Ford has teamed up with consumer delivery specialists, Hermes, to trial a sustainable courier service aimed at reducing the footprint of parcel deliveries in cities – and make them more timely.
The partnership utilises Ford’s smart ‘MoDe:Link’ multi-modal routing and logistics software to coordinate traditional delivery vans with pedestrian couriers, identifying safe locations for drivers to park within walking distance of multiple delivery addresses. From there, the final leg of the journey is completed on foot as couriers make deliveries to a mix of high-rise, business and residential buildings.
Couriers use a simple smartphone app that advises the location of the van and shows the most economical routes and itinerary to deliver the parcels. The app integrates with Hermes’ tracking systems to ensure customers have real-time visibility of the status of their deliveries.
The overall system orchestrates the end-to-end journey for each parcel, ensuring that deliveries – whether on the first mile from the depot by road, or the last mile to the doorstep on foot – are as efficient and as sustainable as they can be. Initially focussed on London, Ford and Hermes will now explore extending the pilot to further areas of the UK.
The pedestrian delivery model also opens the door for a new workforce who no longer need to drive or own a vehicle – in an industry that has had to race to recruit delivery drivers to meet consumer demand.
“Being smarter about how we deliver parcels in the future will enable carriers to operate more sustainably and efficiently – while delivering a better experience for customers”, said Tom Thompson, project lead, Ford Mobility. “Our trials with Hermes have shown how multi-modal deliveries can be scalable and effective, even during peak times of the year.”
The initiative was launched in September 2020 by a team from the Hermes Innovation Lab across an area of central London and was put to the test during one of the busiest times of the year for parcel deliveries.
Working through the Christmas peak, the pilot service met unprecedented demand for home deliveries. Operating alongside a team of eight pedestrian couriers and located across three postcode areas, two Ford Transit vans delivered the same number of parcels as six vans making conventional doorstep deliveries – and did so more quickly.
“We are exploring new delivery initiatives that can reduce emissions for the final mile delivery as part of our commitment to sustainability, and to also be prepared for further incoming legislation in cities, such as ultra-low emission zones”, said Carl Lyon, Chief Operating Officer, Hermes UK. “In addition, this operating model is easy to scale up to meet the increasing demand for home delivery and opens up the courier work for a whole new workforce who no longer need to drive or own a vehicle.”
Last Mile Delivery is just one of the ways in which Ford is exploring how connected technologies can help promote cleaner air in cities. A recent study across three European cities showed how blockchain and dynamic geofencing can complement plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, such as the Ford Transit Custom PHEV, to contribute to improved urban air quality, benefiting cities, citizens and operators.
# # #
About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Britain has been sales leader in the U.K. for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for 44 and 55 consecutive years respectively, with Fiesta being the country’s top-selling vehicle the 12th successive year. The U.K. is Ford’s third-largest global market and accounts for around 30 percent of total Ford vehicle sales in Europe. Ford is pursuing leadership positions across mobility and electrified vehicles, launching 16 hybrid and electric vehicles in 2020/21. Ford directly employs around 7,000 people in the U.K., with thousands more employed in its extensive dealer network. The Ford Britain Dunton Campus in Essex is the home of its European commercial vehicle business group, the Ford of Britain national sales company, Ford’s banking arm – Ford Credit Europe – and powertrain engineering. Ford’s manufacturing operations are a UK export success story with around 85 percent of engines and all transmissions exported to more than 15 countries on six continents. The value of these exports, including machined engine components, is around £1.5 billion annually.
PEUGEOT is offering up to £950 on top of existing deposit contributions as part of its ‘Exclusively For You’ campaign, with buyers now standing to benefit from over £5,000 in contributions on new models.
The limited-time offer is available alongside PEUGEOT’s current Service Plan offer, which gives new car buyers a free three-year/30,000 mile service plan when purchasing through PEUGEOT Buy Online.
PEUGEOT’s Service Plan offer runs until the 31st March 2021 and covers the servicing costs for the first three years or 30,000 miles, saving buyers up to £750 (depending on vehicle chosen). The Service Plan offer is available across the entire PEUGEOT passenger car range, including the new 3008 and new 5008 models.
