Classic Mercedes SL on display at Mercedes-Benz World (image: Shawn Eastman)
An immaculate example of one of the most beautiful cars Mercedes has ever made, the 190 SL, is on display in the main reception area at Mercedes-Benz World – the brand’s free-to-visit showcase at Brooklands in Surrey.
It’s a 1957 model, and right-hand drive, in Anthracite Grey with a red interior. With an estimated value of £365,000, it arrives fresh from a 4,000-hour restoration.
Hemmels, the company that undertook the work on the car, is a classic Mercedes-Benz SL specialist.
Modified Mercedes is a tough truck with SUV attitude
Both this 1957 190 SL and a similarly-restored 280 SL Pagoda will be on display into early 2020, following an exclusive preview evening on November 15 2019.
Hemmels will also display a selection of its cars at the upcoming NEC Classic Car Show, taking place on the weekend of November 8 2019.
A ‘brand new’ classic SL
Each Hemmels restoration involves a bare-metal respray and rebuild, over the course of 52 weeks. A 12-month parts-and-labour warranty is offered on all cars.
SL stands for Super Leicht, or Sport Leicht. It remains one of the most iconic and long-standing names in motoring. These are the cars that fortified the legend, and they join SLs of all ages at Mercedes-Benz World.
Brabus restores classic Mercedes-Benz to ‘six-star’ standard
“Mercedes-Benz World is an exceptional venue and reveals how the quality of the brand goes beyond automotive engineering to the ethos of the entire company and their overall commitment to excellence.” said Joseph Sullivan, CEO of Hemmels.
“We’re excited to once again have a Hemmels restoration selected for display at this stunning location.”
A new poll by YouGov has revealed the popularity of different car manufacturers within different age groups – and the results are intriguing. Here, we reveal the car brands favoured by millennials.
15. Toyota
In 15th place is Toyota. Not a bad position overall, out of some 63 marques. Proof that millennials know a thing or two about reliability and common sense. In case you were wondering, millennials were born between 1980 and 1994.
14. Land Rover
With the popularity of crossovers – not to mention the image of Range Rover – we’re surprised to find Land Rover this low, even though it’s well into the most popular 25 percent.
13. Lamborghini
The famous supercar brand comes in at 13th with millennials. Meanwhile, Lamborghini is the eighth most popular brand within Generation X circles (1960s to 1980). For baby boomers (1946 to 1964), Lambo strikes less of a chord and is down in 18th.
12. Porsche
Climbing the millennials popularity tree ahead of Lamborghini is Porsche, in at number 12, as it is for Generation X. But Porsche is more popular with boomers (10th).
11. Bentley
Now here’s a curious one: the traditional luxury British marque is 11th with millenials, but leads outright in first for Generation X. Who saw that coming? The boomers love a Bentley, too, taking seventh place with the older generation.
10. Ferrari
Ah, Ferrari. The original supercar brand is tenth most-popular with millenials and eleventh most-popular overall. Boomers aren’t quite so fond of the Prancing Horse, ranking it 14th.
9. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce: arguably the most decadent car brand of all. In ninth, it’s not doing so bad with millenials, but Generation X has it in sixth. The boomers have it all the way up in second. It also places second overall in the YouGov survey.
8. Mini
This is a curious one. Being on the younger side, the millennials ought to rate Mini quite highly. Nevertheless, here it is in eighth. Boomers love Mini, putting it in fourth, while Generation X has it in seventh.
7. BMW
Just above Mini in the minds of millenials is parent company BMW. The Bavarian executive brand carries less favour with Generation X or the boomers. It doesn’t even feature in their top 10.
6. Audi
Fellow German executive marque Audi is up in sixth. This one’s popular with the youngsters, placing it in fifth for Generation X. The boomers don’t even count Audi in their top 10.
5. Mercedes-Benz
Cementing the Germans in the minds of millenials is Mercedes-Benz, in fifth. It does similarly well with the boomers in fifth, too, with Generation X placing it third.
4. Volkswagen
The ‘people’s car’ beats a long line of exotics and expensive execs in fourth. However, it’s down in eighth with the boomers and not even in the top 10 with Generation X.
