Author: Robin Roberts

In my experience, if they are not larger than life, rock stars tend to be small and noisy performers, and the Fiat Rockstar lived up to expectations. Very much the noisy baby in the extensive Fiat family of cars, the 500 has been one of its most successful and in 2019 passed the 3million sold mark. That success has been down to the fact it meets the needs of so many at comparatively modest cost and the clever stylists and engineers within Fiat are continually reinventing the 500 with unique and distinctive names and trims. Our test of the sub-900cc…

The brakes have been applied to electric vehicle plans at the Aston Martin St Athan plant, it has been reported. The main investor behind a total £500M boost to the company’s balance sheet last week, fashion and motor sport entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll, wants plans and development rebalanced. Aston Martin president and chief operating officer Andy Palmer intended their new Welsh plant, which officially opened in December, to lead their EV technology drive. That includes plans for a new Lagonda saloon due in two years time being rescheduled for 2025 and other models with hybrid petrol-electric engines being considered. Media is…

The large Kodiaq and mid-sized Karoq have now been joined by the compact Kamiq as this SUV sector wipes away traditional saloon and hatchback models across Europe and throughout the USA. No volume manufacturer can be without at least one SUV and VW sub-brand Skoda has enormous resources to utilise as it extends its offerings. Motorists love SUVs because they bring so much practicality and this really is true of the compact Karoq, which is easier to park than larger models but still offers excellent internal space for passengers or possessions. It also comes at a more affordable price than…

Aston Martin’s St Athan project is rolling ahead and another 300 people are being interviewed for jobs as a further £500M investment is raised for the company. A business consortium led by motor sport billionaire and Racing Point F1 team’s Canadian owner Lawrence Stroll has bought 45.6m new ordinary shares to make him executive chairman. This will bring in £182M and a further £318M will be added from additional shares taken up by existing major investors. The boost is needed to offset losses due to slower than expected sales in 2019 and the rising costs associated with the St Athan…

SEAT built its reputation on small cars although its now expanded the range upmarket, but it still knows how to make a good city car in the Ibiza. The Ibiza five-door range comprises three 1.0 litre petrol engined models of 80, 95 or 115ps with a choice of 5 or 6sp manual gearboxes and 7sp auto with the most powerful, plus 95ps 1.6 diesel 5sp manual-only transmission. There are six trim levels and the six model range runs from £15,645 to £18,975 before options are chosen. Simply, there is in the Ibiza range something for anyone who wants an agile…

Schoolchildren in Wales face losing some of their regular buses from September when new regulations are introduced on wheelchair access. Ken Skates AM, Minister for Economy and Transport, has asked the Department For Transport to exempt school buses from the new regulation for public transport. He also wants buses used on replacement rail services to be excused from the regulations. Mr Skates said the regulations, which were outlined last year, place immense demands on small and medium-sized bus operators, some of which rely almost entirely on school contracts for their income. The new regulations stipulate low floor access and additional…

Five major international companies have expressed interest in taking over the whole of the Ford Bridgend Engine Plant site, it has been revealed. They are among 21 businesses who have expressed interest in the 1.2M sqft site when Ford end production there in September, said Welsh Economy Minister Ken Skates after meeting the Ford Bridgend Task Force. He confirmed £100,000 of public money will be invested in the local area and region to encourage enterprise among the 1,200 Ford workers who will lose their jobs but want to remain working, also boosting businesses in Bridgend town centre and assisting Porthcawl…

British registrations went up 12% to over 56,200 with the compact XC40 taking 15,445 and the XC60 recording 11,766 sales as the brand out performed some other premium rivals in 2019 and globally topped its 93-years history with over 700,000 sales. This year will see more PHEV and BEV models joining the ranges to maintain this momentum. The Volvo XC60 series is a truly huge range with seven basic trim levels, 2WD or 4WD, almost exclusively automatic transmission and for now diesel engines along with petrol units, but its is moving towards a pure-electric line up in a few years.…

The future of hundreds of jobs for people in North East Wales is uncertain after Vauxhall parent Opel this week announced details of a voluntary severance scheme in Russelsheim, Germany which shares Astra production with Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. It has been known since spring last year that 2,100 jobs would be going in Germany when Opel produce the next generation Astra and it raised concerns for Ellesmere Port, which also assembles Astra models. Now Opel has said it will offer enhanced redundancy packages and guarantee some jobs for five years in Germany after consultations with the plant’s works council. However,…

Size can make a world of a difference to buyers and that’s where the Ford Mondeo packs them in. It has consistently won awards for its internal dimensions, roominess and popularity with families and business users and it’s easy to see why. The trend towards compact cars has seen the Mondeo segment shrink in numbers if not individual dimensions, but if you really need or want space there is little to rival the big hatchback or estate behind the blue oval badge. It’s a truly massive range of hatchbacks and estates with wide selection of powertrains in petrol, diesel, hybrids,…