Filed under: Government/Legal, Green, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Tesla, ElectricAbout 100 workers building the Tesla Gigafatory walked out today, protesting out-of-state workers. Nevada’s tax breaks put limits on these hires.Continu…

Filed under: Green, Skoda, Europe, Crossover, Concept Cars, Electric, HybridAffordable three-row CUVs aren’t a huge thing in Europe, but don’t tell Skoda that. The company is bringing a tidy three-row design study to Geneva.Continue reading Skoda Visio…

Filed under: Government/Legal, Green, Mercedes-Benz, Emissions, DieselThe EPA has asked Daimler AG for more information on the emissions of some diesel vehicles in the US. There’s no probe or claim of wrongdoing, yet.Continue reading EPA wants more inf…

Filed under: Green, 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Misc. Automakers, Europe, Coupe, Electric, Performance, SupercarsRimac Automobili has released a teaser image of a surprise debut called TheEvilTwin at the Geneva Motor Show.Continue reading Rimac teases ‘evi…

Filed under: Green, Misc. Automakers, Green Automakers, China, ElectricAfter years of uncertainty, the revived brand sells its first electric sports car to its Chinese importer, Jowett Motors.Continue reading Detroit Electric sells first SP:01 to Chine…

Ford has unveiled the new 197bhp Fiesta ST200 – the most powerful production Fiesta ever.

Based on the acclaimed Fiesta ST hot hatch and powered by a  1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, it  delivers 10% more power and 20% more torque and is capable of reaching 62mph in just 6.7 seconds. Top speed is 143mph.

As well as its improved performance, it can be distinguished from a standard ST thanks to ITS unique Storm Grey exterior, matt black alloy wheels and special interior detailing.

The post Hottest Ford Fiesta ever appeared first on Automotive Blog.

The all-new British-built Vauxhall Astra has won the prestigious 2016 European Car of the Year award.

At a ceremony on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, the Astra was announced the jury’s favourite, just beating the runner-up, the Volvo XC90 (309 points vs 294 points).

The other finalists were the Audi A4 (189 points), BMW 7 Series (143 points), Jaguar XE (163 points), Mazda MX-5 (202 points) and Skoda Superb (147 points).

This year is the 52nd European Car of the Year awards and the Astra’s win marks the fifth Car of the Year title for Opel/Vauxhall. The previous winners were the Astra Mk2, Omega A, Insignia and Ampera.

“We’re delighted the Astra has been recognised for yet another award,” said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director.

“To be named European Car of the Year by judges throughout Europe is a testament to the hard work that has gone into the Astra. This is the new model’s first full year of sales, and it has already been well-received.”

The post Vauxhall Astra is the European Car of The Year appeared first on Automotive Blog.

Parking charges at hospitals in England have been voted the most disliked of all parking fees.

In a survey carried out by the RAC, 64% of motorists said that hospital parking charges were the most unwelcome, way ahead of the next most unpopular which were private parking charges made at some supermarkets, shopping centres and other private car parks.

Nearly half (48%) think the Government should take action to scrap hospital fees in England – a move which would bring England in line with Wales and Scotland where charges have already been abolished.

Wales introduced free hospital parking from 1 April 2008 and Scotland scrapped parking fees at 14 hospitals at the end of 2008, leaving only three Scottish hospitals built under the Private Finance Initiative charging parking fees.

One in four (27%) said they didn’t mind paying a charge to park at a hospital, but that the charges were too high and should be lowered or capped. A further 21% said they didn’t like paying hospital parking charges but felt they were probably necessary.

While motorists are clearly aggrieved at having to pay to park at English hospitals, there are also concerns about the limited payment methods provided as there was overwhelming support (63%) for payment always being made on exiting car parks. This would end the need for people to have to return to their cars to top up parking fees if their stay was longer than they were anticipating.

More than half (55%) believe hospital parking machines should always give change and a similar percentage (53%) think hospital parking machines should always have the facility to accept debit or credit card payments.

“While we would like to see parking charges at hospitals in England scrapped that might be an unrealistic hope, particularly as many hospitals appear to be using the additional income to support patient care,” said RAC spokesman Simon Williams.

“Surely, charges should only be made to cover the maintenance and operation costs of car parks and not as a way to generate extra revenue.

“Making hospital parking in England free would mean funds for operating and maintaining car parks would need to be found from other areas of hospital budgets which could potentially have unwelcome consequences for healthcare delivery.

“Recognising this we want to see parking at English hospitals made as fair as possible. At the very least every hospital should be conforming to the car parking principles set out by the NHS which say that staff, patients and visitors should be able to park as safely, conveniently and economically as possible, and that charges should be reasonable for the area.”

“Our research shows that ease of payment is an issue for hospital visitors. The vast majority of people surveyed by the RAC would like to see car parks where payment is made on leaving so they don’t have try to guess their length of stay, something which is never easy to do when visiting a sick friend or relative or rushing to hospital in an emergency situation.

“We understand that this may not always be practical due to many hospitals having lots of smaller ‘pay and display’ car parks, but it would be a major step forwards if it could be implemented in larger car parks.

“In terms of paying for parking, motorists would like machines that give change alongside the option to pay by debit or credit card, something that does not appear to be very common at hospitals. Considering many of these car parks are run by highly profitable private parking firms it ought to be possible to implement this.

“Both features – paying on exit and machines that accept card payments and give change – would help to take away some of the stress about being fined when attending an appointment or receiving treatment or urgently visiting a sick relative.”

The post Hospital parking charges are most hated appeared first on Automotive Blog.

Filed under: Government/Legal, Videos, Weird Car News, Driving, SafetyA dump truck ran a red light and slammed into a small car, pushing it into traffic before diving off a Texas freeway overpass last weekend.Continue reading Dump truck trashes car aft…

Filed under: 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen, China, Sedan, LuxuryVolkswagen’s new Phideon luxury sedan is developed specifically for the high-end Chinese sedan segment. It debuts this week at the Geneva Motor Show.Continue reading Volkswagen Phideo…