How to take your pet abroad

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March 14, 2016

Brittany Ferries has issued advice for anyone taking a pet abroad this summer, which comes off the back of another record-breaking year for the ferry operator.

According to the company, 67,462 pets travelled on its ferries in 2015, an increase of 17% compared to the same period in 2014. In fact, the pet-friendly cabins on the Portsmouth to Le Havre, Bilbao and Santander crossings are always the first to sell out. So if you’re looking to take your sea dog across the water this summer, you might want to think about booking sooner rather than later.

Rules are more relaxed than before

Before 2012, Britain’s pet passport rules were much stricter than the rest of Europe. Animals had to be vaccinated against rabies six months before travelling and have a blood test to prove the vaccine had been effective.

Under the current rules, when you enter or return to the UK from another EU or listed country, your pet must meet the entry requirements. These are as follows:

Your pet must be microchipped. This must be done before your pet gets a rabies vaccination.
Your pet must have been vaccinated against rabies. You must wait 21 days from the date of the vaccination before travelling. The day of vaccination counts as day 0 and not day 1.
Your pet must have a pet passport or third-country official veterinary certificate.
If travelling from a listed country, fill in a declaration, confirming that you aren’t going to sell or transfer the ownership of your pet.
Dogs must have had a tapeworm treatment no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours (5 days) before entry.
You must use an approved transport company and an approved route unless you’re travelling between the UK and Ireland.

Brittany Ferries offers pet-friendly cabins on its Portsmouth to Le Havre, Bilbao and Santander crossings, with the option of on-board kennels. For routes to and from France, travellers can carry their pet in the car, with regular visits to the car deck for owners to check on their loved one.

Christine Barker, general manager Brittany Ferries holidays, said: “Boarding kennels can cost as much as £150 a week in London, and more than £100 a week outside the capital.

“But aside from the money, there’s the emotional cost of leaving a key member of the family behind. More people want to take the family pet on holiday, particularly as many properties make no charge.”

More information

According to the UK government, you can enter or return to the UK with your pet cat, dog or ferret without quarantine if you follow certain rules. Your pet has to travel within five days of you, or someone else you’ve authorised in writing. There are different rules for pets travelling outside the five-day limit.

You cannot travel with more than five pets unless you’re attending a training for a competition, show or sporting event. You’ll need written evidence of registration for the event when you travel, while all pets must be attending the event, be over six-months old and meet the pet travel rules.

There are no restrictions on bringing pet rodents, rabbits, birds, ornamental fish, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles to the UK from other EU countries. Pet rabbits and rodents from countries outside the EU most spend four months in quarantine and will also need a rabies import licence.

When you return to the UK, staff from the ferry company will scan your pet’s microchip and check your documents. Your pet will be held and could be put into quarantine or sent back to the country it travelled from if you don’t have the correct documents or your pet hasn’t been properly prepared for travel. You are responsible for the the cost of quarantine or the re-export of your pet.

For more detailed information on pet travel, visit the government website.

Chris Evans apologises for ‘disrespectful’ Top Gear scenes

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Motoring Research team

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March 14, 2016

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BBC Top Gear host Chris Evans has apologised “unreservedly” for scenes over the weekend that appeared to show filming near the Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall.

Paparazzi shots showed presenter Matt LeBlanc and stunt driver Ken Block driving Block’s ‘Hoonicorn’ near to the war memorial – scenes that drew immediate criticism with one retired Colonel, Richard Kemp, telling the Telegraph it was wrong to film next to “a sacred tribute to millions of people. Jeremy Clarkson was certainly no saint but I don’t believe he would have ever performed a stunt in such bad taste.”

Today, Chris Evans responded to the criticism on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, stating that he “completely understood the furore” around images of the shoot.

“It doesn’t matter what actually happened, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances were that could explain this away, what is important about this is what these images look like and they look entirely disrespectful – which is not and would never be the intention of the Top Gear team or Matt.

“Retrospectively, it was unwise to be anywhere near the Cenotaph with this motor car.”

Evans acknowledged that there had been some “very incendiary comments written alongside these pictures, and I completely understand this furore, but the Top Gear team would never, ever do that.”

