Black taxi ride-hailing app Gett will now let users choose to ride in a clean electric hybrid taxi, instead of taking a dirty diesel-engined alternative.

The new Gett Electric tool promises emissions-free rides via the LEVC TX eCity London black cab. And it is incentivising taxi drivers to start using the new electric cab with reduced commission schemes for cabbies using the Gett app.

Gett Electric will be available in Central London from 10am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

There is also a new Gett Green scheme, where customers can pay 20p per ride extra to become ‘carbon positive’. The scheme will make donations to 12 central London schools identified as suffering from poor air quality through the Mayor of London’s school air quality programme.

“We are very proud that our proprietary technology uniquely enables to offer our London customers the chance to order these excellent new electric taxis,” said Gett UK CEO Matteo de Renzi.

“Customers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly ways to travel. Gett are delighted to offer the Gett Electric vehicle option, producing completely emission free rides.”

The firm adds that as it works with the existing black cab infrastructure, it doesn’t add extra vehicles to UK roads – unlike some other ride-hailing apps.

Neil Paris MP, chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee, said the new TX cab is playing an important role in tackling London’s air pollution problem. “It’s great to see Gett supporting this new environmentally friendly step.”

Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff have been confirmed by BBC bosses as the new presenters of Top Gear when the next series begins filming in early 2019.

The comedian and Ashes-winning England cricketer replace Matt LeBlanc, who earlier announced the current series will be his last.

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They will line up alongside motoring journalist Chris Harris: the other current Top Gear presenter, Rory Reid, is to lead the sister show Extra Gear, alongside presenting for online motoring channel Carfection.

“Getting the Top Gear gig is a real honour,” said McGuinness (pictured above) in a statement. “To be hosting a show I’ve watched and loved from being a small boy is beyond exciting.”

“It’s not often you have the chance to do both of your dream jobs,” said Flintoff, “but now I’m lucky enough to say I will have.

“I’ve always been passionate about cars.”

The current series (the 26th in the history of Top Gear), LeBlanc’s last, will air in early 2019. The first series (27) with McGuinness, Flintoff and Harris is expected to be shown later in the year.

The Lone Star State might conjure up a wealth of American stereotypes, but the SUV winner of the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo may be something of a surprise.

Taking the top SUV prize was the Maserati Levante GTS, following two days of evaluation by members of the Texas Auto Writers Association. After all the testing, the Italian-built SUV was claimed the best choice for oil barons and cowpokes alike.

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It should be pointed out that the evaluation process does involve both on and off-road action. This year’s Truck Rodeo was beset with torrential rain and flooding, creating a literal mud bath for testing.

Despite the clear tarmac bias to the Levante GTS, the Q4 all-wheel-drive system is capable of sending 50% of torque to the front axle. Driven by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 engine, the Levante’s 550hp and 538lb-ft output certainly allows for plenty of twist to be juggled between axles.

The engine itself is built in the Ferrari factory in Maranello, and allows the Levante GTS to run from 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds. Top speed is 181mph – substantially in excess of the 85mph limit found on State Highway 130.

Although made in Italy, the Maserati Levante GTS does have an obvious American link, being a subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

In fact, the American-Italian company took a clean sweep at the 2018 Texas Truck Rodeo with brand winners in the three main categories. In total, 15 of the 24 prizes on offer went to FCA brands.

Taking the overall prize for ‘2018 Truck of Texas’’ was the updated and revised 2019 Ram 1500 pick-up truck. With Texas the biggest market for pick-up trucks in the world, getting this seal of approval is a big deal.

The larger Ram 2500 Power Wagon won in the ‘heavy duty’ pick-up truck category, whilst the Ram 1500 Rebel took home the prize for off-road pick-up trucks.

Collecting the crossover ‘CUV of Texas’ was another Italian creation from FCA. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio was the winner, beating the 2019 Mazda CX-9.

