Latest news with #carindustry
Top Gear
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Nissan has confirmed job losses at its factory in Sunderland
Ailing carmaker needs to cut around 250 employees via voluntary leave scheme Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. Nissan has confirmed there will be some job losses at its factory in Sunderland. The Japanese carmaker said: 'In order to support future competitiveness, this week we are beginning discussions with some of our team in Sunderland about the opportunity to voluntarily leave Nissan, with support from the company.'
The Drive
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Cars Are Caught in an Endless Cycle of Bigger Screens Nobody Really Likes
The latest car news, reviews, and features. J.D. Power released the results of its 2025 Initial Quality Study on Thursday, and—surprise, surprise—the number one reported problem area industry-wide is infotainment. While the systems themselves are becoming more visually impressive and they're better-integrated into the overall design of most vehicles than early attempts, customers complain more about these systems than they do anything else in their brand-new cars. In short, customers love the way these big screens look, but virtually all of them are a pain to operate. So why the heck does every new car introduction come with a bigger, more feature-bloated touchscreen? Well, it's complicated. But as usual, it all comes down to money. The 'why' makes more sense if you consider the broader industry push to re-brand the traditional ( spits ) infotainment system as an all-in-one control center. Functions that were once tied to physical controls on the dash and center console have been steadily migrating into this space. Headlight toggles, home garage door controls, and even glove box releases are now making their way into vehicular touchscreen interfaces, in many instances joining basic audio and climate controls that were moved there years ago. Automakers sell it as a way to free up space on the dash and center console. For what? So far, the answer has mostly been 'more screens.' One might call that a lateral move. With all the extra room, you'd think they'd be able to keep up with America's fancy cup obsession. And given the positive feedback automakers have received for the more-minimalist interior designs that often result, the effort hasn't entirely been for naught. Mercedes-Benz Hyperscreen Plus, centralized touchscreen control systems save automakers money, especially when implemented in cars with a broad selection of available doodads. While software development isn't free, it's far more forgiving than designing, prototyping, testing, sourcing and maintaining a supply of physical control components. An infotainment module may cost more than a switch, but you'd be surprised how quickly that math changes when one switch becomes five—or fifty. But in designing for this internal convenience, automakers are taking a gamble that their buyers will learn to live with the resulting compromises. What's often left unsaid is the fact that we're increasingly running the risk that a failed infotainment system could effectively 'brick' a car completely. And eliminating those physical controls doesn't eliminate the need for them, forcing automakers to add new infotainment menus, tiles, and pages—and in some cases, entirely new screens—that its customers must then navigate. This clutter annoys critics and customers alike. 'Owners find these things to be overly complicated and too distracting to use while driving,' said J.D. Power's Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking. 'By retaining dedicated physical controls for some of these interactions, automakers can alleviate pain points and simplify the overall customer experience.' Tesla's rear seat interface But even as some automakers pledge to bring buttons back, there's no reason to expect they will come at the expense of established display real estate. Even if customers are frustrated by the experience offered by their large displays, they still enjoy looking at them, and as those screens get bigger and bigger and take over space that was once reserved for other features, those features will have to go somewhere. Right? With each generation, more features are incorporated into the screen. To avoid excessive menus, the screens get bigger to accommodate those new functions. It's an endless cycle fueled equally by feature bloat and the desire to cut potentially redundant physical components—which equate to finding ways to charge more money for less car. And then there's the unspoken financial opportunity presented by a more robust digital infrastructure. Unless you've been living under a rock your entire life, you know by now that a screen is always at risk of becoming a new avenue by which somebody can sell you something. New features? Maintenance plans? Subscription services? Those are all tough to sell through a button. Just ask GM. So as you read the next car reveal, and you peruse the interior section to see what inconveniences await its new buyers, remember that a bigger screen does three things: it sells new cars to wide-eyed customers, saves the automaker a ton of money on components, and it offers the tantalizing possibility of future revenue streams. Nope, these screens aren't going anywhere . Do you also like to yell at clouds? Commiserate with the author at byron@
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Lotus considering shifting UK production to US, BBC understands
Sportscar maker Lotus is considering ending production at its home in the UK in favour of setting up a new plant in the US, the BBC a move would put 1,300 jobs at risk at its headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk. Lotus refused to comment when asked about any plans, which were first reported by the Financial Times, but sources within the company told the BBC the situation is under review and taking production to the US was under comes after production in Hethel was temporarily suspended due to disruption caused by the introduction of tariffs on cars being imported to the US. America is a major market for Lotus but tariffs threaten its business, with US sellers required to pay taxes of 25% on imports of cars and car released on Friday for the UK's car industry revealed exports to the US had halved as President Donald Trump's tariffs caused some car makers to halt UK government and Trump administration have agreed a deal to lower tariffs on UK-made cars entering the US to 10%, but it is not due to come into force until the end of June, meaning manufacturers have had to pay the higher rate to is majority owned by the Chinese group Geely, which is in the process of reorganising its diverse portfolio of car brands, which also include Volvo, Polestar and Lynk and Co. The company currently builds cars in Norfolk and in Wuhan, was founded in the early 1950s by engineer Colin Chapman, moving to Norfolk in the April, the carmaker announced 270 jobs would be cut "amid volatile and evolving market conditions including the US tariffs".The decision followed previous job losses last year, but the company said it remained "committed to the UK" and that the restructuring was "vital to enhance our competitiveness".President Trump has raised taxes on various goods entering the US in recent months in an attempt to encourage businesses and consumers to buy more American-made shipments to the US already incurred a 2.5% tariff, but now face higher if a deal with the US had not been reached, UK exports would have been taxed at 27.5%, as opposed to 10%. The lower tariff only applies to 100,000 British cars being imported to the US per year, which matches the number of vehicles the UK exported across the Atlantic last year.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Car distributor Inchcape says impact of US tariffs has been 'limited'
