The effects of the dieselgate emissions scandal continue to be felt across the wider Volkswagen Group, with Porsche issued with fines by the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Totalling a substantial €535 million (£450 million / $589 million), the fines include €4 million for ‘negligent breach of duty’ by Porsche, with the remaining €531 million levied against the profits of the company.

The penalties were due to Porsche selling diesel-engined vehicles fitted with ‘defeat devices’, designed to circumvent emissions testing regulations.

Thousands of Porsche Macan and Cayenne SUVs were ordered to be recalled by German authorities, when it became apparent they had the illegal defeat devices fitted to them.

In recent year,s Porsche has witnessed considerable financial success. In 2018 the company recorded net profits of €4.3 billion (£3.62 billion / $4.73 billion), and was able to award each employee a bonus of almost €10,000.

However, that profitability means a heftier fine for Porsche, with the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor linking the fine to the financial performance of the company.

The Volkswagen Group had already accounted for the potential fines in financial forecasting for this year, meaning the hefty penalty did not come as a shock.

Although Porsche chose not to fight the legal proceedings, the company did note that it had “never developed and produced diesel engines” in a published statement.

The Porsche models implicated in the dieselgate scandal used Audi-sourced V6 turbocharged diesel engine, shared with other Volkswagen Group vehicles.

Last year, Porsche confirmed that it had ditched the idea of diesel-powered cars and SUVs for good. CEO Oliver Blume noted that the company now wanted its “future to be diesel-free.”

Instead, Porsche will focus on battery power for future plans, with the forthcoming all-electric Taycan having already notched up 20,000 potential customers.

Fully Charged Live – ‘the exhilarating festival of clean energy tech and electric vehicles’ – is back for another year. Robert Llewellyn and co. will be electrifying audiences at Silverstone on the weekend of 7-9 June.

With an average of three million episode views per month on YouTube, Fully Charged is riding on the crest of the wave created by the increasing interest in electric vehicles, and at the time of writing its channel has more than 465,000 subscribers.

Not all of the subscribers will descend on Silverstone for Fully Charged Live – 6,000 people visited the show in 2018 – but the organisers are expecting the event to double in size this year.

‘Last year we were terrified’

Robert Llewellyn, the man behind Fully Charged, said: “This time last year we were terrified and then more than 6,000 people descended on the show to hear all about the future of energy and transport.

“So, this year we’re really thrilled to be back, taking Fully Charged Live to another level. The Fully Charged Live team are working tirelessly to include the ingredients that our audience love in a live format.”

There will be 30 live sessions hosted by Llewellyn, Jonny Smith, Helen Czerski and Maddie Moate, with each one focused on a different area of green energy. Subjects range from ‘electric vehicle myths busted’ to ‘what you need to know about particulate and tyre pollution’.

Other highlights include:

• Electric transfers: get transferred from the car parks in an EV
• Every electric vehicle available in the UK
• A live music stage (including the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on Saturday night)
• Exhibition of clean energy suppliers and renewable technologies
• Opportunity to test drive vehicles on the Stowe Circuit

Tickets and more information can be found on the Fully Charged website.

The United Nations (UN) has used the fifth Global Road Safety Week to announce that 1.35 million people die on the world’s roads each year.

And, if this number wasn’t startling enough, figures released by the UN show that road traffic injuries are the leading killer of children and young adults aged 5-29 years.

Stronger leadership for road safety is required, it says, as it launches the campaign: Save Lives – #SpeakUp.

Welcome to the new campaign website! The theme is leadership and everybody can be a leader. Are you ready to #SpeakUp for #RoadSafety?

Log on and:
1) Assess your journey
2) Record your demands
3) Urge decision makers to make a pledge.https://t.co/o4mwkzsbTC pic.twitter.com/ww0h0s9JA0

— UN Road Safety Week (@UNGRSW) February 6, 2019

The UN is inviting anyone who uses the world’s roads to assess the risks they encounter on a daily basis and to “start demanding road safety”.

“We ask you to only demand road safety interventions that are evidence-based and are proven to work from our lists of interventions provided,” it says.

A Save Lives technical package has been created to support road safety decision-makers to significantly reduce the number of road traffic deaths in their countries. The six key areas can be summarised as follows:

Speed management

An increase of 1kph (0.6mph) in mean vehicle speed results in an increase of three percent in the number of crashes resulting in injury, and an increase of between four and five percent in the number of fatal crashes.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce speed limit laws nationwide, locally and in cities
• Build or modify roads that calm traffic, i.e. roundabouts, chicanes and speed bumps
• Require car manufacturers to install new technology, such as speed-limiters

Leadership on road safety

Leaders must ensure there is collaboration across different sectors, including health, transport, finance, education and law enforcement.