Held since 1992, the Texas Truck Rodeo was created to showcase an event unique to Texas. This year, a total of 57 trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and commercial vehicles were evaluated by 69 members of the Texas Auto Writers Association.

Britain is getting its own one-make Ferrari racing series, with the Ferrari Challenge UK series launching at Brands Hatch on 25 April next year.

It’s the first time Ferrari has dedicated a one-make racing series to a single market. The Ferrari 488 Challenge cars will run on four race circuits, with two races running at each circuit.

Overseen by Ferrari Corse Clienti, the new series will be run to exactly the same rules and regulations as other Ferrari Challenge series globally.

The difference comes in the race licence requirements. Drivers can race with an MSA National A licence, rather than the International C licence that’s necessary for the other Ferrari Challenge series.

This makes it more accessible to UK drivers who may not have the necessary signatures to upgrade – and could also see the Ferrari Challenge UK series become a recognised stepping stone up through the Ferrari racing ladder.

Any client who owns a Ferrari 488 Challenge racer can enter the series. Want to know more, says Ferrari? Contact your local dealer – they’ll have all the information you need.

The Ferrari-first single-market series is recognition of how important Britain is for the Italian brand: it’s the second-largest market in the world for Ferrari.

The UK is also the second-oldest Ferrari export market, after the U.S., with imports beginning back in the late 1950s and official imports commencing in 1960.

Ferrari Challenge UK 2019 race dates

• 25 April: Brands Hatch prologue and test
• 18 – 19 May: Brands Hatch race 1 and 2
• 22 – 23 June: Snetterton race 3 and 4
• 20 – 21 July: Croft race 5 and 6
• 21 – 22 Sept: Silverstone race 7 and 8

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So many supercar buyers are eager to buy a new Ford GT, the firm has decided to extend production for two more years.

The application window for orders will open again on 8 November for exactly one month – and the UK is among the markets selected for ordering.

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Ford Performance director Hermann Salenbauch said the decision to keep on building the 216mph GT was because of “unprecedented demand”. Orders have outstripped supply by more than six to one, he said.

The Ford GT will still remain exclusive, he insisted, but a few more lucky customers will now get one – including some “in addition to the 80 Ford GT owners in Europe who’ve taken delivery to date”.

Ford originally planned to build 1,000 GTs over four years, with production beginning in late 2016. Build slots will now cease in 2022, rather than 2020.

Even those who manage to apply for a GT are not certain of actually owning one, though. Ford says prospective owners should “submit their applications at fordgt.com [when it opens on November 8]… successful applicants will work with the Ford GT Concierge Service for a personalised purchase experience”.

Among the options for the fresh batch of Ford GT buyers will be the Heritage Edition model. This wears a Gulf Oil racing livery in Heritage Blue and Heritage Orange. It marks the 50^th anniversary of the Ford GT40 that won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1968 and 1969.

MPs want the government to bring forward its proposed 2040 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by eight years to 2032 – and have criticised it for being ‘vague and unambitious’ about zero emission cars.

The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (BEIS), a parliamentary select committee, also blamed a lack of public charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) for the lack of growth in the UK EV market – although David Martell, chief executive of electric car charging company BP Chargemaster, said the committee’s report “appears to be based on outdated information.”

BEIS chair Rachel Reeves MP said: “For all the rhetoric of the UK becoming a world leader in EVs, the reality is that the government’s deeds do not match the ambitions of their words.”

She said that targeting zero-emissions new car sales by 2032 would show the world Britain is serious about being a EV leader. 

“The government needs to get a grip and lead.”

The car industry, however, has does not believe the transition is realistic. “Government’s 2040 ambition was already extremely challenging,” said Mike Hawes, chief executive of automotive trade body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

“To fast-track that by eight years would be nigh on impossible.

“Zero emission vehicles make up just 0.6 percent of the market, meaning consumer appetite would have to grow by some 17,000 percent in just over a decade. This is unrealistic and rejects the evidence put forward by SMMT on behalf of the industry.”

