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Motor 1
a day ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
This Honda Was a Jeep Cherokee in Another Life
Well, I'll be DAMneD. Japanese tuners have found a way to surprise us again. After Mitsuoka gave the Civic a Nissan Skyline makeover , another Honda now channels a Cherokee XJ vibe. If you're unfamiliar with the WR-V, you honestly haven't missed much. The weirdly named "Winsome Runabout Vehicle" is just another small SUV in a crowded field. With a front-wheel-drive layout and a continuously variable transmission, it won't exactly set your pulse racing. DAMD has come up with an ingenious way to give Honda's forgettable crossover a stronger personalit, albeit one borrowed from another model. Yes, this WR-V wants to be a second-generation Cherokee when it grows up. The old-school rectangular halogen headlights flank a Jeep -esque grille with, conveniently, only six slots. Had they added another, the tuner might've had to lawyer up. As for the LED daytime running lights below, they look as if they were lifted from a previous-gen Mercedes G-Class. Photo by: DAMD The tuner, known for its quirky G-Class and Defender projects, fully embraced an 1980s and early 1990s aesthetic with faux wood paneling along the sides. At the rear, DAMD didn't bother changing the taillights to mimic the XJ's vertical lights, but it did add a questionable piece of black plastic trim. The rear garnish swaps the Honda badge for a REVERB logo, calling out the package's official name. The whole shebang even includes a redesigned, squared-off hood and a chunky front bumper. While the standard WR-V is far from an off-roader, DAMD lifts the suspension by nearly 1.4 inches (35 millimeters) and wraps the 16-inch wheels in BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A K03 tires sized 215/70 R16. There's not much going on inside, but customers can order plaid seat covers to emphasize the retro effect. The checkered pattern extends onto the front and rear center consoles, as well as the front seat pockets. It's a strange combination, but given how Japanese tuners consistently churn out unusual cosmetic packages, there's clearly a demand for unorthodox custom builds. Toyota WR-V by DAMD 19 Source: DAMD Previous Projects From DAMD: Damd Hustler Country Packs Rugged Look Into Pint-Sized Package Suzuki Jimny With G-Class Body Kit Is The Cutest Off-Road Conqueror Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: DAMD Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
ITV News
29-05-2025
- ITV News
Street racing: The families who lost loved ones in deadly crash
'I wish the day the police came here and told me what had happened, they'd have just put a bullet in my head. Because to me, my life isn't worth living anymore.' It's through streaming tears that Tracy Challis shares her grief at losing her daughter Liberty, at the age of just 16, in a street racing crash. Describing it as 'heartbreak' doesn't seem to go far enough. This is a life in ruins. Devastation comes off her in waves. 'I was a larger than life character that would have gone anywhere, done anything for anybody, and now, I'm more or less a recluse,' she says. 'It's funny what it does to you. I don't want to go out and enjoy myself - how can I enjoy myself?" 'I know I will never be happy again.' She's standing in the shadow of a mural painted on a street wall in Dudley, in memory of her daughter. The last she saw of Liberty was as she ran out of the door on the evening of November 20th, 2022, saying she was off to see friends and promising not to be long. She had gone to watch a street race along Oldbury Road in Oldbury in Sandwell - with drivers speeding between the traffic roundabouts at Spon Lane South and Rood End Road to perform circuits. One of them, Dhiya Al-Maamoury - aged 54 at the time - lost control. His heavily-modified Nissan Skyline spun off the road, and hit a crowd of pedestrians. Two teenagers, Ebonie Parkes and Ethan Kilburn, suffered life-changing injuries. Liberty, and 19-year-old Ben Corfield, were killed. Now, at the spot where Al-Maamoury's car left the road, a wooden planter adorns the wall in tribute to the pair. It's been more than a year since Ben's parents, Lynette and Damien, have visited the scene. They returned there with ITV News to help share Ben's story - but say the memories of rushing there in the early hours of November 21st still haunt them; as do the questions which can never be answered. 'Was he crying out for us? Was he crying for his mum and dad? You know, was he in pain?' Damien says. 'It's devastating. For me, I just want to go. I don't want to be here at all. Just knowing that this is the place where our son lost his life. He was far greater than that. It's soul destroying, it really is.' Ben had served as a junior councillor and junior MP - and had been in the final stages of interview for a job with Tesla. After his death, his parents learned how he'd been involved with numerous community initiatives they'd never even heard about - as well as stories of how he'd gone out of his way to help others. He'd once helped an elderly couple move out of their semi-detached house into sheltered accommodation, using his own car to do so, when he heard they were worried about the cost of hiring movers. For months afterwards, he would pay them visits to check in on them and see how they were doing. 