Volkswagen embarks on $50bn plan to mass produce electric cars November 17, 2018 German car manufacturer Volkswagen has said it will become the most profitable manufacturer of electric cars in the world, under the terms of a new plan to mass produce battery-powered vehicles. Chief executive Herbert Diess said the company will spend almost €44bn (£39.1bn) on developing the technology for a fleet of electric and self-driving vehicles, [...]
Ollie Phillips: Experimental England need to use Japan match as opportunity to show their attacking credentials November 15, 2018 Eddie Jones has made 11 changes for England’s match against Japan on Saturday, which leaves him open to accusations of playing a second-string side. But looking at the XV it isn't quite that simple. Instead it highlights their strength and depth with exciting options all over the pitch. Japan are clearly the easiest of the [...]
Ford opens itself up to investors on driverless car tech November 15, 2018 The chief executive of Ford Motors has said the company is open to discussions with rival firms and investors on funding its self-driving technology unit, but played down ongoing talks with Volkswagen about a potential deal. Ford and Volkswagen have previously acknowledged that they are in talks on a partnership, however Ford boss Jim Hackett said today [...]
Revealed: The vast number of England players capped by Eddie Jones as Joe Cokanasiga and Ted Hill prepare for debuts against Japan November 15, 2018 Joe Cokanasiga and Ted Hill are set to make their England debuts against Japan on Saturday, taking the number of players capped during Eddie Jones’s three-year tenure to 66. Bath wing Cokanasiga, 21, has been named in a starting XV that features 11 changes to the side that narrowly lost to New Zealand last week, [...]
The Volkswagen Polo GTI is a mature hot hatch that hasn’t lost its sense of fun November 5, 2018 Reifnitz is nestled deep in the Austrian Alps, its quiet streets dotted with quaint, hand-painted chalets. Nothing much happens here, apart from one weekend each summer, when the village is invaded by 100,000 Volkswagen fanatics. They come from all over Europe and beyond – filling the mountain air with the aroma of beer, bratwurst and [...]
Ineos billionaire reportedly plans to build Land Rover Defender rival at Ford factory, saving 1,100 jobs November 2, 2018 Chemical company Ineos is reportedly in talks with Ford to build its proposed Land Rover Defender rival at the car manufacturer’s Bridgend site. It is proposing to use the portion of the of the Bridgend facility currently occupied by Jaguar Land Rover to assemble the Defender, according to a report citing three people close to [...]
Ollie Phillips: Eddie Jones goes physical as England name exciting but inexperienced side to face South Africa November 1, 2018 We knew there would be changes in England’s first squad for the autumn internationals, but Eddie Jones has still managed to spring a few surprises in the side to play South Africa on Saturday. I’ve been critical previously of the England head coach for not picking on form, so it’s pleasing to see some of [...]
Shale fail: BHP to return $10.4bn to shareholders after selling US shale assets to BP November 1, 2018 BHP has revealed plans to return $10.4bn (£8.1bn) to shareholders after the sale of its US shale assets to BP. The deal – BP's largest acquisition in two decades – was confirmed on Wednesday after being agreed in July. Anglo-Australian miner BHP announced its arrival on the shale market in 2011 buying fields in Texas [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan’s green war on diesel cars finally hits home October 30, 2018 Sad news in my household: Moonie is not long for this world. The time is fast approaching when I must put her out of her misery, despite the fact that she seems pretty robust regardless of her ageing years. Like Boxer in “Animal Farm,” I will soon load her up into her metaphorical horse box, send [...]
UK’s biggest care home provider Four Seasons Health Care to be sold October 29, 2018 Four Seasons Health Care has been put up for sale in a bid to pay off debt owed to US hedge fund controllers H/2 Capital Partners. H/2 effectively controls the UK’s largest care home company, which is still owned by private equity veteran Guy Hands’ Terra Firma. Four Seasons’ parent company Elli Investments notified the [...]