3. Jaguar
The ‘Big Cat’ has shed its fusty image in favour of something far cooler. It places third for millenials and second for Generation X. That said, it still takes the top spot with the older generation. With that, it takes the win as most popular brand overall, too.
2. Ford
Ford’s second-place is a big popularity win with the millenials. With Generation X, not so much, in tenth. The boomers rate it lower, too, in ninth.
1. Aston Martin
Finally, the winner in the eyes of millenials, is Aston Martin. It ranks well with the boomers, too, in third, while Generation X place it in fourth. Everyone loves a Bond car, right?
Every mainstream new Honda sold in Europe by 2022 will be electrified, the firm has announced at a headline ‘Electric Vision’ event in Amsterdam.
This new deadline is three years ahead of its previously-stated 2025 goal.
The firm will also launch an additional all-new battery electric model and an electrified SUV by the end of 2022, as well as the next-generation Civic and HR-V.
Honda is not giving any further information about the new cars at this stage, however.
The commitment will be achieved by the accelerated launch of six new electrified models over the next 36 months. This includes the next-generation Honda Jazz, revealed at the Amsterdam event.
On sale from spring 2020, the new Jazz will be fully-electrified for the UK, with a clever e:HEV two-motor hybrid powertrain.
If your thing is classic Ford Escorts, the Silverstone Auctions sale at next month’s NEC Classic Motor Show includes a Mk1 RS1600, two RS2000s and an RS1600i.
The most valuable car is the 1972 Mk1 RS1600. In light blue, it’s one of just 1,137 built. Its original BDA engine is effectively a de-tuned Formula 3 single-seat racer unit. It’s had just four owners from new and covered just under 8,000 miles. Just restored, it’s estimated to sell for between £58,000 and £68,000.
Then there are two 1980 cars. Both are RS2000 Customs with ‘droop snoots’. One comes in a very 1980s colour: Cordoba Beige. It’s covered a total of 34,000 miles, of which just 1,500 occurred during the past 27 years.
Described as a ‘timewarp car’, coming from storage, it’s expected to pull in between £34,000 and £45,000.
The second 1980 car is in more desirable Venetian Red. This car is an award winner, having taken first place at the RS Owners’ Club Lakes Tour in 2017. With a fresh restoration, it’s expected to achieve between £38,000 and £44,000.
The last car marks the crossover point for the Escort – from rear- to front-wheel-drive. This 1983 Sunburst Red RS1600i comes from a well-known RS collection. It’s no understatement to say this is one of the best examples in existence. Having driven just 700 miles in the last 16 years, it has covered 34,700 miles in total. With lots of history, it’s estimated at between £30,000 and £40,000.
“These Fast Fords are very popular and when exceptional cars come to market there always tends to be a frenzy around them,” said Joe Watts of Silverstone Auctions.
“We are very lucky to have these cars in the auction at the same time. It gives you a great idea on how the cars developed over the 10 years in which they span.
“All of them are just in fabulous condition and come with their own personal history.”
The all-new 2020 Honda Jazz has been revealed – and it’s going to come as an advanced e:HEV hybrid as standard.
Using a high-tech two-motor hybrid system, Britain’s favourite new Honda will form a key part of Honda’s commitment to electrify all its models by 2022.
Honda will begin sales of the new Jazz in summer 2020.
The firm says class-leading space has been retained, comfort is “significantly improved” over the current Jazz and it also gets a full suite of Honda Sensing safety tech.
It’s still clearly Jazz-shaped, but Honda says the new design is cleaner and more seamless: it has “function and beauty first seen in the Honda e”.
There’s also a new crossover-style Honda Jazz Crosstar version (pictured above), with tougher body styling and a raised ride height. It features integrated roof rails and water-resistant upholstery.
The only powertrain will be the e:HEV two-motor hybrid. Unlike other hybrids, the petrol engine is only used to charge the batteries – the new Jazz is driven entirely by an electric motor.
The system was first seen in the latest Honda CR-V Hybrid.
Inside, “hallmark” space is better than ever. The fuel tank is still positioned below the front seats, which means the ‘Magic Seats’ flip-up rear pews are retained.
