Although the fact not many people have actually heard of them may have something to do with it.
I certainly hadn't.
They are another Chinese brand and have apparently been trying to sell vehicles in the UK since 2024...
...when they sold 6 cars.
Their website looks professional enough - concentrating on their electric SUV, the BE11...
...which looks just like most electric (and non-electric) SUVs.
They have other vehicles in the range too - a hatch, a saloon and a van:
which seems to be a "Skyworth"
But they are described as "coming soon..."
...so probably won't now.
The Skywell short-lived story is described by Autocar here. According to that, there will be redundancies as their 16 dealerships shut (none near me) and their spokesman is also being let go.
Sounds like a failure in marketing or investment...
Although they do have some more positive news for those of us who would like to stick with stick. Not that I could afford a Ferrari 12 Cilindre.
And I currently own an automatic.
According to the article, "In the first half of 2026, just 7.9 per cent of factory order enquiries submitted to Auto Express’ Buy a Car service concerned a car with a manual gearbox. This marks a significant decrease from a 14 per cent share in the same period in 2025, and 21 per cent in 2024."
Part of this is due to the lack of manual cars available.
I would be driving one if there was such a thing as a manual Volvo S60.
And, obviously, the rise of the electric vehicle is a strong contributor to the manual demise.
But, even if there are no new ones, there will still be millions of them on the road. And those of us who can still drive them will find them cheaper.
And we'll be the only ones who can drive classics.
Three different articles from the motoring Interwebs caught my eye today and since I can't be bothered making three posts, here they are in one handily sized container.
It involves a spiteful and presumably very jealous woman who shops as The Asda. She has been caught on camera kicking and damaging a McLaren 570S.
Stupid cow.
Hopefully the pictures will be good enough to get her charged with criminal damage although I doubt if she will become as infamous and vilified as that cat woman.
Next up, how can you tell that someone is ashamed to admit that they vote Tory or Reform?
Easy, they say that all politicians are the same then go on to slag off The Labour Party
Auto Express's Mike Rutherford is very much in that camp. In that article, he tries to deflect with a little anti-Trump rant but you would have to be Nigel Farage to say anything complimentary about the orange toddler.
Finally, from Autocar, a bit of nostalgia - remember The Beastie Boys?
They seem to have aged a bit.
They also started the craze of stealing VW badges.
Shortly after a 3-year old boy was thrown into a crocodile enclosure by a man with learning difficulties, voucher site Wowcher thought it would be funny to send out a marketing email titled, "Snap up these deals quicker than a croc can catch a kid!"
The boy received critical injuries after being attacked by the reptiles. He is no longer critical.
Wowcher had no choice but to apologise and stated that they were instigating an urgent review of their processes.
Today's BBC story is more car related and shows the same lack of insight/common sense of two other companies.
Both indoor golf venue Golf Fang Liverpool, and car parking app Parc, decided to use fake parking tickets to advertise themselves.
I don't think that's very funny and neither did the Advertising Standards Authority, the ASA.
The ASA ruled the adverts, which were all wrapped in yellow and black plastic and placed on windscreens in Liverpool and Manchester, risked causing "unjustifiable distress".
I know if someone put one on my windscreen I would be very annoyed. I'd probably report them to the ASA and also do what I do if I get electioneering letters from Reform and send them back where they came from with no stamp on the envelope. Did you know Reform Wirral are based in Millbank in London?
Anyway, while looking for a suitable picture of a parking ticket I found this one:
Apparently Diggerland Theme Parks sell them in packs of 5 including the cellophane packaging so that you can prank people.
What lovely people must visit Diggerland.
And no - I have never ever received a parking ticket.
BBC Business tell us that "over the past 20 years, sales of new open-tops have fallen by nearly 90%, from 109,171 in 2005 to just 11,484 last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders."
It has already seen off the Mondeo class of car, The Fiesta and the Focus. And threatens the saloon and estate.
I mean, why enjoy the thrill of open-top motoring with the thrum of the engine and wind in your ears when you can sit in a huge box that isn't designed to go around corners properly?
The rise in popularity of Electric cars is also being blamed with only two electric convertibles currently on sale in the UK - the MG Cyberster (which does seem funky) and the Mini electric convertible (reviewed here by Carwow) which is coming over in VERY small numbers and costs £52,500!
If I said, "Toy Story Porker", you'd probably think of Hamm, the toy piggy bank voiced by Cliffy from Cheers.
Seen here with the annoying dinosaur from the Argos adverts.
