Author: Robin Roberts

New car sales are still crumbling under the weight of supply shortages, rising costs and concerned buyers facing higher costs of living. UK new car registrations fell by -15.8% to 119,167 units in April, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In Wales, new car sales slipped by 12.64%, the least on the UK mainland in April and some 4,190 new cars were registered compared to 4,796 a year earlier. Despite showrooms being open for the entire month, unlike the previous year which saw lockdown restrictions in place until 12 April, global supply chain shortages, of which semiconductors…

Launched in 2014, the Lexus NX range brought a new player into the compact luxury crossover sector and it made significant inroads before being replaced in 2021, but it’s still based on the latest Toyota RAV4 platform with refinements to the suspension. And that’s no bad thing. The second generation introduces the first PHEV version of the Lexus NX range with a 53bhp electric motor for the 252bhp four-cylinder petrol engine and gives the car all-wheel-drive ability with traction spread shifting as detected and needed. It takes 2.5hrs on a 230v/32A charger to rear 80%, the battery range is 43…

Family and business motoring is often a compromise between what you want and what you get, but that’s not the case in the shape of the Toyota Proace Verso. The people carrying version of the Proace van is extremely versatile with seating for up to nine based on three trim levels, medium or long body lengths and various layouts all given good specifications for each role. Our Family version accommodated eight in its shorter medium body style with twin-sliding side doors and full-width high opening fifth door. Prices rise from £40,765 to £54,240 for the seven models which share 180…

Day’s of Neath is the first Welsh retailer for the upcoming Ineos Grenadier models. The first 24 dealers UK wide have been appointed but the disruptive newcomer is planning another 10 around the country with the first getting models within two months, ready for the September plate change and autumn/ winter selling period. Prices and specifications will be released very soon. The Grenadier was conceived after it was announced that Land Rover would be ending sales of its Defender series – it has since introdued a new model – and there had been conerns about the rural community being neglected…

When you cut off the top of an Easter egg, you still have chocolate and it’s the same with the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible. The basic egg is good enough but if you’re lucky there will be some more treats inside as we found with the incredibly satisfying 650bhp 6.0 litre 12-cylinder twin-turbo petrol model just tested. As befits a car of this upper class, the comprehensive standard specification was crowned on the test car with carbon ceramic brakes, styling enhancements, Naim sound system, touring specification and rotating display among other extras. The Continental GT Speed Convertible’s standard Mulliner…

Kia has sharpened its attack on the business sector and introduced a Plug In Hybrid Electrified addition to its Sportage family-friendly range launched just a few months ago. Some models will qualify for a very low 8% for the current tax year and lower than most rivals which come with a 12% penalty and total cost of ownership will be lower than other Sportage electrified models. The introduction of the latest Kia Sportage PHEV means it now sells ten electrified models in the UK which account for almost one-in-three registrations in dealerships with nine different powertrain choices for buyers. In…

In the automotive sector there are rarely surprises, except with the SsangYong Rexton. The Korean company has been making 4×4 models for over 65 years, a little less than Land Rover but it has evolved just like its better-known UK rival. Today’s Rexton is the fourth generation since being introduced in 2001 and it retains the rugged reputation it has earned among those who really need a genuine serious off-roader and added a lot more refinement and value. It is about the same size as a Range Rover but half the price and it has won Best Value 4×4 awards…

New car registrations collapsed to a 24-year low last month, despite bulging orders which car-makers cannot supply. UK new car registrations fell by -14.3% to 243,479 units in March, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Wales bucked the trend and saw 9,523 new cars registered with the new 71-plate in March, a 2.52% rise on the same time last year and the only part of Britain to record any improvement. The statistics also showed pure battery cars registrations soared 78.7% in the month compared to 12 months ago and reached 39,315 cars, together…

Volkswagen has played a waiting game and very carefully entered the burgeoning battery car sector with its ID.4. VW has dabbled with small electric versions of its cars beginning with the Up! and its Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback is sold exclusively across Europe, but the larger ID.4 is a global car which will have the world at its wheels. It cleverly mixes the enormously popular MPV style with advanced electric powertrains and the designers have used this sector to provide a lot of interior room when side by side against challengers. There are four battery and powertrain versions and six separate…

A UK pilot scheme in Cardiff to prosecute drivers who block yellow boxes at junctions has been so successful it will be rolled out nationwide this summer. But the RAC is concerned the regulations on design and markings is so vague it will lead to hundreds of drivers being wrongly given PCNs, which are very costly to contest. Now the RAC wants Government to update guidance on yellow box junctions to avoid councils wrongly issuing fines. RAC warns of ‘an avalanche of penalty charge notices being wrongly issued to drivers’ once councils are allowed to enforce box junctions, and commissions…