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Swansway and TrustFord have made efforts to ease the cost-of-living burden and spread some Christmas cheer with large scale festive charity donations.

Crewe-based AM100 car retailer Swansway has donated £12,000 of Christmas gifts to charities across the UK as its Santa Patrol campaign returns for 2022, while TrustFord boosted foodbanks across the UK via the ‘Fill Your Boots’ initiative.

Swansway’s campaign has seen the group donate gifts ranging from toys to selection boxes and winter essentials such as hats and gloves to charities in Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Carlisle, Chester, Liverpool, Oldham, Preston, Stafford, Stockport, Stoke and Wrexham.

Donations have been made to Homestart, The Wish Centre, BACKUP North West, Bolton Lions, Endeavour Project, Fortalice, St Peter and St Paul’s RC Primary School, Cumbria Family Support, Kidsbank Chester, The Wingate Centre and The Wishing Well, Nugent, Reach out the Community, The Foxton Centre, Staffordshire Women’s Aid, The Gingerbread Centre, Family Friends and Homestart-HOST.

David Smyth, Swansway group director, said: “It has been a difficult year for many people, and we hope that our Santa Patrol donations bring a smile to the faces of those who are most in need.

“It’s important to us all at Swansway that we support our charity partners all year round, but to be able to round up 2022 by putting a gift under the tree for those who would usually go without is just as important, it’s a gift from our Swansway family to the families in need.”

TrustFord, which was highly commended in the 2022 AM Awards Community Hero Award category, was able to contibute to food banks throughout the UK after sites became donation hubs throughout November.

As part of its ‘Fill Your Boots’ campaign, the OEM-owned dealer group invited colleagues and customers to donate non-perishable items to help and support people in need, along with those who have been heavily impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Among the food banks that received help was Newtownabbey Foodbank in Northern Ireland, which has seen an increase in people needing crisis food.

Stuart Mustoe, acting chairman a chief executive and finance director at TrustFord, said: “At TrustFord we’re always looking for ways to give back to our local communities and we know that Christmas can be a particularly challenging time for many, and this year is going to be even tougher for a lot of households.

“We couldn’t have imagined the incredible response to our outreach and the generosity of both our customers and colleagues has been heart-warming.

“We hope the donations will make a difference to local households and provide a helping hand to the fantastic organisations that provide this service.”

Mitchell Group channelled the festive spirit to pack the halls of Chester Cathedral for its annual Christmas carol singing spectacular last week.

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After getting the idea for an electric 4×4 while on a driving trip in the Scottish Highlands, Russell Peterson and Ross Anderson established Munro Vehicles in Scotland in 2019. In August 2022, the aspiring automaker showed a white prototype of its MK_1 battery-electric off-roader. Now at the tail end of a two-year testing regimen, Munro has revealed this black pre-production model and production specs. Designed for commercial applications like agriculture and mining, the MK_1 doesn’t merely look simple, it is simple. Russell said, “It dawned on us that there was a gap in the market for an electric-powered, four-wheel-drive, utilitarian workhorse. We envisioned a vehicle with ultimate, go-anywhere, off-road ability, unrestricted by road-derived underpinnings that limit the all-terrain ability of vehicles such as the 4×4 pick-up trucks that have come to dominate the market.”

The mission and T-square aluminum bodywork over a ladder chassis might seem familiar. Munro designer Ross Compton was also the exterior designer at Bollinger Motors and Atlis.

There will be three choices of LNMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide) packs, all powering a single electric motor. The Utility trim fits a 61.2-kWh battery, motor output is 295 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of peak torque, estimated range is 113 miles in adverse conditions on the WLTP cycle, 141 miles in ideal conditions. That motor can be paired with an 82.4-kWh pack in a Range trim that extends range to between 152 and 190 miles. The Performance trim keeps the big battery and the range, pairing it with a 375-hp motor that makes 516 lb-ft. Nothing the name, the Performance can do the 0-60 run in 4.9 seconds, a tidy 2.7 seconds faster than the Utility and the Range. Top speed is limited to 80 miles per hour in all trims.

The pack is placed in the 5-mm-thick galvanized steel frame in three pieces, one large piece between the rails, two smaller packs outside the rails — yes, we have questions about that. The max charging rate for the small battery is 70 kW, upped to 94 kW for the large battery, able to replenish either pack from 15% to 80% in 36 minutes.

The e-motor sends its power to a two-speed transfer case that routes power to the live front and rear axles, because the company didn’t want the complexity of a computer managing e-motor output on two axles. The truck will come with a center locking differential, locking diffs at both axles will be optional. The nearly 19 inches of ground clearance and brief overhangs result in a cliff-climbing 84-degree approach angle, 51-degree departure angle, 31.6-degree breakover angle, and 31.5-inch wading capability.

