2023 Manufacturers

BMW

BMW has confirmed its new electric 5 Series, the i5, will be on display for fleets to explore as part of this year’s Fleet & Mobility Live.

• The new i5 will be at the show before its official market launch in the UK in the same month. The new electric business saloon from BMW has a WLTP zero emissions range of up to 361 miles and the company has said it has worked on more sustainable production for the car, reducing its carbon footprint by up to 25% in the supply chain and up to 58% compared to its predecessor.
• The iX1 electric SUV will also be on BMW’s stand on the exhibition floor as the German brand is set to share further details with fleet delegates about its plans to expand the range with additional all-electric model choices later this year.

HONDA

Delegates at this year’s show will be some of the first people in the UK to experience Honda’s new e:Ny1 electric SUV.

• It will be the first time the e:Ny1 has been on show to the public and it will form just one part of the line-up of vehicles the Japanese manufacturer will have on static display at the show. Honda’s latest EV has a range of 256 miles (WLTP) from its 68.8kWh battery and the new model is due to go on sale at the end of October, with first deliveries expected by early 2024.
• Fleet managers that attend the show, which is free for fleet, HR and procurement professionals, will also be able to explore the new plug-in hybrid CR-V e:PHEV, ZR-V hybrid and fleet-favourite Civic.

Ford

Ford’s E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E will be on display as part of the Blue Oval brand’s large presence at the show this year. The E-Transit has been a crucial part of Ford’s electrification strategy, which will see a further four all-electric commercial vehicles join the line-up in 2024, with electric versions of the Custom, Courier, Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Courier all confirmed to hit UK roads in the coming months. There will also be a medium wheel base Transit on the stand to further demonstrate the breadth of Ford's commercial vehicle range.

• The E-Transit features a max gross 1,711kg payload and a 68kWh usable battery as standard, providing an official WLTP range of up to 196 miles. The E-Transit can also be rapid charged from 15% to 80% in 34 minutes.
• Ford also introduced a new type of battery for the Mustang Mach-E this year, which has made the car more affordable. The car maker is offering lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries alongside the existing nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) units. The move will allow Ford customers to choose an electric vehicle (EV) with battery performance characteristics most aligned with their needs. LFP batteries are very durable and tolerate more frequent and faster charging while using fewer high-demand, high-cost materials.
• Ford has committed to sell only electric cars in Europe by 2030, with all Ford cars sold in the continent by 2026 expected to be zero-emissions capable.

MAZDA

Mazda will have its flagship CX-60 PHEV and MX-30 fully electric crossover SUV as part of its presence at this year’s Fleet & Mobility Live.

• The CX-60 PHEV has proved to be a popular choice for Mazda with corporate company car drivers after the HMRC made a clarification on its benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax bracket to move it into the 8% banding. The car previously sat in the 12% band, as its official electric range was under the required 40-mile threshold. However, HMRC agreed to move the car into a lower tax bracket by rounding up the range. As the CX-60 PHEV has an official range of 39.15 miles, it therefore qualifies for the lower tax rate.
• The Japanese brand will also be bringing its MX-30 all-electric crossover SUV to the show as part of the event’s E-Street area of the exhibition hall.

MG

MG’s fleet team will be available at this year’s Fleet & Mobility Live alongside the popular MG4 and its all-electric ZS.

• MG has made huge strides in the sector, particularly since the launch of its MG4 fully-electric hatchback which was named EV Breakthrough of the Year at this year’s Fleet News Awards. The MG4’s £26,995 entry point on price has made it one of the most popular electric vehicles in the UK and MG has high hopes for the model’s potential with fleet customers, including for employees taking an EV through salary sacrifice schemes. The brand recently added a new Extended Range variant to the MG4 line-up, which can cover 323 miles between charges.

• The ZS electric SUV was also given a model refresh, but MG had to take a pause on sales last year due to lack of supply.

NISSAN

Nissan’s new Townstar electric small panel van and its Ariya premium electric crossover SUV will be available for delegates to explore.

• Around 90% of the new Townstar van sales are for the all-electric version and Nissan is expecting the new model variant to be a hit with fleets looking to switch their van operations to zero emissions, particularly for those that operate in Clean Air Zones and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London. Both the L1 and L2 Townstars body length variants will be at Fleet & Mobility Live. The L1 is actually smaller than the outgoing e-NV200 and will be well suited to SMEs, while the larger body-length L2 version is expected to be more popular with large corporate and public sector fleets.
• The 329-mile range Ariya has also recently received some important updates with a price reduction of up to £3,750 and a new entry-level model, bringing the starting price down to £39,645. The new pricing, combined with new trim grades, were introduced to offer a “more competitive and accessible price point” for the model, which can be rapid charged to add up to 217 miles of range in around 30 minutes.

BYD

BYD was the top seller worldwide of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles last year but is still a relatively unknown brand in Europe today.

• This is likely to change quickly as BYD is currently bringing a range of competitive electric models onto the market, including last-year’s Atto 3, a compact SUV and the new 354-mile range Seal electric saloon - both of which will be available for delegates to explore as part of the show.
• The 354-mile range Seal is equipped with an 82.5kWh battery and there is a choice of two powertrains. The single-motor car has 313PS and a range of 354 miles (WLTP). The twin-motor car has 530PS and a range of 323 miles.
• Charging speeds of 11kW AC and 150kW DC are possible.The first dealer deliveries of the BYD Seal will be in Q4 2023 with end-user customer deliveries from November.Meanwhile, the Atto 3 features a 60.5kWh battery with 260 miles (WLTP combined), rising to 351 miles on the city rating. BYD says it can be charged from 30-80% in 29 minutes on a 150kW rapid charger.

GWM Ora

There will be two Funky Cat First Edition cars at Fleet & Mobility Live this year. A Mars Red edition will be on the GWM Ora stand and the Nebula Green version will be on E-street.

• The Ora Funky Cat uses a 48kWh battery, offering a WLTP range of 193 miles.
• The vehicle comes equipped with a high standard specification including: Adaptive Cruise Control, 360-degree cameras, LED Headlights and 18” Alloy Wheels. Cat First Edition will also feature a maximum of 80kW DC rapid charging and come equipped with a CCS socket as standard.
• The Funky Cat was recently awarded a near perfect Green NCAP five star score of 97%.
• Most notably, ORA Funky Cat reported a grid-to-battery output at an impressive 93.2% when charging at 11kW - one of the highest recorded efficiency scores ever documented by Green NCAP. Grid to battery output is a measure of how efficient a battery is at receiving energy from the grid, a higher figure means less energy loss as part of the charging process.

Subaru

Subaru Solterra is the Japanese brand’s first all-electric SUV.

• The new model is built on Subaru’s first ever all-electric architecture — the Subaru e-Global Platform — and is named by combining the Latin words for ‘sun’ and ‘earth’. The Solterra features permanent all-wheel drive (AWD) with a WLTP combined range of 288 miles and it can be rapid charged in 30 minutes.