Author: Robin Roberts

If you are coming around to the idea that battery electric vehicles are the new norm, the Polestar 4 SUV possibly will take you back. While the pure EV sector is becoming baffling with its new Chinese entitled brands, the Polestar pedigree goes back a bit further and to a surprising beginning. Polestar Racing was created from the Swedish touring car racing team of Flash Engineering founded in 1996 before Volvo acquired them in the summer of 2015 and made it the halo brand for performance models. Volvo, you may know, had established a name in rally and racing history…

Driving enthusiasts of a certain age will fondly remember how Skoda seriously challenged and embarrassed the most expensive works rally teams with its comparatively cheaper Flying Fabias. And in national and club rallies across Europe they can still pull out a few surprises. When skill and low weight combined, the flying Fabias really set the pace for others to follow. Now, a different set of standards ensure the regular production Skoda Fabia 130 can show a clean pair of wheels to competitor models. While some car-makers have all but withdrawn from the warm hatchback sector to pour money into the…

The total fleet rose by 1.4% to 42,549,649 vehicles in 2025, according to new Motorparc data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The number of cars in use rose by more than half a million – or 1.4% – to 36,676,185, marking the fourth consecutive year of growth and the second largest volume increase since 2016, driven by a recovering new car market and high build quality supported by a vibrant aftermarket.1 Van and truck volumes also grew to record levels, up by 1.4% to 5,175,598 and 0.2% to 626,566 units respectively. The UK’s bus and coach fleet,…

Electric car registrations are accelerating driven by huge manufacturer discounts. The UK new car market grew by 6.6% in March, typically the busiest month of the year, with 380,627 new vehicles registered, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Registrations in Wales saw the smallest rise of just 5.85% to 12,275 cars in March compared to a year ago but nationally, the performance marks the best March – and best month overall – since 2019 but behind the statistics is the dramatic decline in diesel registrations pushed by escalating fuel costs. Growth was driven primarily by private demand,…

SEAT knew what they were doing when launching the original Arona compact crossover in 2017 and it has become one of the brand’s best sellers with revisions in 2021 and 2025. Using platforms and powertrains from within the Volkswagen Group it reduced costs but not quality when pitching into the all-important family sector. Being not too big under 4.2 m long and taking up to 828 litres of luggage with small and mid-sized engines, it offers real challenges to competitor models, ironically including parent VW models which use the same technology. Arona has been constantly revised and improved and now…

Volkswagen has eased off the throttle to becoming a pure electric brand and wisely continues to develop its semi-electric mild hybrid line up. The Tiguan MHEV is one of the third generation of this highly popular model, its best seller worldwide including 29,800 registered in Britain last year. In a world and market where change happens and then goes in a different direction, you have to give buyers what they want for their needs. And the Tiguan fulfills many roles very well as a people’s car. It features attractive, premium styling, a wide range of drivetrain options, a high-quality interior…

The UK new car market rose by 7.2% in February to 90,100 registrations, according to the latest figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but EV demand is slowing again. The growth brings the highest February volume in 22 years, although the month is conventionally lower volume and therefore more volatile, with many buyers preferring to wait for the March number plate change. Demand was largely driven by recovering private retail registrations, up 17.6% to 35,227 units, while fleet uptake grew by 1.8% and the lower-volume business segment declined by -12.7%. Fleets remained the largest source of…

Welsh Government has pulled support for 10,000 people and 130 companies who are members of the Welsh Automotive Forum, writes Robin Roberts. The 27 year old trade cluster has published its intention to voluntarily dissolve at the end of this month when funding ceases through Industry Wales, which is also being closed down by Welsh Government. WAF was established in 1999 to assist local suppliers and businesses threatened by the breakup of Rover Group in the Midlands which had itself been created out of the disintegration of British Leyland. Welsh Government was then so concerned about the implications for local…

From really humble beginnings in Britain, Skoda has evolved through Volkswagen Group membership into one of the most diverse and desirable brands you can afford to buy.  OK, their cars are no longer the off-cuts of a one-time communist cut-price country, but they now stand wheel to wheel with the best big brands from Europe, so you have to pay comparable prices. And that’s not a bad thing. Skoda is often seen as the poorer relative of its parent group but the reality is that all their engineering has a sound base, it’s just delivered in a different and for…

Exactly what driving and mobility will be like in future is still uncertain, but for sure, Chinese brand Xpeng aims to be part of it. Like US rival Tesla, Xpeng has roots in technology, software and brainpower rather than horsepower, and it also set its sights on the sky and has produced not a spaceship but a flying car complete with its own land aircraft carrier. Orders for the Xpeng Land Aircraft Carrier and flying car have been piling into the company and it hopes to announce production plans this year. Meanwhile, down to earth it has turned its attention…