The same simplicity is expressed everywhere. All glass is flat, for ease of repair. The instrument panel is a small screen and a few toggle switches. The production lights look like prototype units normally used to hide production lights. There’s a plywood floor in the square load bay, the bay sized to swallow a European pallet of 47 inches by 32 inches. The interior can be hosed out. There’s no frunk, the axial flux motor and power electronics placed where the engine normally goes, but there are two more storage compartments over the front wheel arches. The commitment to plain, proven features and engineering is explained by Munro targeting a 50-year service life for the MK_1, meaning the shell would last far longer than the life of an EV powertrain.

When it comes to managing a burden, the MK_1 is rated for a 2,204-pound payload and 7,716 pounds of towing. Owners who know they plan to do a lot of towing can option air springs that improve stability when pulling.

The plan is to start with the five-door five-seat SUV on a 130-inch wheelbase, hand-assembling 50 units next year. In the UK, prices will start at £49,995 before VAT, a little over $61,350 U.S. Some of the initial batch will cross the water for testing in the U.S. and Canada. In 2024, Munro wants to move to a dedicated factory in Glasgow and build 250 units, with an eventual eye on 2,500 units of annual production across three body styles, the second one a pickup. The company is accepting deposits, and says prospective buyers have placed orders from as far away as Dubai.

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For the 2023 model year, the Subaru WRX is getting a bit more expensive. And, well, that’s all, it’s just getting more expensive. That’s somewhat understandable, since this generation has only been around for a year, but it would’ve been nice if Subaru had thrown in a bit more equipment somewhere.

The price increase is a uniform $1,025 across all trim levels, with $1,000 of that in the MSRP, and $25 in the increased destination charge. The same four trims are available with the base WRX, Premium, Limited and GT. The first three come standard with the six-speed manual with an option for the CVT. The Limited is only avaialble with the CVT, and it includes exclusive electronically adjustable suspension and power Recaro seats. Pricing for the whole line can be found below.

• WRX: $31,625
• WRX Premium: $34,125
• WRX Limited: $38,515
• WRX GT: $44,415

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Three states recently teamed up to bring more attention to enforcement of driving violations on I-94 with the ultimate goal of reducing collisions, reports ClickOnDetroit.com.

The “Eyes on 94” initiative, which ran from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2, was a coordinated effort of Michigan State Police, Indiana State Police, and Illinois State Police. The objective was to increase driver awareness through high-visibility enforcement on the I-94 freeway of moving violations such as speeding and distracted driving.

Both speeding and distracted driving remain two of the nation’s most hazardous roadway problems. Speeding endangers everyone on the road — not only other drivers and motor vehicle passengers, but also pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users.

In 2020, speeding took the lives of some 11,258 people nationwide according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Moreover, that same year, speeding was a contributing factor in 29% of all U.S. traffic fatalities.

Distracted driving is an equally concerning risky driving behavior. In 2020 alone, distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,142 people in the U.S., notes NHTSA. Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

During the recent “Eyes in 94” initiative, officers also focused on ticketing drivers who were tailgating, or those who engaged in improper passing, improper lane use, and failure to slow down or move over.

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The automotive retail sector’s supply issues and buoyant used car residual values have been described as a “happy accident” preventing the motor finance sector from “blowing up”.

In the Financial Times’ (FT) regular personal finance advice feature, columnist Claer Barratt today (November 24) drew the conclusion as she explored whether the cost-of-living crisis could cause the wheels to fall off a sector built on cheap deals made possible by years of rock bottom interest rates.

Barratt noted that car buyers who took out contracts in happier times may find that payments of £400 or £500 a month a growing burden as their household bills shoot up.

Peter Campbell, the FT’s global motor industry correspondent, offered assurance that high used car values triggered by global vehicle production issues would ensure PCP deals continued to present good value and place car buyers in the driving seat when it came to buying another new car.

“Used car prices are starting to dip from historic highs, but Peter thinks the huge rally in prices plus long lead times for new cars will keep residual values ticking over for the next few years,” Barratt said.

“This could prevent the car finance market from blowing up — but it feels like a happy accident.”

The FT’s report followed research from The Car Expert which showed that finance debt for new and used cars has risen to £40 billion per year in the UK, prompting concerns that consumers may default on agreements amid soaring living costs.

Its analysis showed that UK car finance debt has increased by £29bn since 2009, with the average amount financed per new car having more than doubled from just under £12,000 at the start of 2009 to more than £25,000 by the end of June 2022.

AM this week reported on a presentation given by Graeme Chaplin, Bank of England agent for West Midlands and Oxfordshire, at the Vehicle Remarketing Association’s (VRA) Annual Seminar.

After UK inflation rose to 11.1% in October he told delegates that the base rate, known as the Bank Rate, is expected to rise to “about 4.5% to 4.7%” from its new 3% rate, placing pressure on household spending and the cost of motor finance. He added: “A slowdown is coming.”

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