Chancellor complains to Top Gear for disturbing Budget

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Motoring Research team

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March 14, 2016

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Chancellor George Osborne has scolded BBC Top Gear producers for disturbing him while trying to write the 2016 Budget.

The crew were filming on Horseguards Parade during the weekend – with one stunt apparently acted out right outside the Chancellor’s residence.

The irritated Chancellor thus took to Twitter to censure the produces and ask Top Gear host Chris Evans to “keep it down please”.

Trying to write my Budget,despite noisy episode of @BBC_TopGear being filmed outside on Horseguards Parade. Keep it down please @achrisevans

— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) March 13, 2016

The scene is the latest in a number of stunts filmed around the City of London over the weekend. On Saturday, Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc and ‘hoonigan’ stunt driver Ken Block apparently surprised a bride and groom on their wedding day by blasting past St Paul’s Cathedral.

Top Gear filming in London – in pictures

More controversially, there have been reports of action being filmed near to the Cenotaph in Whitehall, although producers insist the filming was being carried out at a respectful distance from the war memorial.

All scenes in the weekend’s filming were also agreed with Westminster council in advance, said a spokesman.

Are Brits proud enough of Jaguar Land Rover?

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Richard Aucock

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March 8, 2016

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During an enlightening round table with Volkswagen brand CEO Juergen Stackmann at the Geneva Motor Show, he made an interesting observation: the turnaround of Jaguar Land Rover over recent years has been remarkable, with the firm becoming a genuine premium market player with world-class products in just a single model cycle – an outstanding performance.

“You must be very proud, no?”

It struck me: are we? Do we really appreciate just what the home brand has achieved following the unshackling from Ford into a standalone group, which happened just as the 2008 recession struck?

Maybe with Land Rover, the profitable side of the group, we do – although few could have expected the smash-hit Range Rover Evoque, the margin-rich continuation of the Range Rover Sport and the sheer brilliance of the latest Range Rover. But then, Land Rover’s always done well: in a world now besotted by SUVs, it would almost be a surprise if it wasn’t thriving.

Jaguar, though – there’s the real story. Back in 2008, it was making the elderly XJ, the low volume XK and had just launched the breakout XF – a car that, for all its wonderful style and beautiful interior (arguably more beautiful than today’s cabins), was still derived from Ford-sourced S-Type underpinnings.

The XF was Jaguar’s only volume car and even this was hardly high volume. Lacking a serious sales alternative to the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it really was a minnow in the premium sector. The Germans simply didn’t consider it a serious rival.

Now look at it: there’s a brand-new XE made from an all-Jaguar, aluminium-intensive platform, winning plaudits and leaping straight into the position of driver’s car alternative to the 3 Series. There’s an all-new XF, again heavily using aluminium, that on paper makes as much rational, tax-friendly sense to business users as the smaller XE does.

The svelte XJ has been tweaked and the F-Type continues to get ever-faster and more lairy, neither car not really registering on saes charts but providing useful image-boost assets for the firm.

And soon, there’ll be the F-Pace. Jaguar’s first SUV. A great-looking machine that’s chasing the Porsche Macan and, by all accounts, is just as good to drive. Unlike the so-so XE and XF interiors, its cabin is also bang on the money, while both pricing and CO2 are double-take competitive.

The F-Pace, along with the XE, are going to transform Jaguar. Its sales are, relative to previous years, going to skyrocket and it may finally be able to stand on its own two feet rather than being propped up by the financial might of Land Rover.

And if Jaguar’s able to do this in a generation, what else could it do once the momentum really starts to flow?

Stackmann is right to ask us if we’re proud of Jaguar Land Rover. Perhaps we should ask ourselves that. Put the usual British cynicism to one side for a moment: even in the boardrooms of giant German car brands, JLR’s achievements are being recognised. Maybe it’s time we started shouting about them too.

BMW Vision Next 100 concept revealed on 100th anniversary

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Richard Aucock

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March 7, 2016

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BMW has revealed a dramatic concept car called Vision Next 100 that takes a far-sighted look into the autonomous, zero-emissions cars of the next 20 and 30 years – exactly 100 years to the day since the company was formed.

The BMW Vision Next 100 is a 5 Series-sized car with a 7 Series-sized interior and a futuristic shape created by BMW Group design chief Adrian van Hooydonk.