Interventions:

• Create an agency to lead road safety
• Develop and fund a road safety strategy
• Evaluate the impact of road safety strategies
• Monitor road safety using data systems
• Raise awareness and support through education and campaigns

Infrastructure design and improvement

Governments should prioritise road design standards that reduce the risk of traffic injuries and embrace pedestrians and cyclists.

Interventions:

• Provide a safe infrastructure for all, including pavements, crossings and bridges
• The use of bicycle and motorcycle lanes
• Use clear zones, collapsible structures or barriers
• Design safer intersections
• Separate access roads from through-roads
• The use of vehicle-free zones
• Reduced speed limits in residential, commercial and school zones
• Improved routes for public transport

Vehicle safety standards

Only 40 countries currently meet all priority safety regulations. The UN is calling for all nations to meet the standards of its World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce safety standard regulations
• Establish and enforce regulations on motorcycle anti-lock braking and daytime running lights

Enforcing traffic laws

The five behaviours most likely to result in a traffic injury are drink-driving, not wearing a helmet, not using a seat-belt, not using a child restraint, and speeding.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce laws at national, local and city levels

Survival after a crash

Timely and effective emergency care can reduce the consequences of injuries resulting from a road traffic crash.

Interventions:

• Develop organised and integrated pre-hospital and facility-based care
• Effective training of first responders
• Promote community-based first responder training

Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist says the road safety burden is disproportionately carried by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. It is calling for “drastic action” to meet future global targets.

Neil Worth, GEM Motoring Assist’s road safety officer, said: “As road users, we all tend to underestimate the risks we face – as well as overestimating our ability to deal with them. That makes us all more vulnerable than we may realise.

“GEM’s message for UN Global Road Safety Week is that we all have an opportunity to make a difference. We can all commit to reducing risk and improving safety on road journeys, as long as we don’t always see it as someone else’s problem.”

New car registrations declined 4.1 percent in April 2019, reports the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), due to a plunge in private buyer demand of more than 10 percent.

Fleet car sales were actually up 2.9 percent, but this was not enough to stop last month being the second-worst April for registrations since 2012.

April’s figures follow a 3.4 percent decline in registrations for the key registration-plate change month of March, a fall SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said was “of clear concern“.

Last month’s surprise was not the overall decline, but the scale of changes happening within car sectors. Britain’s best-selling car type is the supermini, such as the Ford Fiesta – and volumes in this sector were down 14.1 percent. Small family cars, such as the Ford Focus, were also down over 10 percent.

SUVs, meanwhile recorded 18.4 percent GROWTH last month, to well over 40,000 new models from overall monthly sales of 161,064 new cars.

The SUV is now Britain’s third most popular car type, and the sector has tripled in size since 2012.

Plug-in plunge

Sales of alternative fuel cars (AFV) were up 12.7 percent last month, with petrol electric hybrids shooting up by almost a third. In total, 10,254 future-fuel AFVs were sold last month: almost 7,000 of them were petrol hybrids.

Pure electric car sales also grew to over 1,500 units, or just under one percent of the new car market.

However, plug-in hybrid sales plunged last month, by over 34 percent. Year to date, they are down over 20 percent. The SMMT says this is almost entirely down to the government’s decision to prematurely cut back the Plug-in Car Grant, restricting it to pure electric cars.

While it’s great to see buyers respond to the growing range of pure electric cars on offer,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes, “they still only represent a tiny fraction of the market and are just one of a number of technologies that will help us on the road to zero.

“We need policies that help get the latest, cleanest vehicles on the road more quickly and support market transition for all drivers. This includes investment in infrastructure and long-term incentives to make new technologies as affordable as possible.”

Sales of diesel cars were down 9.4 percent, although the SMMT notes the pace of decline is slowing. Petrol was down three percent; the fuel now accounts for more than two in three new car sales in Britain.

April 2019: Top 10 best-selling cars

1: Ford Fiesta

2: Ford Focus

3: Volkswagen Golf

4: Nissan Qashqai

5: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

6: Ford Kuga

7: Volkswagen Polo

8: Volkswagen Tiguan

9: Vauxhall Corsa

10: Hyundai Tucson

Following news that the Home Secretary wants police officers conducting pursuits to feel “confident and protected”, could this incredible Dodge SUV be a “clear message” to criminals?