The PEUGEOT ‘Exclusively For You’ promotion adds up to £950 on top of existing deposit contributions*, meaning customers can benefit from up to £5,350** of contributions on select new models, including the 208, the all-new 2008, the new 3008 and the new 5008***.
The award-winning new PEUGEOT 5008 has impressed a host of industry experts with its spacious modular interior holding seven independent seats fitted as standard, and practical cabin that features the intuitive PEUGEOT i-Cockpit®. The PEUGEOT i-Cockpit® provides the SUV range with the latest connectivity and safety technologies, including Night Vision^, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Position Assist^^.
Julie David, Managing Director of PEUGEOT UK, said: “Servicing costs are one of the big fixed costs for new car owners, but with our ‘Service Plan’ offer, we ensure no buyer pays for their first three-years or 30,000 miles of service. Combined with our ‘Exclusively for You’ offer, which gives buyers the benefit of up to £5,350 in deposit contributions on a new car, there are some fantastic offers currently available to help buyers into a new PEUGEOT – all from the comfort of their home.”
Customers can access PEUGEOT’s ‘Service Plan’ and ‘Exclusively For You’ deposit contribution offer through PEUGEOT Buy Online. PEUGEOT Buy Online offers customers the ability to order and purchase their next car entirely online, allowing them to personalise their finance products, get a part exchange valuation and even arrange click and collection^^^ or free home delivery for their new car.
To obtain the offers, customers receive an exclusive code when they register through PEUGEOT Buy Online. Once a customer has registered and received their promotional code via email, they will be able to choose and configure selected models, before applying the promotional code to the basket page. This will activate the additional contribution available through the Exclusively For You programme.
This Service Plan offer and ‘Exclusively For You’ deposit contributions are available for retail customers ordering a PEUGEOT vehicle online before 31st March 2021.
ID.3 Life Pro available from today, priced from £28,670 RRP OTR[1]
‘Pro’ motor option now available on Life, Business and Family models
145 PS motor makes ID.3 even more affordable
The Volkswagen ID.3 Pro is available to order now, bringing the multi award-winning electric hatchback’s entry price to £28,670[1] – and, in turn, further answering the affordable and sustainable e-mobility brief set out by the I.D. concept of 2016.
The Pro electric motor option is available across the ID.3’s Life, Business and Family specifications, and offers a second, 145 PS power output in addition to the introductory 204 PS Pro Performance version. Despite the different motor output to the Pro Performance models, the impressive range of the ID.3 remains the same, with up to 263 miles available on the ID.3 Life Pro from its 58 kWh (net) battery capacity.
In Pro guise, the ID.3 produces 145 PS and 270 Nm of torque – a 15 Nm advantage over the 1.5-litre, 150 PS TSI unit found in many petrol Volkswagen models. This is delivered, as per the rest of the ID.3 range, via a one-speed gearbox, with the car’s full torque output available from a standstill – a virtue of electric vehicle powertrains. This translates to a 0-62 mph sprint in 9.6 seconds.
In Life specification, the ID.3 Pro starts at £28,670[1] – with a £1,320 step-up to the ID.3 Life Pro Performance. The ID.3 Pro’s charging performance remains unchanged, which means that the same speedy 35-minute recharge to 80% capacity at a 100 kW CCS Direct Current charger is achievable.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s wider electrification strategy goes from strength to strength, with UK customers now able to order the ID.4 1ST Edition – the second model in the brand’s far-reaching and acclaimed future of e-mobility. This compact SUV is set to become one of the world’s most popular electric vehicles, as it will be sold in all major markets.
Confirming its class-leading attributes, the ID.3 has been showered with praise from UK-based experts since its launch last year, with the model’s familiarity, ease of use and breadth of appeal consistently applauded.
Further additions to the ID.3 family will arrive during 2021, again bolstering one of the model’s key strengths and reasons for its success. These include the smallest Pure model with a 45 kWh battery. Full details and timings of these new variants will be released in due course.
Joe Laurence, ID. Family Product Manager at Volkswagen UK, said: “Its transmission may be an innovative one-speed unit, but the ID.3 is metaphorically stepping up a gear with the Pro variant, because it provides an alternative to the top-spec Pro Performance model which has been on sale since September. All of the same features and talents are available on the Pro model, albeit with a slightly lower power output.
