Are Toyota and Honda Really in Trouble? How China Changed the Car Industry Forever

Japan once rewrote the rules of the car industry — now China has changed the game again, and even giants like Toyota and Honda are feeling the pressure

There was a time when if someone asked you what car to buy, the answer was almost automatic – get a Toyota, get a Honda, and sleep easy at night. These were the brands that built their reputations not on hype or gimmicks, but on something far more powerful: trust. Cars that started every morning, ran forever, and asked very little in return. They weren’t just manufacturers, they were institutions. Which is why hearing senior figures from these companies openly express concern about their future feels less like industry chatter and more like a tremor beneath the foundations of the automotive world itself.

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The Ultimate Lotus Esprit? Inside the Encor Series 1 – A Modern Reimagining of a Legend

The Lotus Esprit reborn: inside the £430k Encor Series 1 V8 re-engineering of a true British icon

There are certain cars that don’t just sit in your memory… they take up permanent residence in your soul. For me, the Lotus Esprit is one of them. That razor-edged wedge, the Bond connection, the sheer audacity of its design… it wasn’t just a car, it was a spaceship.

So when I first heard about the Encor Series 1, a modern reinterpretation of the original Lotus Esprit S1, I started wondering if aliens had probed my mind, and stumbled upon my dream car – the purity of the original shape Esprit combined with a V8 drivetrain and all mod-cons. I’ve been salivating since the first moment they started releasing teaser images, lost my mind when they revealed the car and details, and could barely contain my excitment to finally see the car in person yesterday.

Here’s my video of the car, including a full walkaround, interior details, and an in-depth discussion about the “Esprit Remastered” with one of the founders, Simon Lane.

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How War in the Middle East Could Crash the Global Car Industry

The war in the Middle East may feel like a distant geopolitical crisis – but it could have huge consequences for the global car industry

War, as history repeatedly reminds us, rarely stays confined to the battlefield. Its shockwaves travel outward through trade routes, energy markets, financial systems and, inevitably, everyday life. The latest escalation in tensions involving Iran may appear geographically distant to most motorists, but in reality the conflict is unfolding in one of the most strategically critical arteries of the global economy. And if events continue to escalate, the repercussions could ripple straight through the global automotive industry.

The reason lies in a narrow stretch of water that most people have never heard of, but which quietly underpins the entire modern economy. It’s called the Strait of Hormuz.

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Are Chinese EVs Becoming Uninsurable in the UK?

Reports indicate insurers refusing to cover Chinese cars or quoting high premiums – we check in with the Motor Claims Guru

Chinese electric cars are arriving in Britain faster than you can say “range anxiety”. From sleek executive saloons to well-priced family SUVs, brands like BYD, MG, XPeng and GWM Ora are rapidly becoming familiar sights on UK roads. And frankly, it’s not hard to see why. These cars often deliver impressive technology, strong performance and generous equipment for significantly less money than many established rivals. I’ve driven quite a few of them recently and in many cases I’ve been pleasantly surprised. But there’s a growing issue that some buyers are only discovering after they’ve signed on the dotted line. Insurance.

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Euro 7 EXPOSED: The 2026 Rules That Could End Petrol Cars

After years of rumours and regulatory drama, Euro 7 is finally confirmed – but is this really the death knell for petrol and diesel?

For what feels like a decade, Euro 7 has existed in that strange automotive limbo between prophecy and panic. Depending on which headline you read, it was either the final nail in the coffin of the internal combustion engine or a bureaucratic overreach that would make new cars unaffordable and wipe diesel off the map overnight. Now, however, the speculation phase is over. The final Euro 7 emissions regulations are confirmed, the implementation dates are set, and November 2026 is no longer some distant abstraction. It is eight months away.

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Geely Starray EM-i UK Launch & First Drive Review

Big Tech, Big Range, Surprisingly Cheap

Geely has launched its second model into the UK market, and this time it is not electric. The Starray EM-i arrives as a plug-in hybrid SUV with up to 84 miles of electric range, 618 miles combined range, and prices starting from £29,990. I attended the UK launch, filmed the full presentation, and took it for a quick first drive. Here is everything you need to know.

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UK VED Road Tax Changes for 2026 Explained

The £5,690 VED Shock, Modern Classics Trap & Why No Car Is Safe Anymore

From April 2026, the cost of owning a car in the UK shifts again. Not with a single dramatic ban or headline-grabbing announcement, but with a carefully calibrated set of Vehicle Excise Duty changes that, taken together, tell a very clear story. A story about who is being nudged. Who is being punished. And who, increasingly, is being priced out. In this piece, I’m going to walk you through every major UK road tax (VED) change coming in April 2026, using the actual Treasury tables, not speculation, not press-release gloss, and not the usual “this only affects rich people” dismissal. Because it doesn’t.

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The Shocking Reason Cheap New Cars Have Vanished

Once upon a time, you could walk into a showroom and buy a brand-new, small, petrol car without taking out a second mortgage. That era is quietly being legislated out of existence

Not that long ago, buying a brand-new small car felt like a perfectly sensible, attainable thing to do. You walked into a dealership, pointed at a modest little hatchback, signed a few forms, and drove away knowing you hadn’t just committed yourself to years of financial regret. Cars like the Ford Fiesta became staples of British life for a reason. They were affordable, simple, easy to live with, and perfectly suited to everyday motoring. They weren’t glamorous, but they were democratic. They worked. And then, almost without ceremony, they disappeared.

The Fiesta is gone. The price of cars like the Fiat Panda has crept towards £20,000. The entry-level petrol car, once the backbone of the market, is becoming an endangered species. So what happened?

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AI Vs Authenticity and the True Cost of “Good Enough”

Progress brings efficiency, but it risks quietly erasing the value of craft unless we choose to defend it – and if we’re around long enough to do so

AI is not going to take your job. It already has.

This is not a rant against AI. Those of you who follow me know that I use the absolute heck out of it! It’s my illustrator, animator, assistant, researcher, sub-editor… hell, AI is my bitch. It helps boost my workflow and up my pace – it’s the VTEC that lets this one-man content engine rev harder, faster, longer.

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RoboCop Is Already Policing Our Roads – How AI Judges Drivers

AI traffic cameras were just the beginning. Around the world, machines are now judging how you drive – and once the system decides, there’s no arguing back

Remember when getting pulled over went a bit like this… You’d clock the flashing lights, feel your stomach drop, rehearse your apology, and then hope – just hope – that the officer was having a good day. Maybe you’d get a telling-off. Maybe a warning. Maybe, if the stars aligned and Mercury was in retrograde, you’d get sent on your way with a “take it easy, mate”. Yeah, about that…

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