The future car will take BMW’s reputation of being ‘the ultimate driving machine’ to the next level, says van Hooydonk. With the Vision concept car, “we want to turn the driver into the ultimate driver.”

It’s thus packed with technology – but the interior has purposefully been kept clean. There is a steering wheel – this is important, says Van Hooydonk – but other controls and buttons are absent.

Instead, the entire windscreen takes the form of a head-up display, upon which head-up display messages are shown in piloted drive ‘boost’ mode’.

The Vision car is also an autonomous car and in the so-called ‘ease’ mode, the entire screen becomes a display, with information such as video feeds of conference calls and even images such as attachments to emails.

It’s not all about simply overloading the driver with connected car information though. BMW wants to regulate the flow of data to the driver, by giving the vehicle intelligent and self-learning capabilities. Crucial information will only be shown where necessary, and not at inopportune, danger-inducing moments.

Trick features here include a dashboard whose surface is made up of ‘waves’ of warning lights: the car will, for example, detect a cyclist hidden behind a van and the dashboard in that corner will light up red: as the cyclist nears the car, the lights will flow across (and the car will autonomously stop where necessary).

Purposefully, seats and door panels blend into one within the open plan interior. This is to make it more flexible and comfortable in autonomous mode: occupants will be able to relax, turn around to speak with passengers or simply lean back for the conference call they’re conducting…

Outside, It retains the BMW kidney grille, says van Hooydonk – but instead of air intakes, it contains all the sensors for the autonomous tech! Also, four round lights become four light ‘bars’.

It’s a simple, purposefully minimalist design, with few lines but complex use of light and shadow interplay. It’s as big as a 5 Series outside yet as big as a 7 Series inside…

Uniquely, the wheels are fully enclosed, but ‘flexible’ bodywork allows the front wheels to still turn – the panel ‘expands’ so the wheels can steer.

The windows are also heavily tinted in body-colour. BMW says privacy will be even more important in autonomous cars – where, presumably, you won’t simply be concentrating on driving, and may not want others looking in and watching you…

The BMW Vision Next 100 has a ‘companion light’ structure in the centre of the dashboard. In autonomous mode, this glows white, to let occupants know the car is in control. It is also functional to pedestrians: when, at a crossing, the car detects someone, it glows green, to let them know it’s safe to cross.

Why is the BMW Vision a sporty saloon?

Unlike many other futuristic concepts, the BMW Vision Next 100 is a low-slung saloon car rather than a tall SUV. van Hooydonk said this us because “The Neue Klasse cars started the growth of BMW and the company became known for sporty limousines: we took this as a theme as we feel it’s the core of the brand.

“The Vision vehicle should thus be a sporty limousine.” The Cx drag factor of 0.18 sets a new record, says van Hooydonk, which is another reason why the design is so sleek.

BMW won’t yet be drawn on how far off production the remarkable Vision Next 100 concept is though. van Hooydonk simply (and interestingly) said: “If you can imagine it, you have made first step…”

Kruger did add that it’s very much for the next 20-30 years, rather than any sooner: “There will be some components and elements coming earlier, but this is a car looking far into the future with BMW Group.”

Former Volkswagen CEO ‘told about emissions irregularities in 2014’

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Motoring Research team

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March 3, 2016

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Former Volkswagen Group chairman Martin Winterkorn’s ‘shock and surprise’ about the emissions scandal when it publically broke in September 2015 has suffered a setback after evidence emerged of memos sent to him in May and November 2014.

A memo about the ICCT study – the U.S organisation that exposed the Volkswagen diesel emissions irregularities – was prepared for Winterkorn on May 23 2014. However, says Volkswagen in a statement, “whether and to which extent Mr. Winterkorn took notice of this memo at that time is not documented”.

Volkswagen boss shrugs off Geneva protestor stunt

A further memo about the North America diesel issue was sent to him on 14 November 2014: in it, Volkswagen estimated the cost of rectification at €20 million.

Since the scandal publically broke on 18 September 2015, the company has estimated cost of rectification at €6-7 billion.

The news that Winterkorn was informed about the diesel issue is revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against Volkswagen, one the company says is “without merit”.

Volkswagen has always insisted knowledge of the so-called defeat device was restricted to a handful of engineers within the company: the lawsuit alleges that the company violated disclosure obligations about major issues that would affect the company’s stock price.