“Like many other Volkswagen models, the ID.3 range aims to offer plenty of choice for the customer – and that includes powertrain options. And, of course, making ‘The Electric People’s Car’ accessible to an even wider band of the EV-buying public is a direct and welcome result of this.”
ID.3 Pro, Pro Performance specifications (58 kWh and 145 / 204 PS)
First silhouette image of the fourth generation car
New ŠKODA Fabia takes advantage of the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Transverse Toolkit MQB-A0 for the first time
The latest generation of petrol engines are available for the drivetrain
ŠKODA has released the first preview of the fourth-generation Fabia.
The silhouette image teases the new proportions of the small car, which is based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Transverse Toolkit MQB-A0 for the first time. This platform enhances the interior space and supports the use of state-of-the-art assistance systems and connectivity features. The drivetrain is powered by the latest generation of petrol engines, making the new Fabia perfect for young families or as an ideal second car. The world premiere of the new ŠKODA Fabia is planned for spring 2021.
With the changeover to the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Transverse Toolkit MQB-A0, the ŠKODA Fabia is larger than its predecessor in all dimensions. For example, the boot volume, which was already one of the FABIA’s highlights, has grown by a further 50-litres. Thanks to an even more rigid body structure, the MQB-A0 also brings further improvements in passive safety as well as the option of installing numerous modern assistance systems, which were previously only available in higher vehicle classes.
Modern petrol engines ensure high efficiency and long range ŠKODA has opted for state-of-the-art petrol engines for the fourth-generation Fabia. All the engines come from the Volkswagen Group’s EVO engine generation and combine high efficiency with low emissions. The new front-wheel drive ŠKODA Fabia comes with either a manual gearbox or automatic 7-speed DSG. This means the small car is optimally equipped for journeys in the city as well as for long distances.
Volkswagen Group’s Software Organisation and Microsoft will build an Automated Driving Platform for the agile development of automated driving functions
With the cloud-based platform, Software Organisation will simplify its development processes on Microsoft Azure to bring automated driving solutions to the Group’s cars even faster
With the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, the automated driving functions can be tested, deployed and operated
Volkswagen Group further strengthens its capabilities in the development of automated driving (AD) solutions.
The Group’s software company Car.Software Organisation will collaborate with Microsoft to build a cloud- based Automated Driving Platform (ADP) on Microsoft Azure and leverage its compute and data capabilities to deliver automated driving experiences even faster at global scale. With ADP running on Azure, Car.Software Organisation will increase the efficiency of the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AD functions for passenger cars across Volkswagen Group brands. Volkswagen and Microsoft have been strategic partners on the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud since 2018, which will span all of Volkswagen’s future digital services and mobility offerings.
“As we transform Volkswagen Group into a digital mobility provider, we are looking to continuously increase the efficiency of our software development. We are building the Automated Driving Platform with Microsoft to simplify our developers’ work through one scalable and data- based engineering environment. By combining our comprehensive expertise in the development of connected driving solutions with Microsoft’s cloud and software engineering know-how, we will accelerate the delivery of safe and comfortable mobility services,” said Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of the Car.Software Organisation.
“This is the next evolution of our foundational work with the Volkswagen Group to enhance their transformation as a software-driven mobility provider,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president, Cloud + AI at Microsoft. “The power of Microsoft Azure and its compute, data and AI capabilities will enable Volkswagen to deliver secure and reliable automated driving solutions to their customers faster.”
Build AD and ADAS solutions faster with one development platform ADAS and automated driving vehicles can help improve passenger safety while reducing congestion and making mobility even more comfortable. Building these solutions requires large-scale computational capabilities. Petabytes of data from road and weather conditions to obstacle detection and driver behavior need to be managed every day for the training, simulation and validation of AD functions. Machine learning algorithms that learn from billions of real and simulated miles driven are key to connected driving experiences.
