The start of a new year is always exciting. In the automotive world, we're looking forward to new car launches, owners club events and, of course, motorsports.
In this slimmed-down version of our monthly round up, we'll be bringing you all the latest news and highlights from the dynamic world of motoring.
Welcoming a new champion
After one of the most absorbing battles in recent years, Max Verstappen was crowned as Formula One World Champion following a race that seemed tosum up the entire 2021 season. Verstappen battled closely with Lewis Hamilton throughout, before overtaking in the final lap following a decision made by race control which continues to be debated two months after the race.
The next F1 season will usher in a new generation of car. While much of the running gear will carry into 2022, engineers will be adapting aerodynamics with the aim to boost efficiency when cars are running closely together.
Larger (18”) wheels will also play their part, reducing the amount the tyres will slide if they overheat. This will reduce the cost of developing aerodynamics around tyres and is aimed to make racing closer.
Pre-season testing begins on 23 February in Barcelona, followed by a second session in Bahrain in March, ahead of the opening race there on 26 March. Like many of you, we can't wait!
BTCC – a new approach
Just as Formula One did in 2014, the BTCC is switching to hybrid power for 2022. As the race series with cars most closely resembling those which can be bought from a showroom, the hybrid powertrain will be a mild variant.
The system, developed by motorsport royalty Cosworth, will provide a temporary power boost of 30kW, available for a maximum of 15 seconds. It will be both lightweight and low cost, with a maximum price of £20,000.
Reigning champion Ashley Sutton has joined Motorbase under the Napa Racing banner and will be defending his title in a Ford Focus, switching from the rear-wheel-drive formula that has seen him win back-to-back championships. Elsewhere, Jake Hill will be switching to rear wheel drive, piloting a BMW 330e run by West Surrey Racing under the ROKiT brand.
Racing gets underway at Donington in April.
Would you like chips with that?
There appears to be some positive news on the shortage of semiconductor chips. A number of car manufacturers report that they have widened the supply chain to alleviate the issue and reduce delivery times for new cars, which in some cases are extending into 2024.
Manufacturers are also simplifying certain systems which rely on the chips As per regulations, this only applies to areas of the car that are not critical to vehicle safety.
An unusually appreciating asset
While the supply of new cars remains below full capacity, it is likely that values of used vehicles will remain unusually high. We continue to advise checking your agreed value more regularly to ensure that it remains sufficient in the event of a claim.
AdVantage Aston
The British sports car maker has recently announced its latest V12 Vantage model. Details are yet to be confirmed but it seems likely that the existing twin turbocharged V12 engine found in other models will be squeezed into the smaller coupe and could produce as much as 700bhp.
Aston Martin has confirmed that this will be the final V12 powered model as it looks to the changing landscape of automotive production and hybrid powertrains, such as that to be found in the forthcoming Valhalla.
The end of an era
Lotus has finally ceased production of its Elise, Exige and Evora models after a run spanning 26 years and almost 52,000 cars – a figure that represents more than half the total number of cars made in Hethel during the firm's history.
The Emira will begin production early in 2022. It will continue to utilise the chassis manufacturing technology first seen 25 years ago with the Elise. This uses aluminium sections bonded together to maintain lightness and flexibility – the key ingredients of any Lotus and championed by the company's founder, Colin Chapman.
Fully charged
One of the areas we will be watching with interest as 2022 unfolds is the speed with which electric vehicles (EVs) will evolve.
One criticism levelled at many electric vehicles is lack of range, and given that the infrastructure is still developing, this is understandable. Significant improvements continue to be made and the number of charging points has doubled since 2019, to over 40,000 throughout the UK.
Manufacturers are developing increasingly efficient EVs. Mercedes, Volkswagen and BMW are all working on new platforms which, rather than increasing battery size, will instead focus on greater drivetrain efficiency and lower weight. Weight in particular is a current EV drawback (as an example, a VW Golf GTE outweighs its GTI sibling by almost 200kg, or the same as two adult male passengers).
These developments will also address range via improvements in efficiency and inevitable advancements in battery technology. Traditional areas such as aerodynamics and weight reductions on key components will continue to play a major role in improvements alongside newer techniques.
The end of the road? Or the start of a new one?
Given the rapid development of the electric vehicle, it would be easy to assume that the future of petrol-powered cars is bleak. There have been countless reports about the “ban on petrol cars” taking effect by 2030 further supporting this assumption.