Although not as annoying as the doll from the Argos adverts.
But that's besides the point.
Now, if I said Buzz car, and I hadn't already put Toy Story into your head, you'd probably think of the VW ID Buzz.
And if I said Woody car, and I hadn't already put Toy Story into your head, you'd probably think of something, probably American, like this:
But you'd be wrong.
Because the Porker in question is Porsche. They are cashing in on the latest Toy Story movie by producing 3 new special edition 911s based on Toy Story characters:
The Buzz Lightyear 911 is a GT3 RS in white, green, and purple color scheme.
The Jessie one is a Targa 4 GTS with cow-print floor mats and a paint job that mimics her outfit.
The Woody one, a Carrera T, seems a bit of a stretch though (which is apparently a purple octopus toy voiced by Whoopie Goldberg) because its paintwork is meant to look like his jeans.
Actually, I'm being uncharitable saying that they are cashing in, because these are actually one-offs to be sold off in aid of charities.
This backlash is Worldwide. Including one of my favourite YouTube Channels, Gas Monkey Garage, with Shorts such as this and this.
There was a third one that seems to have disappeared now in which Richard Rawlings reminded us of his version of an electric Ferrari...
...which actually looks like a Ferrari (because it was built from one) but more importantly keeps the ethos of one.
There is much speculation that because the Luce most defintely DOES NOT follow the Ferrari ethos and DOES NOT look like a Ferrari that it will not sell.
I am pleased that Ferrari are not insisting that buyers have to purchase one of these in order to join the waiting lists for other future cars - this would have been a way to ensure sales.
Personally, I thought the Purosangue was more of a affront but that seems to have slipped under the radar as it is not electric despite being an SUV - which you may have noticed I hate more than electric cars.
However, I think the Luce WILL sell. It is a very good car. Speculators will see a profit eventually and a new breed of rich weirdos will like this product. It just won't sell to your average (and affluent) Ferrari fan.
And definitely won't sell to your average non-affluent Ferrari fan.
I think the mistake is that it has the Ferrari name on it - they should have just called it The Luce.
Ferrari have announced their first all-electric car - the Luce:
Looks good doesn't it?
As long as you view it from that exact angle.
'Cause it just looks weird from every other one.
Auto Express cover the story here describing it as "New Ferrari Luce EV arrives with shocking design, 1,035bhp and £440k price"
Autocar have this describing it as "1036bhp, 329 miles, £440k: Ferrari Luce revealed as wild super-EV"
The Autocar one must be better because it has one extra bhp.
They also have more commenters - more in both number and knowledgability.
The Auto Express ones are just judging the car on the fact it is electric and isn't particularly attractive - not that any of them would be able to afford one despite one claiming that he could - yeah sure mate! Oh and there is one commenter who is either a Chinese Bot or a Chinese moron - I suspect the former.
A lot of the Autocar comments are also negative but there is a more genuine mix and more constructive criticism.
There is agreement and positive commentry on both websites for the interior and both have comments likening it to a Jaguar i-Pace - something I can definitely see.
Personally though, I'm not that enamoured by the interior:
It has real buttons which is good and the instrumentation is innovative - in a good way - but what is that dashboard made of? Plastic? Shiny leather?
The local people had a vote. Which can be dangerous. But they mitigated the danger by limiting the options to a select list.
So no chance of Bypassy McBypassface.
But PETA weren't happy. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals thought Pork Pie Way was "pig-demeaning", and urged the Reform UK-run council to choose Vegan Pie Way instead.
Oh dear. I can be as Commie-left woke as the next person but that is ridiculous. And imagine a Reform council going with that!
And remember, this isn't the first case of apt road naming.
Click on that link for a very amusing article from Car+Driver.
Although I'm not sure of the picture they have chosen - it is a black lad serving a white girl. Bit of racial stereotyping going on there I think.
The story isn't about car sales in the early 2000s though.
It's about how Little Tikes are now producing an EV version of the foot powered sit-in car.
It takes 3 AA batteries for the pretend charging unit to provide lights and "charging noises."
The commenters underneath the story seem to get the joke.
Apart from one tosser who states, "It's downright crazy to drag toddlers into the EV Car drama with plastic peddle cars, don't you think? It's more of a adult topic. Over the top on this, toy designers."
He's got 18 downvotes, zero upvotes and various comments basically confirming that he is a tosser.
And wrong.
He also can't spell "pedal" and The Crazy Coupe doesn't have pedals so isn't a pedal car anyway.
And I say that as the owner of a grey car who has previously owned a silver car and a black car.
