today. Significantly more efficient hardware will need to be developed to ensure sustainable growth in autonomous vehicles, showing how complex the road to zero emissions really is.

09 / TEVVA TRUCK PRODUCTION BEGINS IN TILBURY

Electric lorry manufacturer Tevva has received European approval for its 7.5 tonne truck, and has begun high-volume production at its factory in Tilbury, Essex. Customers including Royal Mail and Travis Perkins will be among the first to receive the vehicles, which are capable of travelling over 140 miles on a single charge. Tevva plans to build 1,000 trucks in 2023.

08 / WRECKED UKRAINIAN CARS DISPLAYED AT LUX FESTIVAL

Civilian cars destroyed during the invasion of Ukraine were transported to Finland for Helsinki’s annual ‘Lux’ light festival last month. Called ‘The Physical Possibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’, the sobering artwork was composed of a series of wrecks illuminated from the inside, each accompanied by a story about the car and its owner.

10 / DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT PREDICTS DRIVERLESS TRAFFIC SURGE

The DfT has predicted that driverless cars could massively increase congestion on UK roads if they become commonplace, as car travel will no longer be the preserve of adults with full licences. Between 2025 and 2060, traffic is expected to worsen by 85%, subject to autonomous vehicles making up half the country’s fleet by the year 2047. However, the DfT added that people in driverless cars might be more amenable to long queues as they’ll be able to concentrate on something other than the car in front.