However, the ban relates to brand-new cars only, and some manufacturers have stated that the date should be rolled back, to allow sufficient time for developing vehicles powered by other fuels.
While electric vehicles sit firmly at the forefront of the next generation of motor cars, there are other petrol alternatives that we will also be watching with interest, , including the makers of one of the most iconic sports cars, a Japanese manufacturing and technological giant and not forgetting Formula One.
One of these is synthetic fuel, which Porsche is currently researching. This is created by splitting water into oxygen and green hydrogen. The latter is then mixed with carbon dioxide which creates synthetic methanol. This is converted into synthetic fuel, which Porsche has named eFuel, and can be used in engines without the need for modification.
Porsche aims to produce 550 million litres of the fuel at its Chilean plant by 2026 and, while it is said not to alter the running process or emissions from ICE vehicles, the manufacturing processes are reported to be significantly less harmful to the environment than that of conventional fossil fuels.
It may also provide a solution for the future of Formula One, given that an increasingly popular electric formula already exists in Formula E. This is supported by manufacturers including Mercedes, Nissan and Porsche to name but three.
Next Japan and news that Toyota has revealed a Yaris GR that is powered by hydrogen.
While the fuel is not a new concept, its automotive use so far has focused on electric vehicles, including Toyota's own Mirai mid-sized saloon.
Using hydrogen to power a combustion engine is not as clean, but the fuel burns more efficiently than petrol or diesel, meaning that less is needed to mix with air during the process. This does lead to a reduction in power output compared with petrol, although this can be offset by the use of direct fuel injection and turbocharging.
Toyota claims that the experimental Yaris uses an engine almost identical to the production car, with only the fuel system modified. Power figures have not been confirmed.
Changes to the Highway Code
From January, a new hierarchy of road users has been introduced to protect the most vulnerable and place more onus on drivers to ensure that their actions when using a motor vehicle reduce the risk to other road user.
The hierarchy is illustrated below and will give cyclists and pedestrians priority at crossings and junctions, strengthen pedestrian priority on pavements and when crossing (or waiting to cross) the road, and guidance on safe passing distances and speeds, while also ensuring cyclists have priority at junctions and when travelling straight ahead.
New cars
2022 is shaping up to be a very good year for car launches. Our picks for the year ahead have to be the three hypercars being launched by Aston Martin, Gordon Murray and Mercedes. It should make for an interesting battle as designs from Murray, Red Bull's Adrian Newey and a car said to be the closest to a Formula One car for road ever made are delivered to the first customers.
Aston Martin/Red Bull and Mercedes have both faced technical challenges along the path to creating their hypercars. For example, a Formula One car's idle speed is almost four times that of a road car and this has reported to have proved challenging. Added to this, manufacturers have had to produce the extreme performance expected (reaching 124mph in less than six seconds) while balancing environmental regulations.
Beyond this, we will see Ferrari's first SUV and a Tesla capable of over 200mph with Lotus' new Emira and Maserati's MC20 also being delivered to their first owners. There will be a coupe version of Aston's DBX and the new Range Rover, previewing in November 2021.
BMW has revealed the plug-in hybrid XM Concept. This previews their range-topping XM model, due to be launched late in 2022. The SUV Coupe concept features aggressive styling inside and out and many aspects are likely to be seen in the production model. It will be sold only as an M-badged model and is the first hybrid powered BMW to be developed by the famous Motorsport division, producing 740bhp from a 4-litre twin turbocharged V8 engine.
It will also be the first M-division only model since the M1 of 1978 and some of the technology and styling is likely to feature in future BMW models.
Glenmarch review of 2021
Despite a reduced number of auctions during the year, the classic and collectable car market remains strong particularly for more recent specialist vehicle and competition car market.
You can read Glenmarch's review here.
What will Lockton be doing in 2022?
We already have clients who will be among the first to take delivery of both the Gordon Murray T.50 and Aston's Valkyrie during the year and we anticipate the AMG One joining this list.
This year marks our second as Gold sponsors of Salon Privé and planning has already begun for our presence at the UK's best Concours D'Elegance event.
From the concours lawns, to the track, and Lockton will once again be sponsoring and attending Veloce this summer at its new home at Silverstone. This event has to rank amongst the best trackdays in the world.
Our car club partners are finalising their events for the year and Lockton will be at as many of these as possible. Please come and say hello to the team if you are planning to attend.
A great year, filled with lots of fantastic motor cars and enthusiastic owners – we think that 2022 might be rather good