Martin Winterkorn resigned on 23 September 2015, stating that “I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part.

“I am shocked by the events of the past few days… I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.”

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Honda Civic sportier ‘because we are allowed to’

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Richard Aucock

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March 2, 2016

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The 10^th generation Honda Civic is able to be significantly more stylish and sporting than today’s car because the model is traditionally the one where Honda experiments and tries new things – so does not suffer the generation-shift restrictions rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf do.

“The Civic has always been the Honda where engineers are allowed to try new things,” said the car’s chief designer, 39-year-old Daisuke Tsutamori.

“If you look at its history, it usually always looks different generation-to-generation. There’s always something new.”

The exception to this was the Golf-style evolution from the eight generation model to today’s ninth generation car – something Honda admits was driven by older customers’ preference for more of the same. This may have been a mistake, the firm now concendes. “The 10^th generation model is designed to be more desirable to younger people.”

Built on an all-new global platform, the European Civic hatchback is previewed in concept for at the Geneva Motor Show by the Civic Prototype. Some of the more dynamic features won’t make it to mainstream versions of the launch car, admitted Tsutamori-san, but the basic sporting profile is faithful.

“It’s a dramatic change – the proportions are lower and wider, and the rear is much more inclined, almost a coupe silhouette. The overhangs are short and the focus is the centre of the car, which we think exposes its dynamics.”

Tsutamori-san admitted the style change wasn’t easy to get past Honda management though. “Management is not the youngest, and they were very concerned with ease of use, such as getting in and out.” Thanks to careful (and canny) design leadership on Tsutamori’s part, management’s concerns were eased when they got hands on with a full-size prototype.

“It may be sportier-looking, but we haven’t forgotten practicality,” said Tsutamori-san. “Our development principal is MM – machine minimum, man maximum,” an edict faithfully applied to the new Civic.

“Even boot space has increased over the current car” – and that’s despite the new 10^th generation Civic returning to a high-tech multi-link suspension setup at the rear.

Volkswagen SUVs: product onslaught begins at Geneva

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Motoring Research team

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March 2, 2016

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Volkswagen has vowed to build an SUV in every class of car that can justify one – and the T-Cross Breeze concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show is the first salvo in an off-roader onslaught from the German brand.

“SUV is THE segment globally at the moment,” Volkswagen board member for sales and marketing Juergen Stackmann told us. “We compete in it with the Tiguan, but this leaves two or three cars on the upper side: the Tiguan LWB, US-built large SUV and the range-topping Touareg.

“Below the Tiguan, we believe there is space for two more SUVs: the T-Cross will sit at the smaller end – and will arrive in the not too distant future.”

The product offensive will begin in the spring, when the all-new Tiguan launches in Europe (later followed by a long-wheelbase version for North America). Work is progressing fast on preparing the US Chattanooga factory to build the production version of the CrossBlue.

The new CrossBlue will be a genuine SUV range-topper, built on the same platform underpinning the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga.

Volkswagen has revealed the entry-level SUV will be built on the Volkswagen Polo platform, while the family-sized one will use the MQB architecture underpinning the latest Volkswagen Golf.

From MPV to SUV

The growth of SUVs is coming at the expense of the MPV, said Stackmann. There’ll always be a market for practical vehicles, but it’s not one that will grow – because SUVs have taken on many of the characteristics that appeal to MPV buyers, such as space, a high seating position and functionality.

“MPVs were too rational. SUVs give drivers character.”

Volkswagen thus plans not to invest too much time and effort into MPVs in the future – and Stackmann even questioned attempts by rivals to make MPVs more stylish and sporty. “Is the compromise too much?”

Renault is, notably, the brand that invented the compact MPV, and with the latest Scenic has given us arguably the most stylish small people carrier yet. However, designer Laurens van der Acker has previously admitted that if this generation of Scenic doesn’t work with customers, the firm won’t continue with it…

Time for T: the future Volkswagen SUV range

T-Cross: supermini SUV, rival to the Nissan Juke

T-Roc: family hatch SUV, rival to the Nissan Qashqai

Tiguan: second-generation family now being launched

Tiguan LWB: bigger second-gen version for U.S and other major markets

CrossBlue Concept: mid-size SUV for U.S and China

Touareg: third-gen range-topping SUV due 2018

Vauxhall boss slams Brexit bid: we need to stay in the EU

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Motoring Research team

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February 29, 2016

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Vauxhall’s new managing director Rory Harvey has joined the debate on the EU referendum, telling journalists that the firm ‘absolutely’ has a position on Brexit – and that position is that the UK should remain in the European Union.