Hybrid tech has also carefully been centralised in the engine bay, freeing up further space.
A new touchscreen infotainment system has smartphone-style ‘swipe’ functionality and integrated Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. For the first time, this is wireless.
There’s also a wifi hotspot.
Addressing criticisms of the current car, the new Jazz has had a huge lift in interior quality. The design has been influenced by the Honda e, with a simple two-spoke steering wheel and clean layout.
Those who grumbled about uncomfortable seats in the current Jazz, rest easy: the new model has an all-new design that’s much better for long trips – and the rear seat is thicker and comfier too.
It’s easier to see out of, with less obstructive front A-pillars. And an all-new high-definition Honda Sensing camera is much better at monitoring the road ahead.
It can detect, and auto-brake, for pedestrians and cyclists even at night, where there are no street lights, and will cut in the brakes when a car turns across the path of the new Jazz. Adaptive cruise control gives semi-autonomous traffic-following convenience at low speed.
Central London’s air quality has improved by a third over the past two years. The findings come in the wake of the £10 Toxicity Charge, plus the £12.50 daily Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge that superseded it in April 2019. They have bolstered calls for other cities to take on clean air charging zones.
Nitrogen oxide, emitted primarily by diesel engines, is down significantly. Levels have dropped from 85 to 57 micrograms per cubic metre at the roadside in central London. However, carbon dioxide levels are only down around four percent.
In September 2019 there were 13,500 fewer ‘polluting cars’ driven in central London compared with March. For reference, vehicles that incur a ULEZ charge include pre-Euro 6 (before 2015) diesels, and pre-Euro 4 (before 2005) petrol cars.
“The early evidence suggests the ULEZ is not only encouraging people to use cleaner private cars, but also to use more sustainable alternatives such as walking, cycling and public transport,” said Alex Williams, director of city planning at Transport for London.
Improving the air quality may be, but London’s NOx levels are still illegal. The current level is 17 micrograms above the legal limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre.
Nonetheless, the reduction is considered proof of the clean air zone concept. “Critically, we know dirty air isn’t just a problem in London,” said Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation.
One in four drivers FAIL to pay London ULEZ charge
“Most UK cities have illegal and unsafe levels of pollution, which seriously affects the health and quality of life of millions with a lung disease and puts children at risk of developing a lung condition.
“That’s why similar clean air zones must be urgently rolled out across the country to protect everyone’s lungs.
“[The ULEZ is] a fantastic example of the difference clean air zones, that charge the most-polluting vehicles, can make”.
We’re used to short-term obsolescence with smartphones, but is it acceptable in cars? Would you be happy if the Tesla you paid six figures for five years ago is now immobile?
We suspect not. But that’s the reality some early adopters are facing, as the very earliest models from the electric car manufacturer are losing their charging capability.
It brings to the fore a looming question about the company that, excluding the original Lotus-based Tesla Roadster, has been only selling cars for seven years. What is long-term reliability like? A report by Business Insider suggests some worrying problems.
The issue appears to be with the car’s on-board flash storage, which gets overloaded and leaves the car unable to charge, or load up its all-controlling screen. And no, an over-the-air update won’t currently fix this one.
The chip is called the eMMC, installed on the car’s MCU1 (Media Control Unit) component. It’s the kind of temporary memory that other digital gadgets have. It writes, erases, and re-writes memory to assist with performing tasks.
In the case of Tesla, according to repairers, the eMMC is working overtime writing vehicle logs. With a finite number of writes available, these chips are being burnt out by the car’s consistent volume and speed of data-logging. “The amount of logging they’re doing is excessive,” a Tesla repair professional has said.
So when does this happen? According to the expert quoted by Business Insider, don’t be surprised if you see issues on or after the four-year mark. One contributor to the Tesla Forum said they were awaiting an MCU replacement, under warranty, after just 26,000 miles and less than two years.
Even Tesla boss Elon Musk seems confused. An expert, who has taken it upon himself to analyse some of these repairs, appealed to Musk on Twitter about the failing components. The CEO responded: “Should be much better at this point”. It sounds like his expectations for the longevity of the hardware were higher.
