Volkswagen has denied owing £2.5m in missed London congestion charge payments. London mayor Sadiq Khan claims the firm owes the money following the 2015 emissions scandal that saw VW accused of cheating emissions tests.
According to the BBC, Khan said 80,000 VW cars fitted with ‘defeat devices’ designed to cheat diesel emissions testing were registered in the capital. He went on to say that VW had shown “utter contempt” for Londoners and the company’s “appalling lack of action since the ‘dieselgate’ scandal came to light must not be allowed to continue”.
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The mayor added: “I met with the managing director of VW to urge them to compensate the thousands of Londoners who bought VW cars in good faith, but whose diesel engines are now contributing to London’s killer air, and also to reimburse transport for London for the £2.5 million loss of congestion charge revenue.
“Unfortunately VW made it abundantly clear that they have no interest or intention of reimbursing Londoners or indeed any UK customers who bought these polluting vehicles. They are also in denial over their responsibility to help clean up London’s filthy air and mitigate the damage their cars have caused.”
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However, a Volkswagen spokesperson said its vehicles which benefitted from the London Congestion charge Greener vehicle Discount, an exemption for low-emission vehicles which closed in 2013, “did so validly throughout the relevant period”.
The spokesperson added: “Vehicles qualified for the discount on the basis that their official CO2 emissions figure was less than 100g and met the Euro 5 standard. All of the vehicles affected by the NOx issue have retained their Euro 5 qualification.
“Further, none of the affected vehicles have had their official CO2 emissions figures amended, given that official CO2 values are not affected by the NOx issue.
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“There is, therefore, no basis on which it can be said that transport for London has lost any sums as a result of the NOx issue. No sums are therefore due in compensation.”
Volkswagen’s UK boss Paul Willis previously rebuked the suggestion that he misled government ministers over how much the company is willing to contribute to resting in the wake of its emissions scandal.

Do you think Volkswagen should pay the congestion charge bill? give us your thoughts in the comments

two new trim levels for the Volkswagen Passat have been revealed. on sale from 2 January, the Passat executive as well as Passat executive style sit above the entry level S as well as BlueMotion designs in the variety as well as are offered in both saloon as well as estate bodystyles. An all-new Passat is due later this year, as well as is expected to debut at the Paris motor show in September.
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• Volkswagen Passat
The Passat executive replaces the present Highline model, as well as includes 17-inch Michigan alloy wheels, including a full-size spare, plus exterior chrome trim. Estate designs likewise get matt black roofing rails.
Inside, all vehicles get touchscreen sat-nav, leather upholstery, heated front seats as well as electric modification for the driver’s seat. likewise include is 2Zone automatic climate control, automobile lights as well as wipers as well as front as well as rear car parking sensors.
VW declares that the Passat executive includes over £1,700-worth of devices over the Passat Highline, however costs £200 more. That indicates a starting cost of £22,900 for a Passat executive saloon powered by a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine, rising to £28,160 for a 2.0-litre TDI Passat executive Estate with a DSG gearbox.
If the executive doesn’t offer sufficient kit, VW has likewise added the executive style model, which replaces the sport as well as R-Line trim levels. It has all the set of the executive model, however adds 15mm lower sports suspension, 18-inch Kansas alloys, bi-xenon headlights, front fog lights as well as tinted rear windows.
VW declares this set is worth a lot more than £2,000, although the executive style designs expense £995 a lot more than the Passat Executive. costs for the Passat Exectuive style variety from £23,895-£29,155.

government plans to remove speed humps in order to improve air quality have been attacked by road safety campaigners. 
Last month’s air quality plan highlighted the need for councils to reduce congestion in urban areas to help cut back pollution levels and the ideas put forward by the government include removing speed humps in congested areas so traffic flow could be improved. The thinking is that speed bumps cause drivers to repeatedly accelerate and brake, leading to higher emissions levels in the urban areas where they tend to be used. 
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But these plans have been labelled as “daft and irresponsible” by road safety campaigners who believe they will lead to more accidents. To find out whether speed humps should be removed from our roads or not, auto express has assembled the key arguments from the pro and anti speed hump camps.  
Why we should keep speed humps
Speed humps are vital to road safety as they prevent drivers from speeding, especially in built up areas and school zones. That’s the crux of the argument set out by the pro-speed hump lobby and it was clearly in line with government thinking until recently speed humps were allowed to proliferate on our streets. 
Living Streets, a children’s safety campaign has labelled the plans to get rid of speed bumps as “daft and irresponsible”. speaking to the BBC, it said it was worried that if councils removed speed humps without installing other measures to slow down drivers, children would be at a greater risk when walking to school.

