Tag Archives: UK

New Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Priced From £155k In The UK, Nearly £16k More Than 751HP Taycan Turbo S

December 23, 2021 admin

Two months ago, Mercedes unveiled the AMG EQS 53 at the Munich Motor Show as the first electric vehicle to wear the AMG badge. Now, the German automaker has released pricing for it, and it’s about what you’d expect for a range-topping high-performance EV sedan.

The EQS 53 will start at £154,995 (equal to around $208,000 at current exchange rates) in the UK, or 55% more than the base EQS 450’s starting price of £99,995. It’s also more expensive than the current flagship Porsche Taycan Turbo S that’s rated for 761PS / 751HP and kicks off from £139,280 (about $186,900).

For that money, you get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain producing 649 hp (658 PS / 484 kW) and 701 lb-ft (950 Nm) of instant electric torque. Upgrade to the AMG Performance Package with the Night Edition that pushes the starting price to £163,900 (around $220,000) though, and that same drivetrain produces 751 hp (761 PS / 560 kW) and 752 lb-ft (1020 Nm) of torque.

The former enables a 3.8-second sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) with a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h), while the latter allows for 3.4 seconds to 62 mph with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). The range is the same for both, with a WLTP-estimated 358 miles (576 km) on tap from the car’s 107.8 kWh battery.

Standard features on all variants include the 56-inch Hyperscreen, an AR heads-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, a Burmester® surround sound system, a Parking package with Active Parking Assist, and 360° camera, Driving Assistance Package Plus, AMG sound programs, AMG-specific bodywork, and an AMG steering wheel.

Included with the Night Edition are 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, and sport pedals. Upgrading to the £8,995 AMG Performance Package (which is only available with the Night Edition) gets you carbon-ceramic brakes, AMG Dynamic Plus boost for Race Start, the AMG Sound Experience, the AMG Driver’s Package with increased top speed, AMG TRACK PACE, and AMG carbon-fiber interior trim.

Finally, serving as a counterpart to the bold Night Edition is the more subtle Touring specification, which comes with 22-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels and elegant ambient lighting in the cabin. On top of that, you can opt for the £2,995 Rear Luxury Lounge package (only available with the Touring), which outfits the multi-contour rear seats with black Exclusive Nappa leather upholstery, power reclining, luxury headrests, neck and shoulder heating, comfort armrests, separate climate controls, an MBUX tablet, wireless charging, and additional USB ports.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is currently on sale now, with the first UK deliveries expected to arrive in April 2022.

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The Revived Moke Will Be Produced In The UK Instead Of France

September 23, 2021 admin

Remember the New Moke that was launched two years ago by a company called Moke International? Well, the reinvented Mini-based buggy is still alive and it will now be entirely produced in the UK thanks to a new agreement with Fablink.

As reported by Autocar, the deal was enabled by a UK government grand. Recently, the EU and UK signed an agreement on tariff-free trade, making UK-based car production viable for small automakers who intend to export in the European Union. Moke International wanted to bring the Moke in the US market in 2021, but plans were delayed supposedly due to the pandemic.

Moke International acquired the trademark and distribution rights of the car before initiating limited production in 2020 with a starting price of £20,000. This means that the new Moke has nothing to do with BMW Group’s MINI, besides being a part of its heritage.

Looking identical to the original 1964 Mini Moke that was sharing its underpinnings with the Alex Issigonis-designed Mini, the new Moke is said to be slightly larger to provide more cabin space. The FWD buggy is fitted with an updated 1.1-liter four-cylinder petrol engine producing 67 hp (50 kW / 68 PS), allowing a top speed of 68 mph (109 km/h). It also features upgrades on the suspension, brakes, and chassis.

Since 2020, the Moke was engineered and sub-assembled in Britain’s Midlands region before being shipped to Cerizay, France for the final assembly. Thanks to the new agreement with Fablink – a manufacturing firm based in Northamptonshire – the whole process will now take place in UK facilities. Fablink currently has six factories in the UK, employing a total of 700 people, and has undertaken manufacturing and engineering work for companies like Land Rover and Morgan.

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New Zealand’s Rodin Cars Takes Its F1 Spec-Based FZED Single-Seater To Donington Park

July 15, 2021 admin

Small New Zealand car manufacturer Rodin Cars recently brought its single-seat FZED to Donington Park to celebrate the launch of its newly-established client facility in the UK.

The Rodin FZED was unveiled two years ago and is based on the Lotus T125, an F1-spec racer that Lotus unveiled in 2011 with the intent of selling it to customers, but eventually only a handful were ever built.