In fact, with reports of car thefts in England and Wales increasing during 2018, forget Batman or the Avengers – the Durango SRT Pursuit is the superhero we need now.

However, there are some slight technicalities that might prevent this 797hp from hitting the mean streets with UK police forces anytime soon though.

Firstly, the impressive Durango SRT Pursuit is very much a bespoke concept, created by the engineers in Dodge’s SRT performance department for a very special event.

Referred to as ‘Speed Trap’ by its creators, the SRT Pursuit Concept is currently taking part in the 4,000 mile One Lap of America race.

The event sees teams cover huge amounts of distance across the United States in just seven days, with the added bonus of several on-track challenges as well.

In 2018, the Dodge-backed team of SRT engineer David Carr and journalist David Hakim, won the Truck/SUV class of the One Lap of America event with a 475hp Durango. But, for 2019, they decided to crank up the horsepower.

Under the bonnet is the 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 engine, as used in Dodge’s terrifying Hellcat muscle car series. This particular unit was taken from a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.  It means an output of 797hp and 707lb-ft of torque, powering all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Whilst the SRT engineers have not quoted performance times, we imagine sticking to the speed limits on public roads – as required for One Lap of America competitors – will be something of a struggle.

Using the police-specification Dodge Durango Pursuit as a base, meant the team clearly had to add lights and sirens, along with a custom law enforcement-inspired livery.

A low-restriction exhaust system, performance Pirelli rubber, upgraded brakes and lowered suspension completed the transformation into a police SUV fit for the race track.

Sadly the SRT Pursuit Concept is very much a bespoke creation for now, meaning there is no chance of police officers on this side of the Atlantic getting behind the wheel of it for now.

There is always the (slightly more obtainable) idea of the regular 475hp Durango Pursuit for UK coppers to console themselves with though.

Life as a Formula 1 driver is pretty tough, what with the gruelling Grand Prix calendar, the need to stay ultra-fit, and the endless media requirements.

There are seemingly some perks to this career though, as rookie McLaren driver Lando Norris discovered this week.

Forget having to choose between a diesel Audi or BMW for a company car – the 19-year-old Brit collected his new 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 McLaren 570S Coupe.

Driving for a Formula 1 team connected to a road car manufacturer which exclusively builds supercars, means that Norris is naturally in an advantageous position.

There’s no risk of being forced into a supermini or SUV because it makes better PR for the company.

Instead, Lando has a 570hp mid-engined machine, capable of 0-124mph in just 9.5 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 200mph. Although given that he drives a Formula 1 car every other weekend, the performance might be less dramatic than for mere mortals.

Norris does at least seem happy with the colour of his £150,000 car, and has already discovered a potential perk to the eye-searing hue.

You’re not going to be able to miss me in Tesco’s carpark with this. Thanks for the new ride @McLarenAuto 👊🏼 pic.twitter.com/LGMQGEyuYi

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) May 3, 2019

McLaren’s F1 team is enjoying a buoyant start to the 2019 season, with the Woking-based outfit currently fourth in the World Constructors’ Championship standings.

After the challenges of recent seasons, being in a strong position early in the year will be welcome relief for McLaren. Norris himself can also be pleased with having outperformed his more senior teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr. so far in 2019.

If Lando’s season continues the way it has began, he could be arguing for an upgrade to a 600LT Spider or maybe even a 720S by the end of the year.

The technology and engineering subsidiary of the famous Williams Racing team has been picked to key components for the forthcoming ETCR electric touring car championship.

Williams Advanced Engineering will be responsible for supplying the batteries to be used by the electric racing cars, along with the vehicle control modules.

All cars in the ETCR series will use a common powertrain, but with multiple brands building touring cars around the shared componentry. The championship will begin in 2020, with up to six manufacturers reported to be interested.

Williams Advanced Engineering has already marked itself out as a leader in the fledgling electric motorsport world.

The company has supplied battery packs to the Formula E series since it began. Despite the high-performance operating conditions, the batteries used in Formula E have delivered an impressive 99.5 percent reliability record.

Such high-profile success in electric motorsport netted Williams Advanced Engineering a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, last year. This recognised the considerable level of expertise and professionalism applied by the company in powering electric racers.

Choosing Williams to supply the important components for ETCR was seemingly a logical step for WSC Group, the organisers of the new electric touring car format.

