Ormance EVS’
Imparato’s desire for more than one performance level for the EV.
Also high on Peugeot’s agenda will be the next generation of 308 hatch. That car’s current EMP2 platform is set up to accommodate plug-in hybrid tech instead of pure electric, although Imparato has suggested its successor, EMP3, will also have full-ev capability. BRITAIN’S hand car washes will be encouraged to sign up to a new compliance scheme from November. The Responsible Car Wash Scheme aims to clear up concerns on modern-day slavery, as well as tackle issues surrounding the safe handling, storage and disposal of the chemicals involved in cleaning cars.
The Responsible Car Wash Scheme has been developed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), a government quango that operates licencing schemes to ensure businesses comply with employment laws. The scheme will launch in pilot form in the Midlands next month. It has the support of the police, the Health and Safety Executive, HMRC, the Environment Agency and the Car Wash Association.
Concerns about hand car washes were heightened by the death in 2015 of Sandu Laurentiu, who was electrocuted at lodgings connected to the wash where he worked. His boss was subsequently jailed for manslaughter by gross negligence.
There are around 20,000 hand car washes in the UK, and as many as 8,000 of them are estimated to be engaged in criminal activity. Washes signing up to the scheme will be able to display a Responsible Car Wash Operator logo, which consumers will be urged to look out for.
Lexus cuts price of revised RC coupé
THE updated Lexus RC coupe (above) will cost from £38,800 in the UK, a reduction of £340 on the pre-facelift model.
Prices rise to £45,300 for the top-spec versions.
Three trim levels are offered: RC, F-sport and Takumi. All have 18-inch alloy wheels, reversing camera and sat-nav.
DFT invests £100m in A-road safety
ROAD safety bosses are aiming to prevent 1,450 deaths and serious injuries over the next 20 years with a £100m scheme to improve the most dangerous councilmanaged A-roads in England.
The Department for Transport’s Safer Roads Fund will improve 300 bends, 225 junctions, 135 pedestrian crossings and 290 miles of roadside shoulders, while 150 miles of road will be subject to new speed limits.
Skoda reveals hot Kodiaq – for China
SKODA has launched a new SUV called the Kodiaq GT (below) but it’s destined for China only. It is based on the Kodiaq but features a coupe-style body, making it a rival for the BMW X4.
It’s available with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine in two states of tune – developing 185bhp or 218bhp.
Skoda would like to sell it in Europe but cannot because of production constraints.
“An electric 208 GTI is possible because the next version of Peugeot’s supermini will switch to PSA’S new CMP platform”