speed limits in rural areas should be lowered to protect horses and their riders, a leading equestrian charity says.
The British horse society (BHS) says that since late 2010, 38 riders and 222 horses have lost their lives on the UK’s roads, while 2,510 incidents were reported. It reports the number of accidents involving horses on the roads increased by 29 per cent in the last year, and 81 per cent of all incidents are due to motorists not allowing enough room between their vehicles and horses.
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In light of these figures, the BHS is calling for reduced speed limits in rural areas “where there is frequent equestrian activity”.
The charity says a fifth of all incidents involved a automobile colliding with a horse, while 40 per cent of riders are reported to have experienced road rage.
While no specific speed limits have been suggested, the BHS commissioned a report from the carry research Laboratory, which argues it is “unwise” for motorists to be travelling at 60mph on roads where horses could be travelling.
But it’s not just drivers who should take more care: the report recommends riders themselves should wear LED lights and high-vis clothing to make themselves more visible to other road users.
The BHS’ Alan Hiscox said: “Roads are getting busier, and we have seen an increase in incidents in the last year.” Hiscox urged that “something has to be done”, highlighting the report “recommends reducing the national speed limit on rural roads, where there is frequent equestrian activity; it could save the lives of both the horse and rider, and other vulnerable road users.”
What do you think about the issue of horse safety on the roads? let us know in the comments section below…

Mercedes has a history of creating vans for the industrial car market – however now the firm is branching out even more with its new pick-up, called the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. It’s due on sale in November 2017 with costs opening at around £28,000.
The X-Class is the result of a parts-sharing offer between Mercedes as well as the Renault-Nissan alliance – so it’s based on the ladder-frame platform of the Japanese brand’s Navara pick-up that will soon likewise bring us the Renault Alaskan. Mercedes has made considerable adjustments best across the board, however, in a quote to create a pick-up that it deems deserving of the three-pointed star – as well as a considerably inflated cost tag.
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• Mercedes X-Class trip review
It’s a technique Mercedes-Benz has employed before in the industrial car market with its Citan van sharing much with the Renault Kangoo. The essential for Mercedes is to produce distance between the Navara/Alaskan as well as the X-Class by building in a higher level of high quality as well as innovation that will persuade purchasers that the X-Class is worth paying the Mercedes-Benz premium for.
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Speaking to car reveal at the introduce of the X-Class, Head of Mercedes-Benz vans Volker Mornhinweg explained that the “X-Class will redefine the pick-up into a true premium vehicle”. before outlining the chance Mercedes sees in the worldwide pick-up market. “Look back in time as well as compare what has occurred to SUVs. They were rough as well as difficult cars as well as now they’re household cars. The exact same might occur with the pick-up”.

Renault has revealed its calculated ‘Drive the Future’ plan that will take it with to 2022. The roadmap will see the French company’s brands, including Renault, Dacia as well as Alpine, introduce 21 new vehicles, including a variety of EV as well as autonomous automobiles in the next six years. 
Groupe Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn revealed in a press seminar this morning that the new alliance between Renault, Nissan as well as Mitsubishi will produce over €70 billion (£62.6 billion) in profits by the end of the plan in 2022, with a 7 per cent revenue margin. The goal is to leverage the economies of scale that will come from the world’s largest automotive alliance.
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• finest hybrid vehicles to get now
As expected, electric as well as autonomous automobiles function heavily in the six-year plan. As lots of as 15 new Renault automobiles will function autonomous drive with eight pure EV automobiles to be introduced as well as 12 electrified models. new mobility services such as RoboTaxi operations will be rolled out by Groupe Renault before 2022 amongst a variety of mobility partnerships.
Groupe Renault, research study as well as advancement resources will boost by 40 per cent to €18 billion (£16.1 billion) from now up until 2022 while 80 per cent of the automobiles across the Groupe Renault brands will share platforms.
Another focus is growth outside the European market. In the next six years, Groupe Renault will plan to offer five million automobiles outside Europe, doubling its sales outside its house continent. growing target markets include Brazil, India as well as Iran with an boosted existence in Russia under the AvtoVAZ maker that creates automobiles under the Lada brand synonymous with Russia.
Renault will likewise be broadening into the growing light industrial automobile (LCV) market partnering with calculated ventures in China to grow their worldwide existence in the EV as well as LCV markets.
What do you believe of Renault’s huge plan for the future? let us understand in the comments…