Speaking on the eve of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Harvey said: “We think it’s the right thing to do in terms of movement of goods and supply of services and people, and we think it’s the right thing in terms of the automotive industry and us as an organisation.

“We have a position and that position is that we think that now, at the moment, we should stay in the EU.”

Brexit: Nissan, Toyota want Britain to remain in EU

Harvey’s predecessor, Tim Tozer, left the company suddenly in September following what’s believed to have been a spat between Vauxhall and GM’s European arm, Opel.

In the weeks prior to his departure, Tozer suggested that Britain leaving the EU would not stop Vauxhall from doing business in the UK.

He told the BBC’s Radio 4 today programme: “I don’t think in that event [of Britain leaving the EU] there would not be a trade agreement with what was left of the EU. We’re a very, very big market for European products, goods and services, and it would be unthinkable to us as a corporation that no such trade agreement would ultimately be negotiated if this country chose to leave.”

His successor is more reserved, however. Harvey said it would be “interesting to see what happens with the referendum,” yet refused to speculate about whether the company would continue to build cars within the UK if it were to leave the EU.

Vauxhall is GM’s fourth biggest market around the world, with 35,000 people employed by the firm in the UK. The brand’s Ellesmere Port plant in the North West produces more than 180,000 Astras a year – 52,000 of which are sold in the UK.

This figure is set to increase with the new model, which tonight picked up the award of the 2016 European Car of the Year.

Recently, Toyota hinted that it would continue production at its Burnaston plant – whichever way the EU referendum goes.

Telling the Financial Times how Toyota had buried a time capsule under the Derbyshire factory, the multinational company’s chief executive Akio Toyoda said: “From now on, like Japan, we may face some pretty tough times in the UK market.

“But we want to deepen our roots to deliver ever better cars, so when that capsule is opened after 100 years, all can see we’ve built a truly British company.”

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Vauxhall Astra is 2016 European Car of the Year

By

Richard Aucock

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February 29, 2016

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The Vauxhall Astra has won the 2016 European Car of the Year prize, in a closely-fought battle with the Volvo XC90.

Mazda’s MX-5 was third, following strong scoring from British COTY judges that helped it pip the Audi A4.

Revealed on the eve of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, the Car of the Year Awards were presented in an exciting Eurovision-style presentation, where all nations’ points were revealed and totted up.

It soon became clear the two front-runners were the Vauxhall Astra and Volvo XC90.

The two were neck-and-neck before the Astra drew out a small lead – before the Swedish scores were revealed: naturally, they awarded the home brand strong scores, that narrowed the Astra’s lead once again.

In the presentation, it was down to Great Britain to cast the vote – and thanks to the UK awarding strong scores to the Mazda MX-5, but still scoring the Brit-built Astra reasonably highly, Vauxhall emerged ahead as the 2016 Car of the Year winner.

Of course, the scores were all cast at the same time and so it wasn’t really down to one nation to make the call: even so, the Astra’s overall points score of 309 saw it take an unquestionable victory ahead of the Volvo XC90 on 294 points and the Mazda MX-5 on 204 points.

Motoring Research reviews the new Vauxhall Astra

The Astra beat a long list of 35 Car of the Year Contenders, of which a shortlist of seven did battle for the overall trophy (which itself was new for 2016).

Judged by 58 jurors, Car of the Year prides itself on its transparency – all scores by each juror are available on the organisation’s website, for example.

The victory was also a genuine surprise to Vauxhall in the UK: the first they heard of the result was when Motoring Research’s Andrew Brady showed them Richard Aucock’s tweet from the Geneva show hall…

2016 Car of the Year – final scores

1: Vauxhall Astra – 309 points

2: Volvo XC90 – 294 points

3: Mazda MX-5 – 202 points

4: Audi A4 – 189 points

5: Jaguar XE – 163 points

6: Skoda Superb – 147 points

7: BMW 7 Series – 143 points