According to WSC president Marcello Lotti: “Williams is synonymous with success in motorsport. The company’s achievements speak for themselves. We are proud of this agreement that associates the Williams name with a new and ambitious brand like ETCR.

“We are delighted to work together with a partner that knows all about motorsport and whose expertise will surely contribute to make ETCR successful.”

Iain Wight, Business Development Director of Williams Advanced Engineering, also commented that: “With the experience, skills and know-how accumulated within Williams from electrifying motorsport and road-going cars, we’re excited to work with the team at WSC Group to continue the progress of electric vehicles and racing to inspire the future of sustainable mobility.”

Williams Advanced Engineering expertise with electric power comes from more than just their Formula E involvement.

The company has worked with Aston Martin to develop the new limited edition Rapide E. Williams also helped create the Jaguar C-X75 concept supercar, and is also now working with Lotus on future products.

WSC Group has been responsible for the rapid growth of the TCR touring car format across the globe. Since the TCR specification was launched in 2014, more than 25 different championships have adopted the format for domestic and international competitions.

The news comes after the British Touring Car Championship recently announced plans to move to hybrid powertrains for 2021 – a year earlier than previously planned.  

Police drivers chasing suspects on mopeds will be given greater legal protection under plans announced by Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

This follows the controversy surrounding the tactic of forcing suspects on mopeds and motorcycles off the road by ramming into them using police vehicles.

The Home Office said it is seeking to change the law to ensure that highly trained police drivers are better protected from the risk of lengthy investigation and potential prosecution.

Current laws do not recognise the training that response drivers undertake and the tactics they may use to pursue criminals, with officers held to the same standards as members of the public.

The changes are backed by a public consultation and will make it clear that officers should not be held accountable for the driving of a suspected criminal attempting to avoid arrest, providing the pursuit is justified and proportionate.

A clear message to criminals

Sajid Javid said: “It’s vital police officers feel confident and protected when pursuing suspects on the roads or responding to an emergency.

“It’s also crucial that we send a clear message that criminals – whether in cars or on mopeds – cannot escape arrest simply by driving recklessly.

“These proposed changes will strike the right balance – giving trained officers the confidence they need to fight crime effectively and ensure our roads are safe.”

The plans have been backed by John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, who said: “We are pleased and reassured by this announcement, which means police officers will be able to spend more time serving their communities rather than facing lengthy court proceedings simply for doing their job.

“Police officers are relied upon to respond to emergency and life-threatening situations.

“Members of the public would expect police officers to use their skills and training to respond to calls for assistance and a much needed change in the law will enable officers to do that without fear of prosecution.”

Earlier this year, the Met Police released figures showing that there has been a steady fall in the use of mopeds, motorcycles and scooters to commit crime.

There were 12,540 offences in the 12 months to January 2019 – a 48.6 percent reduction compared with the previous year.

Unleaded petrol prices rose by 5.4p a litre in April 2019, which is the second-worst monthly price rise in almost two decades of records.

RAC Fuel Watch analysts say this has added £3 to the cost of filling the tank of an average petrol car.

How to find the cheapest diesel and petrol near you

The average price of petrol is now 128.1p a litre, up from 122.6p at the start of the month. A 5 percent rise in the cost of a barrel of oil is the cause, says the RAC: fuel retailers have quickly passed this on to motorists.

The scale of April 2019’s monthly price rise has only been topped once since 2000 – when petrol prices jumped by 6p a litre during May 2018.

It is also the third consecutive month of petrol price growth: back in February 2019, unleaded was down at 119.5p a litre.  

“Despite the good weather, April turned out to be one of the bleakest months ever for drivers,“ said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.

“RAC Fuel Watch data shows the price of unleaded rose every single day from the end of March, for three and a half weeks.

“This will have a damaging effect on household budgets across the country, and will inevitably mean there will be less money available for non-essential spending.”

Diesel subsidising petrol?

Diesel prices increased by 3p a litre during April 2019, taking the price up to 133.7p a litre.

However, the RAC has observed that the average difference between diesel and petrol wholesale prices was only 1p a litre during April, despite diesel costing 6p a litre more than petrol at the forecourts.

“It is very clear,” said Williams, “that retailers have been using the cheaper wholesale cost of diesel to subsidise petrol pump prices.

“Had they not, a new monthly price rise record for petrol would have been set.

“Diesel drivers – and businesses that don’t buy fuel in advance – are all now paying far more than they should be.”

In 2018, the amount of diesel sold in the UK was almost double that of petrol.