6:50 am, March 17, 2025
Protesters gathered outside Tesla dealership call for boycott
Protesters gathered outside a Tesla showroom in London have called for people to boycott the Elon Musk owned electric car maker.
Organisers are encouraging Tesla owners to sell their cars and for people to dump stock.
The electric car giant has already seen shares plunge since the start of the year as the firm comes under pressure from Chinese rivals amid calls for a boycott over Musk’s close ties with US President Donald Trump and far-right causes.
Regulator seeks views on scrapping or increasing £100 contactless card limit
The City regulator is seeking views on whether removing or increasing the contactless card limit could benefit households, businesses and economic growth.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said one option put forward is to allow firms who use technology to reinforce fraud controls to set their own limits, as happens in the United States.
The ‘engagement paper’ launched by the regulator forms part of work announced in January in a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to support growth.
New Mercedes CLA comes with a 492-mile electric variant
Mercedes has unveiled the next generation CLA saloon, which comes with hybrid or electric power.
Under the bonnet, the electric model features an 85kWh battery pack and an electric motor that boasts 800-volt technology. This allows for faster charging of up to 320kW, with Mercedes claiming the car can gain 202 miles of range in 10 minutes from a DC rapid charger.
The firm also says that the car can travel up to 492 miles on a single charge – one of the best in class.
The markets
Global stock markets were given a boost on Friday with US stocks rallying after a bruising week, while aerospace giants helped lift the FTSE 100 higher as global defence spending talks continued.
In London, the FTSE 100 gained 89.77 points, or 1.055, to end the week at 8,632.33. Aerospace and defence giants Melrose Industries, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce were leading the charge with their share prices moving more than 3% higher.
Europe’s top indexes also ended the week higher, with Germany’s Dax rising 1.86%, and France’s Cac 40 up 1.13%. In currencies, the pound was weakening on Friday.
The weekend on Car Dealer
Gallery: Take a look at the very best pictures from Car Dealer Live 2025
Take a look through some of the best pictures taken at Car Dealer Live 2025. The conference took place at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon last week with photographer Kevin Bennett on hand to snap all the key moments.
SMMT warns of job losses and ‘de-industrialisation’ if EV demand does not pick up
The SMMT has warned that UK automotive jobs are at risk unless EV demand increases. CEO Mike Hawes called for government incentives to prevent ‘de-industrialisation’. Proposals included halving VAT on EVs, which could boost sales by 15%.
Meet the 93-year-old who’s been testing Nissan’s cutting edge autonomous driving technology
Nissan’s autonomous driving tech impressed 93-year-old Brad Ashton, who tested it as part of the brand’s evolvAD project. The ex-scriptwriter praised its potential to help older drivers stay mobile. Nissan has now completed 16,000 autonomous miles in the UK without accidents.
‘Godfather of EV’ says Musk is ‘prioritising dream to go to Mars’ as Tesla continues to struggle
Dr Andy Palmer says Elon Musk has caused ‘self-inflicted damage’ to Tesla by prioritising his dream of going to Mars. Speaking at Car Dealer Live, Palmer noted Tesla’s slowed model rollout and questioned the immediate benefits of Musk’s political and personal ambitions.
Government urged to help amid warning manufacturing sector has ‘hit the buffers’
The Government is being urged to help manufacturers after a new report warned the sector has ‘hit the buffers’.
Make UK and business advisers BDO said their research among more than 300 manufacturers suggested that increasing employment taxes and wider business costs were affecting companies, as well as worries of a global trade war.
Firms are freezing recruitment and considering redundancies, while investment plans are being delayed and in some cases cancelled altogether, said the report.
Appeal for commemorative playground for Southport victims hits £250,000 target
An appeal for a commemorative playground at the Southport primary school attended by Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King has reached its £250,000 target.
Alice, nine, and Bebe, six, were killed along with seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29 last year.
Alice’s father Sergio Aguiar and Churchtown Primary School headteacher Jinnie Payne are supporting the playground appeal by running the TCS London Marathon next month.
Parts of UK set to be hotter than Ibiza and Corfu this week for start of spring
Parts of the UK are set to be hotter than Ibiza and Corfu this week, in time of the first official day of spring.
Thursday marks the spring equinox and temperatures could reach 19C in the south of England. This is eight degrees warmer than the average for this time of year, Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said.
Ms Mitchell told the PA news agency: ‘We are expecting quite a lot of dry weather, increasing amounts of sunshine as we head through the next few days.’
