Not Half-Bottomed - 27 April 2021

FOLLOW UP: CHIP SHORTAGE HITTING MANUFACTURERS HARD

Several manufacturers have now openly discussed the challenges of the current semi-conductor chip shortage and how that will effect their factories. To get a round up of who is currently feeling the effects, click the Autocar article here.

FOLLOW UP: MCLAREN SELLS HEADQUARTERS

McLaren has found a buyer for it’s Woking headquarters, but at £170 million rather than the £200 million they were seeking. To read about the details of the agreement, click here for the Autocar article.

TOKYO MOTOR SHOW CANCELLED

The 2021 Tokyo Motor Show has been cancelled for the first time in it’s history, by organisers, due to the ongoing risks of the pandemic. They intend to return as a live event but be rebranded and include all aspects of mobility. To read more, click the Autocar article here.

V2V COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL AGREED IN JAPAN

Toyota, Suzuki, Daihatsu, Subaru and Mazda have reached an agreement to use a standardised vehicle data communication system and technical details for the next generation of connected cars. Each manufacturer will maintain and develop their own user interfaces and apps but the technical and behind the scenes technology will be the same. To read more, click the Mazda press release here.

HONDA ANNOUNCES NEW STRATEGY

Honda has announced that it will no longer sell combustion engines, globally, from 2040. This is part of a huge investment into becoming carbon neutral by 2050. To read more about what this will mean, click here for the Autocar article.

FRANCE TO BAN APPS FROM WARNING OF POLICE LOCATIONS

Coming later this year, there will be a ban in France that will mean apps can no longer inform the public of the location of police roadblocks and checks connected with terrorism, drink and drug driving. To read more, click The Connexion article here.

THE MARKET IS BOUGHT BY BONHAM’S

The online car auction service, The Market, has been bought by Bonham’s, the classic car auction house. The idea is that The Market will continue as it has but now there is access to the Bonham customer base. To read more, click the Classic and Sportscar article here.

NEW NEW CAR NEWS

Honda HR-V -

Honda has revealed the new HR-V, that will fight it out in the B-Segment SUV market. There will be an electrified platform, with improved space internally and a new look. To read more, click the Autocar article link here.

Volkswagen Polo -

Volkswagen has revealed details about the 2021 Polo, that make the car more Poloy, as well as bring design touches in line with other recent models. Interestingly, they will not be fitting a hybrid power train to the Polo. To find out more, click the Autocar story link here.

Hyundai KONA N -

Hyundai have revealed details of the N division version of the KONA SUV. There is a lot of upgrades over the standard KONA, which should make this an interesting car. To find out more about this, click the YesAuto link here.

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FORMULA E: NIO333 COMMITS TO GEN3

Nio333 has committed to joining the Gen3 seasons of the series. There was some concern that the team would pull out of Formula E, so it is with a touch of relief that everyone sees this news. To find out more, click the Formula E article here.

FORMULA E: VALENCIA

First time racing on a dedicated race track, first time a race is fully wet, first time there are five safety cars, first time there are multiple DNF and DQs because of too much energy used. All in all, the end was a mess of Saturday’s race. Sunday was much better, with Dennis winning his first race for BMW.

To find out more about Saturday’s race, click here for The Race’s coverage.

To find out what happened during the calmer Sunday race, click The Race’s article here.

To find out the reason behind the ending to Saturday’s race, click here for The Race’s summary.

WRC: RALLY CROATIA TO BE SPECTATOR FREE

Following an announcement by the Croatian Government, Rally Croatia will have no spectators. The hope was some would be allowed on the more rural stages but that is now not possible. To read more, click the DirtFish article here.

WRC: RALLY CROATIA

For the first time, WRC visited Croatia, for an action packed and beautifully located rally. Ogier ened up winning the event by 0.6 second from team-mate Elfyn Evans, on the final stage of the rally. That ended an “eventful” day for the Toyota driver and the Team, after he was involved in a road accident whilst trying to get to the start of the day. To find out what happened on the rally, click here for DirtFish’s coverage. To check out the details and punishment for Ogier’s accident, click the DirtFish article here.

LUNCHTIME READ: CHÂTEAU DE SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE - FRENCH FANCY

Car and Classic bring us this wonderful vehicle collection, located in Burgundy, that Alan thoroughly recommends everyone go visit. There is a spectacular collection of amazing vehicles as well as being sat in the midst of the region with the “best wine” (Alan’s words) which you should add to your ‘trvelling around France’ list. To read more, click the article link here.

LIST OF THE WEEK: 11 SPORTS CARS POWERED BY THE ROVER V8

This fabulous list runs through some of the sports cars which were fitted with the Rover V8, helping to add a layer to their personality. To run through the list, click here for the Hagerty article and don’t forget to tell us the one you’d like the most!

AND FINALLY: THE JUNCTION YOU CANNOT ESCAPE FROM

In Paris, there is one junction that has been modified with restriction signage, to the point now, that if you take a private car onto it, you will be unable to legally leave. To find out more, click The Connexion article here. But also take the time to watch the short video from The Tim Traveller by clicking here.