The discourse around Tesla is rarely balanced, either evangelising or demonising the controversial marque. We’ve tried to stay as neutral as possible.
This doesn’t sound like an absolute car-ending issue. Indeed, the above expert has been carrying out repairs and fixing cars, which confirms as much. Tesla itself has also been carrying out this work.
Does the issue compare more with something like engine detonation, or a service-interval item? In terms of expense, sadly, it’s more the former. We hear of low-to-mid four-figure replacement costs. Given ‘MCU’ is short for Media Control Unit, safe to say it’s a dashboard-out job to replace.
Then, we have to come back to software. If hardware replacements are expensive and difficult, is prevention just a software patch away? Could a recall, followed by an update, erase this issue out of existence? Tesla would have us believe anything can be fixed with an over-the-air update. We certainly hope so. It could prove to be the most important software patch the marque puts out.
Tesla replaced MCU1 with MCU2 in cars built in the latter half of 2018, with Intel replacing Nvidia hardware. It speeds up the response of the screen and allows features like Tesla Arcade, dashcam functionality and Sentry Mode. What isn’t clear is whether MCU2 has a similar memory writing issue.
Opinion: Tesla needs to take action
It’s easy to make the comparison with phones, but Teslas are much more expensive, and a longer lifetime is thus expected of them. They need to be repairable, even upgradable, and they need to last the course as a normal car would.
Yes, it’s worrying that a car that can be allegedly fixed with software updates is going ‘dead’ after four-to-five years. And even Elon Musk seems a little lost for words (there’s a first time for everything). We wonder, however, whether this won’t be looked back on in 10 years as a teething problem, for a company that, we must remember, is still very new.
However, it’s also expensive, inconvenient and could be a real turn-off for buyers, plus a killer of used Tesla values. So Tesla needs to come clean, and mitigate costs for owners or retroactively extend warranties. Hopefully, there’s a software fix for those not yet affected. Short term, cars are ending up ‘dead’. Long term, if handled properly, this isn’t the death knell for Tesla.
Green number plates: the answer to a question that was never asked or another step on the way to the normalisation of electric cars?
By 2030, the government wants between 50 and 70 percent of new cars sold to be ultra low emission. There’s a long way to go: year to date, battery electric vehicle sales account for a 1.3 percent market share, albeit up 122.1 percent on the same period in 2018.
Limited driving range, an inadequate charging network and high list prices are common complaints and reasons not to adopt. These won’t be obstacles forever.
Next-generation EVs can offer 300 miles of range, the supply of rapid chargers is up 43 percent, and the likes of the Vauxhall Corsa-e, Peugeot e-208 and MG ZS EV have the potential to bring a new breed of mainstream customers to the EV party.
‘Do as I do’
So how do green number plates support the mass adoption of electric vehicles?
The government says they offer a “very visible way of distinguishing such vehicles and raising their profile”, arguing that they will “help inform road-users and normalise the idea of clean vehicles”.
Around half of all respondents in a recent survey said the visibility of electric cars on the road is a key factor in the normalisation of the technology. Electric versions of the 208 and Corsa could look too similar to the conventional versions to stand out. Right now, the EV sector needs vehicles to act like mobile billboards – a kind of ‘do as I do’ or ‘follow my leader’ approach.
In this context, the proposed green number plates don’t go far enough. Rather than replacing the traditional yellow and white plates with a green background, the government’s preferred option is for a green flash on the left hand side of the plate.
A green background is unlikely to work, it says, because to make it suitable for ANPR, it would need to be a shade that is less visible to the human eye, reducing the awareness benefits. It would also be slower to implement.
Without the awareness, what’s the point? The government says cars with green number plates could enjoy access to bus lanes or low emission vehicle lanes, reduced rate parking and entry to electric charging bays. But aren’t these enforceable by ANPR cameras?
Enter a bus lane or low emission zone in a non-compliant diesel and you can look forward to a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) gracing your door mat within a few days. Slapping a green sticker on your diesel car’s number plate isn’t going to stop that.
On the subject of bus lanes, isn’t the plan to grant access to electric cars missing the point? As the adoption of electric cars increases, won’t this cause congestion, reducing the benefit of using public transport? In the short term, it’s likely to raise the blood pressure of commuters queuing to get into town while a bus lane sits empty alongside them.