Although my other three cars were vomit yellow, cherry red and racing green.
The story states that this...
..is a thing of the past. Cupra creative director Francesca Sangalli has stated that,
"Cupra is about neutral colour with a twist, and this is why we give much more importance to matt finishes and the very oily treatment of colour. You choose a Cupra if you like the brand, and you choose the range of colours that fits with the brand and not vice versa. You will never find a red Cupra."
Damn shame given that we have now got to the stage where nearly all cars are monchrome.
"Broadening the range with more colourful hues risks losing the brand because you go with what everyone else does"
Here's Plato, in a candid shot, posing in front of a column with a statue on it.
Plato said, "One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
This is what America is suffering from right now.
And the rest of the World.
He also allegedly said, "Tyranny naturally arises out of democracy."
Yep.
And then there was, "They certainly give very strange names to diseases."
OK, might have gone off at a tangent there.
"My right arm is generally quite strong."
That last one is actually Jason Plato - ex-racing driver and ex-TV presenter.
And current racing team boss.
He has started up Team Plato in less than 12 months and intends to start winning races in the BTCC straight away.
Very impressive. His former Fifth Gear colleague Jonny Smith spends an hour of his YouTube Late Brake Show discussing it with him here:
There's no sign of Jason's flat cap but he does appear to be sucking on a mint through the video which is a bit off-putting.
But, mint aside, it is fascinating stuff - for example, the Mercedes cars they are using were all originally water damaged write-offs. And they've sourced spare bonnets from scrapyards.
Which makes it sound like they are working on a shoestring.
But they aren't.
He's got a crack team of engineers, a state-of-the-art driving simulator and some bloody expensive components.
I always look forward to the BTCC Season. This year it kicks off tomorrow at Donington Park. I normally support the BMWs and West Surrey Racing. Have done from before and after owning a BMW myself but, this year, the livery is a bit bland - I wonder of they are no longer a manufacturer team? And I was hoping that Colin Turkington, my favourite driver, might be rejoining their line-up but it looks like they have other plans for him.
Dennis Collins' Coffee Walk has been something I've loved for years.
A new episode has come out on YouTube every Friday for presumably 400 weeks.
Now he has stated it is over. He did use the word "Break" - does that mean it may be back? Or he's just having a holiday?
One commenter was hoping that it was just an April Fool's Prank - I suspect that commenter is not very good at using calendars. Let's hope Dennis isn't either.
Does this mean that Zach Oncamera will be getting his P45? His real surname may be Gorgas - I'm not 100% sure.
The final episode involved the purchase of a "Holy Grail" 1965 Ford Mustang "K" Car - which is the one with the biggest engine that Shelby used as a base for his ones. I've learnt that plus a fair bit about Jeeps and VIN tags by watching Coffee Walk over the years.
He bought it from a Trump fan who had kept it in very good condition - I wonder if he thinks the show is called Covfefe Walk?
Coffee Walk has always been my signal that the working week is over - it means I can relax and I usually enjoy it with a can of lager or two. I guess I'll be going back to Gardener's World now - I'll be learning about Hydrangeas and the like. Wonder how Monty Don and the Cockney bloke who is a good gardener but shouldn't be because he is a Cockney bloke have been getting on?
Oh well, if it really is over, then thank you Dennis and gang for entertaining me. I'll miss you all.
The BBC have a picture and story worthy of local newspapers.
Attractive young woman looking unhappy with reason for her grievance.
Only thing missing is she should be pointing at it.
Not that it is the car's fault - an estate agent was being ageist.
The attractive young woman in question was not shortlisted for a job she applied for because her car was too old.
The estate agents, haart, who are obviously too trendy to use capital letters claimed that, "It's extremely important that people who work for us use reliable vehicles for their own personal safety, particularly where they travel many miles each day and often work alone."
Oh, so they are worried about her safety!
No, they just don't want their image being affected by older cars which may give the impression that they don't pay their staff enough to buy newer car.
That was my take on it anyway.
I can't see a well maintained 2014 Citroen C1 being particularly more unreliable that a 9 year old one.
And if they took on someone with a 9 year old Citroen C1, would they have to sack them in 12 months?
I don't know if they have had a policy change since the BBC highlighted this today, but here's a bit of a job ad for a position they have open today:
It just says the car has to be in "good condition."
What happens when you want to import your Roller (or any other luxury car) into France but don't fancy paying import duties?
I'll tell you.
You register it as being adapted for disabled people - even if it isn't. That way it is Tax Exempt.