‘Perverse’

The publication of the report comes in the same week the government withdrew the Plug-in Car Grant for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, a decision the car industry called ‘astounding’.

On this decision, Reeves was clear: “The Department for Transport’s slashing of the Plug-in Grant scheme drives the incentives of buying an electric vehicle into reverse.

“Cutting support is a perverse way to encourage drivers to move into non-polluting cars. This is only the latest sign of the government’s inconsistent approach to develop the market for electric vehicles.”

Hawes agreed: We said we need world class infrastructure and world class incentives to have any chance of delivering so the recent cuts to the Plug-in Car Grant and lack of charging facilities – both of which are severely criticised by the Committee – show just how difficult it would be to accelerate this transition.”

BEIS wants the government to maintain the grants, give electric vehicles preferential Vehicle Excise Duty Rates and bring forward preferential EV company car tax rates “without delay”.

The new McLaren Speedtail, which will be revealed on 26 October, is such a bespoke car, it’s even getting its own special bonnet badge option.

Each of the 106 hyper-GT cars can be fitted with a set of three 18-carat white gold badges: two brand badges at the front and a model name at the rear.

They’ll be made in Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter, by Vaughtons – a firm established in 1898 that also creates Olympic gold medals and trophies for the FA Cup.

The badges carry laser etching showing when and where they were made, as well as the McLaren ‘Speedmark’ logo. The carbon fibre inserts use ‘Thin Ply Technology’ (TPT) that’s exclusive to McLaren.

McLaren says the front badge weighs 100 grams. If that’s too heavy, a lacquered transfer can be fitted instead. This “weighs almost nothing”.

But going for gold is more authentic, reckons McLaren. The Speedtail is the spiritual successor to the 1993 F1, which used a gold foil heat shield in its engine bay.

“A new gold standard”

Emphasising that this is a new, ultra-posh and premium McLaren, the firm’s design director Rob Melville said that “as beautiful pieces of exquisitely hand-crafted jewellery, the white-gold badges perfectly set off a car that in every way represents a new gold standard [very good – Ed.] for McLaren luxury.

“They fit perfectly with the philosophy of the Speedtail, the most luxurious car in McLaren Automotive’s portfolio, as well as paying homage to its forebear, the McLaren F1.”

For those who don’t want to fork out for the white gold badge set, the standard badge is made from aluminium with a gloss black inlay.

And if white gold is still not quite rich enough, McLaren is offering a fourth option for Speedtail badges – to have them made from solid platinum.

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As news emerges that many Brits are confused by the introduction of ‘semi-autonomous’ safety systems in cars, new research shows motorists are clear on one thing: they want to keep control.

A survey by MoneySupermarket has found 76 percent of drivers want to be in control of their own vehicle, rather than leave it to autonomous systems. Equally, 68 percent don’t trust autonomous tech and another 68 percent don’t believe it’s safe.

Almost one in two are suffering ‘driverless dread’ and think introducing autonomous cars is a bad idea, with the over-55s being particularly negative about it. Almost half of 24 to 34 year-olds were receptive to self-driving cars, though.

MoneySupermarket editor-in-chief Tom Flack said it’s “understandable that people are sceptical, as full control over their vehicle will be lost.There will no doubt be a transitional period where people get used to the new technology on offer.”

The comparison website does, however, believe autonomous cars are a good thing, “reducing accidents and bringing down the cost of motoring, including insurance”.

The survey also looked at ethical issues: who is at fault if an autonomous car crashes. A total of 45 percent of respondents would blame the car manufacturer, but 34 percent would blame the ‘driver’ – even if they weren’t driving at the time.

Curiously, 18 percent say nobody would be at fault if a driverless car crashed.

Other worries include rising costs such as soaring MOT prices, while 42 percent believe car insurance will actually become more expensive when autonomous cars take to the roads in significant numbers. 

As for the joy of driving, it may not be all it’s cracked up to be. Only 36 percent of people are worried about the arrival of autonomous cars because they enjoy driving…

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