#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
It’s official: the British car industry – what’s left of it – is on its knees. And now, thanks to Trump’s fresh round of protectionist punishment, it might finally be flatlined. According to a blistering Financial Times report, UK luxury carmakers – including Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, and McLaren – are staring down the barrel of a 25% US import tariff. The fallout? A potential 25,000 job losses right here in Blighty.
Somebody pinch me – or just whack me with a wrench – am I imagining this? Or is it just wishful thinking? Could the HEMI V8, yes, that glorious, thunderous, petrol-drinking, tyre-shredding beast of an engine, which only last year was laid to rest with full honours and a 21-gun salute… could it actually be coming back to life? And I don’t just mean in slammed into a Restomod in a dodgy backstreet garage, but reportedly, potentially (and quite likely) from Stellantis themselves?!
I’ve got all the rates for cars, EVs, vans and bikes
The cost of motoring in Britain just took a major hit. From the beginning of this month, 1st April 2025, road tax – or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) to use the proper term – has undergone a serious shake-up, and it’s affecting everyone: petrol and diesel drivers, EV owners, motorcyclists, and van users alike. Basically you will ALL PAY MORE! But how much more?
The latest SMMT Motorparc data has just landed – and it paints a fascinating picture of what’s going on out on the roads of Blighty. Spoiler alert: we’re not all silently gliding around in futuristic electric cars just yet. In fact, Britain remains firmly attached to its old bangers, diesel vans, and distinctly dreary colour palette. So let’s pop the bonnet on the real state of UK motoring in 2024 and see what the numbers tell us…
So then – the UK Government did blink. Slightly. If you’ve been following the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate saga, you’ll know that the government has been under pressure from both industry and motorists. And now, as of 9 April 2025, they’ve announced a set of updates that – while not exactly revolutionary – do soften the blow. A bit. Kind of. Maybe.
But let’s be clear – they haven’t scrapped the ZEV Mandate. That was never really on the cards. However, these changes might just buy a little more time for carmakers, dealers, and drivers who aren’t quite ready to go fully electric. Let’s break it down.
Well, that escalated quickly.
Never a dull moment when Donald Trump is back in the big chair, eh? Just when we thought the UK motor industry might be clawing its way back from the brink – along comes a good old-fashioned trade shocker from across the pond.
The car industry seems to be in a constant state of flux these days. Electric vehicles are taking over, regulations are tightening, and traditional petrol-powered fun seems to be on the chopping block. But while many manufacturers are scrambling to figure out their future, Toyota – the world’s biggest car company – has made a bold decision: they’re bringing back the fun!
Have you ever watched a slow-motion crash? That agonising moment where you can see exactly what’s about to happen, but there’s no stopping it? That’s Stellantis right now—an automotive behemoth with a brand portfolio so vast it should be unstoppable. Instead, it’s lurching towards disaster, dragging some of the most beloved car marques with it. Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Dodge, Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, and Vauxhall—this should be an empire, but instead, it feels like a sinking ship, a giant cargo vessel colliding head-on with an iceberg. And the worst part? They seem utterly clueless about how to stop it.
You’ve watched my videos, read my articles, followed my rants and reports from the world of motoring… but now, I’ve taken it one step further. I often get asked – how did you start doing what you do, how does one get to do what you do? Well I’ve written THE definitive book on how to break into the world of automotive content creation!
Continue reading “Book: How to an Automotive Content Creator!”
Tesla’s once-unshakable dominance in the EV world is facing its biggest test yet. In January 2025, while European EV sales surged by over a third, Tesla’s own sales crashed by more than 45%, with an even steeper 50% drop in the EU alone. The result? A 9% drop in Tesla’s stock price, dragging its valuation back below the $1 trillion mark.