One thing that isn’t immediately obvious in much of the online coverage is that the government is unlikely to make green plates compulsory. Instead, it would prefer a non-mandatory but opt out approach, where the plates are encouraged but not essential.
Green, black and white
This has the potential to cause confusion, especially when it comes to local authorities offering free parking or access to certain roads to electric vehicles. Would a zero emission car without a green number plate be fined for using a free parking space? If EVs are exempt anyway, what’s the use of the green plates, aside from building awareness?
One obvious benefit is that it should be easier to identify cars that shouldn’t be parked in an electric charging bay. This might shame some drivers into parking elsewhere, although, once again, if the green plates aren’t mandatory, who’s to say that the driver hasn’t opted out?
As for awareness, the government will need to launch a campaign to support the rollout of the green number plates. If a consumer isn’t informed or bothered about the increasing number of electric cars, a thin green band on the side of a number plate isn’t going to catch their eye.
Maybe the government would be better served investing in a campaign that promotes and raises awareness of the growing electric charging network, while further incentivising the adoption of electric vehicles. Seeing friends and family switching to EVs will do more for the industry than a green number plate.
Green number plates might be the answer to a question nobody asked, but finding the solution is far from black and white. You have until 14 January to share your views.
Hyundai has released the first images of its new hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) truck concept.
Called the HDC-6 Neptune, the FCEV commercial truck will make its debut at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, Georgia.
Named after the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, the HDC-6 Neptune draws inspiration from the streamliner Art Deco high-speed trains of the 1930s and 1940s.
“We have cemented the fuel cell technology leadership position in the passenger vehicle sector with the world’s first commercially produced fuel cell EV and the second generation fuel cell EV, the Nexo,” said Edward Lee, head of commercial vehicle business division at Hyundai.
“With the introduction of HDC-6 Neptune, in addition to the road proven Xcient fuel cell truck, we expand our technology leadership into the commercial vehicle sector by unveiling our vision of how fuel cell electric trucks can resolve the environmental equations of widely used commercial vehicles and our commitment to create a decarbonised society.”
Earlier this month, Hyundai filed a trademark application for the Neptune name with Australian authorities. It references ‘hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in the nature of hydrogen fuelled cars’ in the description, while referencing ‘automobiles’ and ‘electrically powered trucks’.
This would suggest that Hyundai is throwing further weight behind a range of passenger and commercial fuel cell vehicles, possibly using Neptune as a sub-brand to distance hydrogen from electric.
Hyundai isn’t giving too much away ahead of the CV show on 29 October, but says the HDC-6 Neptune features advanced in-cab technology and unique construction.
The company will also debut an eco-friendly refrigerated trailer solution under its Translead banner. The company built 70,000 trailers in 2018, making it the market leader in the United States.
The North American Commercial Vehicle Show takes place at the Georgia World Congress Centre in Atlanta from 29 October 2019.
Company drivers could save as much as 95 percent on tax costs if they switch to an EV in the second half of 2020. It’s predicted new rules favouring zero-emissions vehicles could change the make-up of office car parks almost overnight.
A new Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) tax structure will come into effect in April 2020, reducing the rate from 16 percent to zero.
According to Deloitte, that means a company with around 900 diesel or petrol-powered cars could be expect to save more than £1.9 million over the course of a year.
A diesel hatchback company car with a list price of £30,000 can cost high-income individuals around £18,000 over two years. By contrast, with the new BIK rate, an electric vehicle will cost just £916 over that two-year typical replacement cycle.
“We’ve seen electric vehicle (EV) popularity increase fourfold over the past year alone,” said Michael Woodward, UK automotive lead at Deloitte.
“For those thinking about making the switch, the tax changes for company cars from 6 April 2020 are certainly a strong incentive. With a surge in demand likely, the question remains whether both manufacturers and businesses are ready.
“Over the next three years, car manufacturers will need to review the scale of their production to accommodate growth and assess supply levels into the UK. Fleet sales will drive the majority of demand and manufacturers will be keen to prevent missing out on sales due to lack of supply.”