Power comes from a 3.8-liter Cosworth GPV8 engine that pumps out 675 hp at 9,600 rpm and 361 lb-ft (490 Nm) of torque at 7,600 rpm. The car also weighs just 1,342 lbs (609 kg) and has a far superior power-to-weight ratio than the Bugatti Chiron and even a sports bike like the Yamaha R1. It can hit 99 mph (160 km/h) in just 5 seconds and sprint through to 186 mph (300 km/h).

Driving the FZED at Donington Park was Red Bull Junior driver Liam Lawson.

“It was great to be back in the Rodin FZED,” Lawson said. “I’d forgotten just how fast the car is but straight away I felt comfortable and realized how manageable the car is to drive close to the limit. I didn’t want to stop and nearly did more laps than I was allowed.”

The event was an important one for Rodin Cars as it was the first time the FZED had been driven on track in the Northern Hemisphere, with most of its development having been performed at circuits in New Zealand.

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2021 VW Golf Alltrack Costs More Than The Tiguan Allspace In The UK

November 29, 2020 admin

Volkswagen has opened the order books for the all-new Golf Alltrack and Golf Estate in Great Britain.

The jacked-up station wagon is available in a single trim level, from £35,560 ($47,518), or £3,365 ($4,497) more than the Tiguan Allspace, while the regular Estate starts at £24,575 ($32,839), £1,275 ($1,704) more than the five-door hatchback.

Powering the Golf Alltrack is a 200 PS (197 HP / 147 kW) 2.0-liter TDI turbodiesel four that’s mated to a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission and VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive. The 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) acceleration takes 7.1 seconds and the car averages 49.6 mpg UK (5.7 l/100 km / 41.3 mpg US) in the WLTP cycle and emits between 148 and 151 g/km of CO2.

In addition to the higher ground clearance and plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body, the Golf Alltrack features a honeycomb design for the fog lamp clusters, illuminated front grille, silver roof rails and 17-inch ‘Ronda’ alloy wheels. It also gets a three-zone climate control, Lane Change Assist, Emergency Assist, Side Assist and Travel Assist as standard.

The Golf Estate is available with three petrol engines: a 110 PS (108 HP / 81 kW) 1.0-liter TSI, a 130 PS (128 HP / 96 kW) 1.5-liter TSI and a 150 PS (148 HP / 110 kW) 1.5-liter TSI, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. These units are also available with a mild-hybrid system and a 7-speed DSG transmission. Moreover, customers can also choose between two diesels, a 2.0-litre 115 PS (113 HP / 84 kW) TDI and a 2.0-litre 150 PS (148 HP / 110 kW) TDI.

The lineup comprises of three trim levels, named Life, Style and R-Line, with the entry-level getting LED lights at both ends, 16-inch alloy wheels, interior ambient lighting, a 10-inch infotainment system, digital radio, 10.25-inch digital dials and Lane Assist, Front Assist, Dynamic Road Sign Display and Adaptive Cruise Control.

The Style adds 17-inch alloy wheels, uprated headlights, ambient lighting with more colors, three-zone climate control, Lane Change Assist, Side Assist and Traffic Jam Assist. Finally, the R-Line brings sportier bumpers, tinted rear windows, 17-inch wheels with different pattern, sports suspension, progressive steering, three-spoke heated steering wheel wrapped in leather and Driving Profile Selection.

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UK’s Post-Brexit Tariff Regime Settles On 10% Car Import Tax

May 19, 2020 admin

The UK’s new post-Brexit tariff strategy, in place for January 2021, has finally been agreed upon, maintaining a 10% tariff on cars but cutting levies on supply chain imports. The new regime is said to be less complex than the EU system.

Britain is now looking for free trade agreements with countries around the world and wishes to have deals in place covering 80% of all British trade by 2022, as reported by Reuters.

The regime, also known as UK Global Tariff, is also said to be cheaper than the EU’s Common External Tariff, and will also apply to countries with which the UK has no agreement, while removing all tariffs below 2%.

“Our new Global Tariff will benefit UK consumers and households by cutting red tape and reducing the cost of thousands of everyday products,” said International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss.

The British government also said that tariffs will be eliminated on a wide range of products, with 60% of trade coming into the UK tariff-free, either on WTO terms or through existing preferential access. However, the UK will keep in place tariffs on products competing with industries such as agriculture, automotive and finishing, cutting levies on 30 billion pounds ($37 billion) worth of imports entering UK supply chains.

“Keeping agricultural protection makes sense as a bargaining chip for the EU & US trade negotiations. But means big cost increases for agriculture imports if no UK-EU FTA,” said Thomas Sampson, Associate professor at the London School of Economics.

The UK also wants to remove tariffs on products which support energy efficiency and will introduce a temporary zero tariff on goods being used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – such as personal protective gear.

To summarize, the new trade plan is meant to protect the farming and automotive industry, while scrapping tariffs on household items such as dishwashers, freezers, gardening tools and many food and sanitary items.