Automotive News – Late February 2026
Estimated reading time 4 minutes
HGV demand dips in 2025 as nascent ZEV uptake grows.
- New heavy goods vehicle registrations fall -10.0% to 40,504 units in 2025 as fleet renewal resets.
- Fewer deliveries across top five segments bar refuse collection vehicles, with some 2,500 entering service.
- UK’s 1,000th zero emission truck registered as uptake more than doubles – but market share still just 1.4%.
New heavy goods vehicle (HGV) registrations declined by -10.0% in 2025 with 40,504 new trucks joining UK roads, according to the latest data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The market contracted every quarter last year, reflecting a challenging economic backdrop and a normalising of fleet renewal after three years of sustained post-pandemic growth.
Sourced from SMMT
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Strongest new bus and coach market since 2008 as zero emission uptake surges.
- New bus, coach and minibus market grows 10.4% in 2025, with 9,259 vehicles joining UK roads.
- Best year for the market since 2008 despite -28.4% dip in deliveries in Q4.
- Sector maintains road transport decarbonisation lead with 27.1% of registrations zero emission.
UK registrations of new buses, coaches and minibuses grew 10.4% in 2025 to reach 9,259 units, delivering the best performance for the market in 17 years, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
While the year ended with a decline of -28.4% in the fourth quarter, driven by a halving of minibus registrations, this was not enough to detract from a market that remains in robust health as operators across the country continued to invest in the latest mass mobility vehicles.
Sourced from SMMT
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Luxury carmaker Aston Martin is looking to sell the naming rights to its Formula 1 team to related party AMR GP Holdings for £50m in cash, as it reports a difficult 2025 trading period.
The Gaydon-headquartered manufacturer said trading in the 2025 financial year was negatively impacted by US tariffs and fewer high-margin special deliveries.
Meanwhile the proposed transaction with AMR GP would grant the group the right to use the ‘Aston Martin’ name as part of the ‘Aston Martin F1 Team’ title and as a chassis name in perpetuity, limited to specified F1 operations. Last year, Aston Martin extended its long-term sponsorship arrangement with the team until at least 2045, with naming rights secured until 2055.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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Luxury carmaker Aston Martin has reported double-digit drops in full-year revenue and gross profit after navigating what its chief executive described as a “highly challenging trading environment” during 2025.
The Warwickshire-based manufacturer posted revenue of £1.26bn for the twelve months ended 31 December 2025, down 21% from £1.58bn the previous year, as total wholesale volumes declined 10% to 5,448 vehicles. Pre-tax losses widened to £363.9m, compared with a £289.1m loss in 2024.
The company pointed to “unprecedented geopolitical uncertainties and macroeconomic pressures, including the introduction of increased tariffs in the US and China” as factors that weighed on performance and its ability to execute plans effectively.
Sourced from TheBusinessDesk
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Aston Martin has confirmed it will be axing 20% of its workforce, with the firm’s net losses jumping 52% last year to £493.2m.
The luxury car firm, synonymous with James Bond, has struggled for several years and blamed US president Donald Trump’s tariffs in a statement made last month.
Aston Martin, which has its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, employs about 3,000 people, meaning job losses will total around 600.
The firm said the job cuts should deliver annual savings of around £40m and did not specify when the job cuts would be implemented, but said most of the savings would be made this year.
Sourced from BBC website