Car.Software Organisation will address these challenges together with Microsoft by simplifying the developer experience and leveraging the “learnings from miles driven” through one database comprising real traffic data from the Group’s vehicles as well as simulation data. Microsoft Azure compute, data and machine learning services as well as Microsoft’s know-how in agile software development will enable one development environment for Car.Software Organisation’s developers globally. ADP will help reduce the development cycles from months to weeks and efficiently manage the huge amount of data. The companies will start working on ADP immediately and are looking to continuously expand the functional scope of the development platform.
Both companies intend to enable technology partners to build tools and services that integrate with the platform to enhance the creation of AD and ADAS solutions.
Volkswagen Group increases in-house development of software in the car The Volkswagen Group is driving forward the digitalisation of the car rapidly. By 2025, the Group will invest around EUR 27 billion in digitalisation and increase the proportion of in-house development of software in the car to 60 percent from 10 percent today. Founded last year, the Car.Software Organisation plays a key role in the transformation of the Volkswagen Group towards a software-driven mobility provider. It bundles and continuously expands the Group’s software competencies, including the development of high-performance driving functions for passenger cars that will be integrated into future models of Volkswagen Group’s brands.
Deploy and operate ADAS and AD solutions with Volkswagen Automotive Cloud Since 2018, Volkswagen and Microsoft have been collaborating on the Volkswagen Automotive Cloud (VW.AC), which is focused on integrating all the digital services and mobility offerings across the Group brands and models in the future. VW.AC’s engineering team, based in Seattle, has enabled data to be exchanged between the vehicles and the cloud through Azure edge services. The cloud connectivity is also enabling Volkswagen to deliver vehicle updates and new features independently of the vehicle hardware to continuously improve the customer experience.
The first VW.AC connected test fleets are expected to hit the road in 2021. Production rollout is planned for 2022. Car.Software Organisation will integrate ADP and VW.AC as the company moves toward further integrating their software solutions, tools and methods to empower its engineering teams, customers, and partners globally. With VW.AC, the AD and ADAS functions developed on top of ADP can be tested, deployed and operated across the Group’s vehicle fleet.
2005 Maserati Quattroporte for auction with The Market
Ordered new by Sir Elton John with a whole host of extras
Incredibly low mileage and in excellent condition
Online auction to start on Thursday 18th February and close on Thursday 25th February
A stunning, low mileage, 4.2-litre V8 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, first owned by Sir Elton John, CBE, will be auctioned by the original online classic car auctioneer, The Market.
Added to Sir Elton’s extensive collection of thoroughbred cars back in 2005, this particular Italian beauty features a whole host of extras which ensured Elton and his passengers were transported in complete luxury and comfort. Some of the added bells and whistles of mid-noughties nostalgia include a rear DVD player and screen, games input, two headphones, remote control and a six CD autochanger.
The winning bidder will also receive a number of really special and quite unique extras to accompany the car, like the official Maserati welcome letter addressed to ‘Mr John’ and a copy of the original V5 certificate donning Sir Elton’s name and the current number plates.
“Sir Elton is a national treasure and a global superstar, who has impeccable taste when it comes to buying cars,” comments Tristan Judge, director, The Market. “Indeed, the car is in excellent condition and has evidentially been treated like a celebrity itself over the years.”
The Market is no stranger to selling classics previously owned by A-list celebrities and in 2021 has already sold a BMW 635CSi formerly owned by acting legend, Sir Sean Connery, and a Range Rover Sport owned by former England captain, David Beckham.
“This is a very special opportunity for worlds to collide for enthusiasts of both music and collectible cars, grabbing themselves a genuine piece of memorabilia,” adds Judge. “The vehicle’s new owner will be able to enjoy the kind of luxury drive you can expect from a top of the range Italian beauty, as well as revel in the history this car has had in the hands of a music icon.”
Having been purchased by the current vendor in 2016, the car has covered just 1,000 miles since then and has been dry stored for some of that time, adding to its well-preserved condition. Indeed, the car’s odometer shows it has covered just 28,493 miles during its lifetime and is backed up with a host of main dealer and specialist service stamps, to further authenticate and confirm the care and attention it has received so far.
Expected to sell for between £15,000 and £40,000, the car is finished in Verde green paintwork complemented by a Cuoio, biscuit interior and rosewood veneer.
The auction of this Maserati Quattroporte will start on Thursday 18th February and end on Thursday 25th February.