Car distributor Inchcape maintained its full-year financial outlook this week, banking on a resilient performance driven by steps to manage costs and inventory to offset the impact of US tariffs and fierce competition. Inchcape, which exports cars for global manufacturers across 40 countries, said the impact of US tariffs so far in the year had been 'limited', adding that growth could tilt towards the second-half due to the cyclical nature of its sales. Britain and the US signed a formal trade agreement last week, under which British car makers will be given an annual quota of 100,000 cars to be sent to the US at a 10 per cent per cent tariff rate. Inchcape shares rose over 6 per cent following the update, having slipped around 2 per cent in the last year. Inchcape said it expected 'another year of growth', including higher earnings per share growth. The group reported revenue of £9.3billion and a profit of 71.3p per share last year. Americas saw a continued improvement in trading, Australia was 'resilient' with ongoing headwinds in some other AsiaPac markets, while Europe & Africa continued an underlying outperformance of the market, Inchcape said in an update on Thursday. Analysts expect Inchcape to report 2025 revenue of £9.25billion and profits of 79.5p per share. Peel Hunt analyst Andrew Nussey said in a note: 'Investors will likely be reassured that the unchanged guidance now accommodates tariffs, as well as the operational discipline.' In April, the group said it had gained seven distribution contracts, including deals to sell BYD's electric vehicles in Lithuania and Latvia and Smart cars in Ecuador, Colombia, and Uruguay. so far and reiterated its annual guidance.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Britain's carmakers ‘the most vulnerable in Europe'
Britain's 'precarious' car industry is at greater risk than any other in Europe as the global market is reshaped by competition between the US and China, a new report warns. In an outlook for 2025, researchers at consultancy AlixPartners said they expected car sales to grow by just 1pc around the world with growth in China and Asia offsetting sluggish demand in the West. This, along with the impact of US tariffs, is expected to force car companies to slash costs and production as they also divert cash towards the development of electric models. But the researchers warned that within this tough environment, Britain was 'potentially the most disadvantaged market of all' because of its high energy costs, 'fragmented' supply chains, skills shortages and 'political and economic uncertainty'. Andrew Bergbaum, of AlixPartners, said the majority of cars made in Britain were also exported – leaving the domestic industry exposed as manufacturers look to cut back output. He said: 'The polarisation of the car market between the US and China is going to hit Europe very hard – the Europeans are stuck between two big players. 'And unfortunately, the UK is a highly disadvantaged market in a highly disadvantaged region.' Britain's energy prices, for example, would remain high even after recently-announced support from the Government, he added. The AlixPartners report sets out a grim forecast for European car manufacturers as competition in the electric car market intensifies. With growth in sales of the car market overall slowing, companies will be forced to cut costs to maintain investment in the shift to new electrified models. Even in China, growth this year is only expected to reach 3pc, with Chinese manufacturers such as BYD and Chery – which face prohibitive tariffs in the US – planning to boost sales by expanding further into Europe. They are aiming to sell an extra 800,000 cars in Europe over the next five years, AlixPartners said, taking their market share to 10pc. By contrast, European brands are expected to cut production over the same period by 400,000 vehicles and are earmarking assets and plants for sale. With the global market fragmenting, Mr Bergbaum said there was a risk that it became increasingly difficult for car companies to develop base platforms they could use to sell cars all over the world – forcing them to invest more in developing region-specific versions. The UK was badly positioned for this because of how dependent its factories are on exports. Of 905,233 vehicles manufactured domestically last year, around eight in 10 were shipped abroad. At the same time, carmakers say domestic demand for cars is sluggish. The market returned to growth in May but sales only rose by 1.6pc compared to a year earlier. On Tuesday, Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, vowed that the Government would seek to lay 'the foundations for the sector to succeed in the future' with its new Industrial Strategy. 'This is a Government that is right behind you as you pursue what I believe is one of the greatest technological opportunities of our time,' he said, referring to the transition to electric vehicles. 'Our collective job is to bring more investment, more product lines and more jobs here.' A separate Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) report on Tuesday called for measures to make the UK one of the world's top 15 destinations for automotive manufacturing again. The lobby group has been calling for consumer incentives to boost uptake of electric vehicles, which remain more expensive than conventional internal combustion engine cars. It said manufacturers had spent £6.5bn on discounting to boost sales over the past 18 months – more than £300m a month – but that this was 'unsustainable'. Instead, the SMMT wants the Government to slash VAT on electric car sales or provide grants. It also wants taxes on electric car charging and vehicle excise duty to be cut. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, insisted 'confidence is returning'. But speaking at the group's annual conference in London on Tuesday, he added: 'That confidence is quite fragile. 'We think with decisive action we can renew that confidence, but we need to cut those costs that our rivals do not face.' He pointed to energy costs as an example of the UK's disadvantages. A deal to protect British carmakers from Donald Trump's tariffs on imports to the US comes into force on Monday. Sir Keir Starmer inked the automotive section of his trade deal with President Trump at a recent G7 meeting, with full details still to be published. It was previously unclear when it would take effect, reducing tariffs on British cars from 27.5pc to 10pc. But Mr Hawes said it would come into force next week with an agreed tariff-free quota of 100,000 cars. How that will work in practice is still to be confirmed, with the question of how the limit will be split between companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin and Bentley a matter for the Government, he said. Speaking to reporters, Mr Hawes added that the car industry hoped the 100,000 figure would rise over time and was a 'floor, rather than a ceiling'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