So how do you actually do that then?
I'll tell you.
You take advantage of a bit of a stupid decision made by the French government in 2017. They decided to part-privatise the SIV - ie the registration system. This was allegedly in a bid to speed up the slow process of delivering registration papers to car-buyers but probably, like all privatisations, to save money anjd help their rich friends make money.
Look at Mrs.Thatch in the '80s.
But I digress.
Some 2,000 civil servants were assigned to new tasks, and instead car-dealers were given the right to access the register themselves in order to issue documents for their clients.
A million illegally-registered cars are being driven in France in a fraud scandal that has cost hundreds of millions of euros in lost taxes and fines, according to the state auditor.
These are known as "ghost cars" - even the ones that are not Rolls Royces.
The closing paragraph concludes...
France's interior ministry said it acknowledged the problem, and was taking steps to remedy it. An action plan announced last year has led to an increase in fraud detections, while the number of authorisations to access the SIV has been sharply reduced.
Auto Express have this story today about the replacement for the Polestar 2.
It's headlined, "New Polestar 2 to lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side"
Apart from anything else, I don't think the Polestar 2 does look like an SUV - which is probably why I like it.
Anyway, I clicked on the link for their guess at what it would look like and found this:
Which made be think, "That doesn't look like a sporty saloon - where's the boot?"
Then I worked out that their link had taken me to a page of guesses or "renderings" that didn't actually include the new Polestar 2. That particular picture was an attempt at what a future MG will look like.
Then I worked out that the picture at the top of the story was their guess:
That doesn't look like it will "lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side."
It just looks like the current one - which already looks like a sporty non-SUV.
Which will probably be known as the 2 Mark II.
While the boss now appears to be known as Michael Lohscheller.
And, of course, the more recent stories about people using Grok to create images of undressed children which, after the initial outcry, Twitter decided they would put behind a paywall so that only the richer perverts could continue doing it.
Elon could afford it.
Then it became, "had stopped Grok from digitally altering pictures of people to remove their clothing in 'jurisdictions where such content is illegal'".
I suppose by putting into their cars, Grok can tell the pervert where it is legal and they can then drive there.
Haven't a clue who they are but they seem far too young.
That will be the reaction of most Grand Tour fans I imagine.
It was certainly my first thought.
Jeremy has done an "amusing" little sketch for The socials where he is choosing them:
So I suppose I'd better find out who they are.
Thomas Holland appears to be Spiderman.
I may have the wrong person.
There's a racing driver called Thomas Holland - it must be him - I approve of racing drivers becoming TV motoring presenters - like Tiff Needell, Jason Plato and of course, Vicki Butler-Henderson. Only trouble is, Thomas Holland the racing driver doesn't look like any of the blokes in that photo.
OK, a bit more digging. Thomas and second new presenter James Engelsman are successful motoring Youtubers with a channel called Throttlehouse.
I'd never heard of it but they have 3.36 million subscribers so must be doing something right. I approve.
Although I'd have probably gone with the Youtube presenters I watch - Ian from Hubnut, Ed from Twincam and Ryan from Yorkshire Car Restorations. I'd love to see how those three would get along.
The third presenter, who I have also never heard of, is "viral train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois."
I'm noticing that it's actually light when I'm driving home from work.
And according to the contents page of the Top Gear Magazine that came this week - IT'S APRIL!
Hang on a mo'!
Now I know that Top Gear Magazine tends to be ahead of the time in terms of editions - it's so that they can fit a thirteenth "Awards" edition into the calendar year.
But April!?
So I checked on the one that came last month.
It only feels like four weeks between them. Have they not delivered the March one and I've not noticed?
This month it was Number 405 - we are into Peugeot saloon territory. So what was the one I got last month?
So a bit of a cock-up in the editorial department. Sack the proof-reader.
Meanwhile there is an Autocar long-term test of the Polestar 3 here.
It's worth reading just for these two paragraphs alone:
The 3 is so called because it's the third model Polestar
has launched as a standalone brand. When I've told people I'm getting a
3, they've asked: "Is that the one without the rear window?"
No, that's the 4. The 3 was launched at the same time as the 4. Given that the 4 is smaller than the 3 and the 2
is smaller than the both, it would make more sense if the 3 were called
the 4 and the 4 the 3. But Polestar's naming convention for now is
sequential, in the order of launch.
I regularly check out their website for the daily car news but I don't usually look at their slideshows because I reckon they only have about 8 and they keep repeating them over and over again.
