Motor industry says it is struggling to find staff

Businesses which supply parts to the car industry, have said that despite the recovery of the sector, not enough people are interested in hi-tech careers.

Zircotec in Abingdon produces specialised heat resistant coatings for engine parts used by Formula 1 but it said it was finding it difficult to recruit staff.

Motorsport firm Prodrive in Banbury has similar problems getting the highly skilled engineers it needs.

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source: BBC

BMW to invest £500m in UK factories

BMW has announced a plan to invest £500m in UK car production over the next three years.

The money will help fund the production of the next generation Mini in the UK, safeguarding more than 5,000 jobs.

BMW's investment plan is the second major boost to the UK's motor manufacturing industry this week.

Its announcement came the day after Nissan said it would invest £192m and safeguard 6,000 jobs by building its next generation Qashqai here.

BMW's main facilities are its vehicle assembly plant in Oxford, the pressings plant in Swindon and the company's engine plant at Hams Hall near Birmingham.

The motor industry produces the country's most valuable manufactured exports, with £27bn worth of vehicles and parts going overseas in 2010.

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source: BBC

ABI calls for clampdown on Britain's pain in the neck culture

The ABI today called for a clampdown on the UK’s pain in the neck culture that has made the UK the whiplash capital of Europe. One in every 140 people claim whiplash a year. The activities of ambulance chasing lawyers and claims management firms, coupled with ‘crash for cash’ staged motor accidents has increased the risk of fraudulent claims.

Whiplash occurs after the soft tissue in the spine has been stretched and strained following a sudden forceful movement. It is normally caused by rear-end motor collisions. The need for action is highlighted by the fact that:

• Nearly 1200 whiplash claims are made every day. This is six times more than the number of people who claim for workplace-related injury every year.
• The costs to the NHS of treating whiplash have been estimated at £8 million a year.
• Three-quarters of personal injury claims in the UK are for whiplash, more than elsewhere in the Europe.
• Insurers pay out nearly £2 billion a year in claims for whiplash.

Speaking at the 2011 Whiplash conference in Leeds today James Dalton, the ABI’s Assistant Director of Motor and Liability, said: "Despite the statistics I doubt that that the UK has some of the weakest necks in Europe.”

The ABI is calling for action around:

• Implementation of Government proposals for civil justice reform to ensure genuine claimants get fair compensation and access to rehabilitation more quickly, and to reduce the scope for fraudulent claims.
• Intensifying insurers’ crackdown on fraudulent whiplash claims, for example cracking down on organised ‘crash for cash’ staged motor accidents.
• Raising consumer awareness on the need to keep a safe braking distance from the vehicle in front. So-called ‘tailgating’ is the main cause of whiplash.
• Developing authoritative medical guidance on how to accurately diagnose and treat genuine whiplash.

James Dalton added: “We seem ill-equipped to effectively identify and treat whiplash; our compensation system is too slow in paying fair compensation and offering rehabilitation to genuine claimants, and our compensation culture encourages fraud. All this must change. Our action plan will set up what is missing: an effective partnership between doctors, insurers and lawyers to ensure better prevention and treatment of whiplash, and crackdown on fraudulent claims. This will reduce the unacceptable costs which whiplash currently imposes on individuals, businesses and the state.”

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source: ABI

Citroen Picasso UK recall over 'passenger brake'

A BBC Watchdog investigation showed that although the brake pedal had been switched to the right, it remained connected to a mechanism on the left passenger side.

Citroen is recalling more than 20,000 of its Picasso C3 cars in the UK because of concerns the brakes can be activated from the passenger side. The problem arises because of the way the car is made in France then modified for right hand drive for UK export.

A BBC Watchdog investigation found the brake could still be engaged through a cable under the passenger footwell.

Citroen said although that was a remote possibility, it is offering customers a free modification to the UK vehicles."The recall will require the fitment of an additional component to isolate the braking mechanism from the front seat passenger," the statement continued.

The company said the modification would be free at Citroen dealers. "In the meantime, C3 Picasso owners should continue to use their cars as normal. Customers wanting further advice or information are asked to call the Citroën Contact Centre on 01753 475862, or to email cuk_contactcentre@citroen.com."

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source: BBC

Should electric cars be made to go 'vroom'?

With whisper-quiet electric cars set to proliferate, the motor industry is under pressure to give them an artificial noise for safety purposes, but should they sound like traditional petrol vehicles?

Electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles are inherently quiet. The sound of the tyres on the road is noisier than the engine and this could prove lethal at slow speeds for pedestrians and cyclists.

Motor manufacturers acknowledge there is a problem. Some, like Nissan, are already fitting speakers under the bonnets of these vehicles to emit sounds for the safety of other road users. Others are planning on doing the same.

With the UK government predicting 8,600 electric cars will be sold by the end of this year, sound engineers say there is a pressing need to come up with some ground rules as to what sounds to pick. So why not just stick with the current sound of a conventional combustion engine?

"That would be losing a huge opportunity," says Prof Paul Jennings from Warwick University who leads a project looking into alternative vehicle noises. "We all know traffic noise can be annoying and the levels are significantly high. We do not want to lose the benefit we could get from using new reduced sounds." He says: "The challenge is to create sounds that are as safe as possible but also ones that are much more pleasing for the urban environment."

As part of the engineering project, an electric vehicle called Elvin (Electric Vehicle with Interactive Noise), is being driven around the university campus demonstrating a small sample of made-up sounds. There are certain noises that people associate with transport and they alert us that a vehicle is heading in our direction.

Whatever car manufacturers choose will only be effective if it does the same. But balancing the needs for safety and improving the environment are not the only requirements. Clearly the manufacturers will have a big say in what happens.

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source: BBC

Changed landscape for global carmakers

The earthquake that hit Japan on 11 March, causing a tsunami and a nuclear crisis, did more than rock the country. Japan's motor industry was also shaken badly, with many of its parts suppliers hit.

A warning by the country's leading car-maker, Toyota, that parts shortages could curb output this year, coincided with booming sales and profits at its main global rival, General Motors (GM).

GM has just announced it is planning to invest $2bn (£1.2bn) in plants in eight US states, as well as creating hundreds of jobs. Fellow US car-maker Ford has also reported bumper profits and sales. And even the country's third-largest automotive company, Chrysler, is back in the black.

Less than two years ago, GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and were bailed out by US taxpayers, while Ford had to sell its luxury division, which included Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo cars. At the time, Toyota and the other Japanese car-makers were gaining ground in the troubled Detroit-based companies' home market.

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source: BBC

Ford sees best profit in 13 years on green car sales

Ford has unveiled its strongest first quarter profits for 13 years, helped by increasing demand for more fuel-efficient cars.

Profits rose to $2.55bn (£1.54bn; 1.75bn euros) in the first three months of 2011, compared with $2.09bn at the same period the year before.

"Our team delivered a great quarter, with solid growth in all regions," said Ford president Alan Mulally. Ford said the 2011 outlook was good, despite higher commodity costs. Revenue for the first quarter was $33.1bn, up from $28.1bn a year earlier.

The firm said it had seen a strong performance in its home North American market, as well as "solid improvement" in Europe. US sales were up 16%, while market share in the Asia Pacific and Africa regions also increased, the carmaker said.

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source: BBC