Motorists in the UK are paying a total of £71.5 million a year in car insurance cancellation fees, new data has revealed.
Drivers in the UK cancel around 1.3 million car insurance policies each year, according to data and technology provider LexisNexis risk Solutions, while short-term insurance provider Cuvva says insurers charge an average cancellation fee of £55.

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This fee can rise to as much as £155 if the driver is on a telematics policy and has to have a black box removed from their car. Charges usually apply when a policy is cancelled outside the 14-day cooling off window, but cancellations within this period can also be subject to penalties. A number of insurers offer a £25 cancellation fee inside the period, before increasing it to £50 outside the window.
Insurer
Fee within 14-day cooling-off period
Fee outside 14-day cooling-off period

Cuvva
£0
£0

NFU Mutual
£0
£0

Hastings
£0
£45

Direct Line
£0
£48.16 

AXA
£0
£52.50

Aviva
£25
£50

More Than
£25
£50

Saga
£25
£50

Admiral
£25
£55

RAC
£25
£55 

Elephant
£25
£55

Esure
£26
£60

Sheila’s Wheels
£26
£60

AA
£28
£58

LV=
£0
£40

Cuvva claims that many drivers aren’t aware of the cost of cancelling or adjusting a car insurance policy mid-term, accusing major insurers of hiding fees in the policy wording and catching drivers out.
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Drivers are advised to ask insurance providers for a list of all additional costs and fees associated with a policy before taking it out. It’s also worth bearing in mind that more flexible monthly policies can make it easier to adjust terms, but annual policies may be cheaper overall.
Freddy Macnamara, CEO of Cuvva, said: “Insurance needs a radical overhaul. Insurers need to be transparent about the fees they charge and products need to meet customers’ needs.
“Millions of UK drivers are between a rock and hard place. They’re locked into annual car insurance contracts because there aren’t viable alternatives and are then penalised if their circumstances change and they end a policy early.”
Find out why BMW, Tesla and Mercedes owners are at risk of higher insurance premiums…

Renault has confirmed that all of its new cars will wear a new logo from 2024 onwards, which is inspired by the company’s past. 
The new badge was revealed earlier this year on the Renault 5 Prototype, which will become an ‘affordable’ compact electric hatchback by 2025. Renault’s design Director, Giles Vidal, has confirmed that the new, simpler logo found on the 5 Prototype will sit pride of place on the front of its cars.

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“The diamond is one of the most recognised shapes in the world, and in the world of the automobile. It is a simple geometric shape, with a strong, powerful identity. The challenge was to renew this shape by giving it meaning, along with new, contemporary values to project the brand into the future.
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“We integrated it on the Renault 5 Prototype for the first time. It was for us a formidable testing ground. In view of the enthusiasm and the very positive feedback we received about the logo, we decided to launch it,” Vidal said.
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The Renault diamond has been redesigned nine times, with the company adopting the shape in 1925. The current logo was created in 1992 and restyled in 2015, but this new badge is much simpler, and that change marks Renault’s progression into a new era, according to the brand.
The simpler, 2D logo will display better in digital form than the current 3D branding, while the flat treatment enables animation on video or digital media, a key element given in-car tech and how Renault will market its cars in the future.
The first production car to wear the new badge could be Renault’s new all-electric Megane crossover, which will be revealed later this year ahead of UK sales commencing early in 2022.
Now read about the new Peugeot lion logo here…