Tag Archives: UK

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Toyota FT-Me: Britain’s Smallest Revolution

Toyota’s latest project is proof that the future of British motoring might just fit in your garden shed. Meet the FT-Me, a pint-sized electric runabout that’s inching its way from concept to production reality — and yes, it could be built right here in Derbyshire.

Thanks to a £15 million investment from the UK government, Toyota’s quirky little urban EV has been given the green light for a deeper feasibility study. The plan? To turn the adorable FT-Me Concept into something you could actually buy (and possibly park inside your living room).

Microlino, meet the Sensei

Toyota is pitching the FT-Me as a rival to the Citroën Ami and Microlino, which means it’ll fall under the same L6e quadricycle regulations — a fancy way of saying “don’t expect Nürburgring lap times.” Power will be limited to a humble 8bhp, with a top speed of just 28mph.

That might sound glacial, but this isn’t about speed. It’s about smart, sustainable, low-impact mobility for the cities of tomorrow — the kind of thing you’d use to nip from your flat to the farmer’s market without leaving a carbon footprint the size of Yorkshire.

Built in Burnaston, born for the city

If all goes to plan, production will take place at Toyota’s Burnaston plant — the same site that’s been turning out Corollas for decades. The project will see Toyota team up with a trio of very British collaborators:

  • Elm, the maker of the Evolv electric delivery van (the FT-Me will borrow some of its tech),
  • Savcor, who’ll provide a solar-panelled roof capable of recovering up to 19 miles of range per day, and
  • the University of Derby, which will study how drivers actually use this titchy EV in the real world.

Toyota’s UK boss Dariusz Mikolajczak calls it “a cutting-edge battery-electric vehicle that addresses the growing demand for sustainable urban mobility.” Translation: this could be your next city car, provided your city has more coffee shops than motorways.

A £30 million leap into the small lane

This whole endeavour is backed by the Drive35 programme — a £2.5 billion pot designed to help Britain’s car industry go zero-emission. One string attached: manufacturers have to match at least 50% of the funding. In Toyota’s case, that means it’s likely putting up most of the £30.3 million total investment itself.

Not bad for a machine roughly the size of a dishwasher.

So what’s it really about?

Toyota’s been talking about the “mobility ecosystem” for years — a sprawling vision of cars, scooters, and pods that all connect, communicate, and coexist. The FT-Me is a small but significant jigsaw piece in that puzzle, a symbol of the brand’s willingness to explore every corner of future transport — even the teeny-tiny ones.

And while an 8bhp microcar might not set your pulse racing, there’s something undeniably cool about the idea of one of the world’s biggest carmakers betting big on something so small. It’s daring, it’s daft, and it might just redefine what we mean by “British-built.”

Source: Autocar

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Bentley Rolls Out Bespoke Insurance Service for UK Customers

Few brands understand the art of curating luxury ownership like Bentley. Now, the 106-year-old marque is extending that ethos beyond handcrafted cabins and twin-turbo W12s into something far less glamorous, but just as essential: insurance.

Earlier this week, Bentley Motors announced the launch of its first-ever bespoke insurance program, available exclusively to Bentley owners in the UK. Operated through Bentley Financial Services, the new product offers coverage that’s as carefully tailored as the cars themselves, whether you’re driving a brand-new Bentayga EWB or a cherished first-generation Continental GT.

To make it happen, Bentley partnered with two heavyweights. Chubb European Group SA, a specialist in insuring high-value assets, serves as the underwriter, while Carbon Insurance Brokers—part of the Connexus group—handles administration and claims. Together, they promise the same seamless service Bentley buyers expect when picking out wood veneers or commissioning Mulliner to match their luggage.

The insurance program comes in three flavors:

  • Annual Cover – a full-year policy built specifically around Bentley vehicles.
  • Five-Day Complimentary Drive Away Insurance – instant coverage for new or used cars purchased from an authorized Bentley retailer, designed to bridge the gap until full insurance is in place.
  • Heritage Cover – tailored protection for the brand’s classics, from early 20th-century icons to the Continental GT that redefined modern luxury coupes in 2003.

For Bentley, this isn’t just about another revenue stream. It’s about reinforcing a holistic ownership journey—cars, service, lifestyle, and now insurance—all wrapped in the same promise of exclusivity and attention to detail.

Because when you’re driving a Bentley, the last thing you want to worry about is paperwork.

Source: Bentley

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UK Government Steps In to Back JLR With £1.5 Billion Loan Guarantee

Jaguar Land Rover, Britain’s biggest automaker and a vital piece of the UK’s industrial puzzle, is still reeling from a crippling cyberattack that forced it to shut down global production earlier this month. Now, the UK government is stepping in with a massive financial lifeline: a state-backed guarantee for a £1.5 billion commercial loan.

The Tata-owned company will receive the money via a commercial bank, but the loan is underwritten by the government through its Export Development Guarantee (EDG) scheme. The move is designed to keep JLR’s fragile supply chain intact, with repayment set over five years.

Production ground to a halt on September 1 after hackers infiltrated JLR’s IT systems. In a bid to protect sensitive data, the company yanked its internal networks offline, a decision that froze car-building activity at every factory worldwide. The ripple effect has been brutal: the shutdown is estimated to be burning through £50 million a week in lost revenue while leaving hundreds of suppliers stranded.

The stakes are enormous. Roughly 700 UK-based suppliers, employing around 150,000 people, depend on JLR’s production lines. Business Secretary Peter Kyle framed the intervention as a job-saving measure: “This loan guarantee will help support the supply chain and protect skilled jobs in the West Midlands, Merseyside, and throughout the UK.” Chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed the sentiment, calling JLR’s survival “a vital part of the British car industry.”

Unite, the trade union representing thousands of JLR workers and suppliers, cautiously welcomed the deal, branding it “an important first step.”

Some systems are limping back online. JLR confirmed last week that it had restored portions of its “digital estate,” including supplier payment platforms. That means parts distribution has restarted and dealers can once again register new vehicles digitally, instead of resorting to phone calls with the DVLA. Servicing and repairs are also resuming thanks to its Global Parts Logistics Centre returning to operation. But full-scale car production won’t begin before October 1—and even that target may be optimistic.

Restarting modern automotive manufacturing isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. Re-synchronizing global parts orders, engines, and final assembly lines after a month-long blackout could take weeks, if not months. David Bailey, a business economics professor, told Autocar that the attack may be costing JLR up to £5 million per day.

For context, in the same quarter last year, JLR built more than 80,000 vehicles. This time around, the number will fall sharply, leaving the company scrambling to make up lost ground just as demand for its high-margin Range Rovers and Defenders is running strong.

The attack underscores the vulnerability of today’s car industry, which has shifted from traditional manufacturing into a data-heavy business reliant on digital infrastructure. While JLR hasn’t confirmed the nature of the hack, its scale shows that cyber threats can cripple even global giants.

For now, the government’s loan guarantee buys JLR and its suppliers breathing space. But as production slowly ramps back up, the long-term damage to sales, trust, and financial performance will be measured in the months to come.

Source: Autocar