Nissan enters compact EV segment with new Pixo

Nissan has launched its own entrant into the flourishing compact electric vehicle segment with the Pixo.

Underpinned by the same platform as the Renault 5, the Pixo has been designed to offer compact proportions that’ll help to make it easy to drive around town.

With a 27.5kWh battery, the Pixo offers a range of up to 161 miles, while a maximum charging speed of 50kW means a 10 to 80 per cent charge will be completed in around 30 minutes.

Volkswagen adds long-wheelbase ID.Buzz Cargo

Available for the practicality-focused Cargo panel van, the new long wheelbase brings an additional 0.5m3 of stowage space in the main compartment.

The load area also measures 2,458mm in total, representing an increase of 250mm over the normal wheelbase van. On rear-wheel-drive versions, the Cargo will accept a payload of up to 700kg, or 606kg on all-wheel-drive models.

Equipped with a hard-wearing wooden floor as standard, the Buzz also gets a second sliding door on all versions. The door is 19cm wider than before, too, which means a full-size Euro pallet can be passed through it.

McLaren reveals updated logo to mark

McLaren has updated its logo to mark the ‘beginning of a new chapter’.

This ‘evolved brand identity’ will be used across the brand’s Automotive and Racing segments, allowing it to bring ‘one connected expression’ through various parts of the business.

McLaren will retain its iconic ‘Speedmark’ logo alongside the new typeface, and keep the eye-catching Papaya colour used across the brand’s Formula 1 cars. The ‘Speedy Kiwi’ logo – which honours founder Bruce McLaren’s New Zealand home – will remain as well.

The markets

The FTSE 100 ended little changed on Wednesday as upbeat US economic growth data was offset by a gloomier outlook for peace in the Middle East.

In London, the FTSE 100 index ended down slightly at 10,705.26. The FTSE 250 fell 164.87 points, 0.7%, to 24,361.58, and the AIM all-share shed 2.40 points, 0.3%, at 793.44.

In European equities on Wednesday, the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.4%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt dipped 0.7%.

HSBC targets younger workers with entry-level hiring drive

HSBC is planning to create 1,000 entry-level roles in the UK over the next year as the bank targets Gen Z workers.

Around a third of all hires the UK bank has made this year have been aged 18 to 24.

The new entry-level positions will comprise of apprenticeships, graduate programmes and internships across 2026 and 2027.

It is also offering 500 one-week in-person work experience placements designed to give secondary school students earlier exposure to the workplace.

Consumer confidence stumbles

Consumer confidence in the economy has stumbled after four months of improvement amid warnings the Budget must reassure struggling households.

Consumer expectations for the economy over the next three months worsened to minus 34 this month, down from minus 28 in August, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Opinium Consumer Sentiment Monitor.

Confidence in personal finances also worsened to minus 15, down from minus nine a month earlier.

‘Pay with smile’ facial recognition trialed

An in-store facial recognition checkout system has been unveiled by Revolut, enabling customers to make everyday purchases with a “simple glance”.

The Pay with Smile option will be available for in-store payments using a Revolut Register terminal.

When paying at a Revolut Register, customers will tap Pay with Smile on a screen to complete a face identity check, in a similar way to unlocking a smartphone or accessing a banking app.

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