'He was the most fun-loving, wonderful young man,' Lynette tells us. 'Just a pleasure of a son." 'He'd got so much to offer the world. He was just the most… the purest soul.' They say they still, even now, half expect him to walk through the door as though nothing had happened - to continue living the life he should have been able to live. Instead, they've been left with a gaping hole in their family. That agonising grief - the loss of a lifetime of joy, love, and potential - is one Tracy Challis knows all too well. Liberty - or Lib ('nobody called her Libby', Tracy says) - had dreamed of becoming a presenter at a national radio station, and had been determined to make it happen. 'She'd got big dreams,' Tracy says. 'My dad said to her at the age of four: 'Lib - what are you going to do when you're older?' She was like: 'I'm going to be bigger than Gaga'. 'She was a drama queen. Massively. But she lived life to the full. She was so passionate about life, about charity - she would do anything for anybody. 'And she'd sign me up for everything. 'Mom, we're doing a Zumbathon!' 'Mom, we're doing the Walk for Life!' 'Mom, I'm doing this'. 'I miss her so much.' Al-Maamoury, now 56, from Solihull, was jailed in November last year for 13 years and six months after admitting two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. But for the families of Ben and Liberty - their sentence will last a lifetime.
Scottish Sun
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Major car brand ‘targets £1.3bn of cuts' after plans to axe 20,000 jobs in bid to exit ‘crisis mode'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ONE of the world's biggest car brands is reportedly planning a huge wave of cuts worth a staggering £1.3 billion. The shocking moves comes as the company battles with its worst annual loss in a quarter century - forcing it to axe a whopping 20,000 jobs. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 One of the world's biggest car brands is planning cuts worth £1.3 billion Credit: Getty 3 Nissan has battled with a huge drop in sales Credit: PA:Press Association 3 The company has nearly doubled the number of job cuts planned for the coming years Credit: EPA In April 2025, Nissan confirmed that it was anticipating losses of up to £4 billion. Just a year ago, the company reported an income of £2.3 billion - meaning that savings had to be found urgently to save the firm. The alleged £1.3 billion in cuts, as reported by Autonews, only scratches the surface of the anticipated losses. Nissan is aiming to have completed its £1.3 billion cost-cutting mission by 2026. The remaining loss will be plugged by a huge wave of closures. Nissan Motor previously announced in November that it would be cutting 9000 jobs but the manufacturer has now been forced to go even further. The additional 11,000 cuts will affect staff and contractors across huge swathes of the company. Areas including sales, research, administration, development and manufacturing are all expected to be hit hard by the cuts. However, the company has not confirmed which factories are due to shut. The brand hopes to reduce its total number of factories from 17 to 10 by 2027 - saving £2.6 billion in the process. Further measures - in the form of changes to its supply chain - will also be taken to cut costs. Work on "advanced and post FY26 product activities" has been paused too, though the company is hoping to launch a new version of the Nissan Skyline. Ahead of the cuts, Nissan's new chief executive Ivan Espinosa said: 'In the face of challenging full-year 2024 performance and rising variable costs compounded by an uncertain environment, we must prioritise self-improvement with greater urgency and speed, aiming for profitability that relies less on volume." Nissan's gloomy future He added: 'As new management, we are taking a prudent approach to reassess our targets and actively seek every possible opportunity to implement and ensure a robust recovery.' The car company was hit hard by the effects of Donald Trump's tariff war, which saw a huge 25 per cent charge being slapped on US car imports. However, other car brands have also been battling the effects of Trump's tariffs. 45 per cent of America's cars are imported, with European manufactures like Volvo and Japanese producers like Mazda building almost half of the nation's cars. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a deal with Trump which slashed the 27.5 per cent tariffs down to just 10 per cent - for the first 100,000 vehicles sent across the Atlantic. The UK exports roughly that number to America each year, meaning business executives including JLR boss Adrian Mardell have welcomed the deal. Mr Mardell said: 'The car industry is vital to the UK's prosperity, sustaining 250,000 jobs. We warmly welcome this deal.' Also, luxury car brand Aston Martin saw its shares jump by 14 per cent after the deal was signed.
Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Major car brand ‘pauses work on some models' to cut costs after axing 20,000 jobs and £4billion loss
A MAJOR car brand has revealed it will halt operations for some new models in a bid to cut soaring costs. The manufacturer also announced it will be cutting 11,000 roles worldwide - just months after the brand had already announced plans to cut around 9,000 jobs. 3 Nissan revealed they are set to lose £4 billion after axing 9,000 jobs earlier this year Credit: Getty 3 Some 6000 workers at Nissan's Sunderland plant could be faced with job cuts Credit: PA Japanese car giant Nissan has said it will pause work on the development of a few cars. The brand said that work has been suspended on "advanced and post-FY26 product activities". But the manufacturer did not reveal the names of the models that will be affected by the sudden change. However, Nissan suggests that the rollout of these models might not be delayed. In this new era of development at Nissan, the first models to launch will be a global compact crossover and a similarly sized model. A new version of Nissan Skyline is also in the works that could end up becoming a sedan - or even an SUV. It comes after Nissan confirmed it will shut almost half of its factories by 2027. The announcement said: " Nissan will consolidate its vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 by fiscal year 2027." It added: "Nissan aims to reduce its workforce by a total of 20,000 employees between fiscal years 2024 and 2027." The seven factories which will close are currently unknown, but the Nikkei business daily has reported today that some of these will be in Nissan's home country, Japan. Nissan's gloomy future The company has confirmed that it will cancel plans to build a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery plant in Kyushu. Nissan also hasn't said where the 20,000 job cuts will take place, but the company did specify departments which will likely be impacted. As of March last year, the company had more than 133,000 staff worldwide - meaning a total of 15 per cent of its entire workforce is set to be hit. However, there could be further structural changes to its remaining personnel, as Nissan wants to reduce its workforce's average cost per hour by 20%. The company said: "This workforce reduction globally covers direct/ indirect roles and contractual roles in manufacturing, SG&A (selling, general and administrative expenses) and R&D (research and development) functions. "Additionally, Nissan will implement further measures under SG&A, including expanding the scope of shared services and identifying efficiencies in marketing." These new cost-cutting measures arrive under Nissan's explosive "Re:Nissan" plan, announced this morning. The plan aims to save an eyewatering 500 billion yen ($3.38bn) in just two years, by creating a "leaner, more resilient business". 3 Nissan has lost almost $3bn in the last two financial years Credit: Getty The company is seeking to implement these after a disastrous two years for the company's finances. This morning, Japan's third-largest carmaker announced a net loss of 671 billion yen over the last financial year. Combined with considerable losses of 427 billion yen ($2.88bn) last year, Nissan has had a net loss of almost 1.1 trillion yen ($4.11bn) since March 2023. The company is looking to produce an incredible turnaround and become profitable again by 2026. Nissan president and CEO Ivan Espinosa said: "In the face of challenging FY24 performance and rising variable costs, compounded by an uncertain environment, we must prioritise self-improvement with greater urgency and speed, aiming for profitability that relies less on volume. "As new management, we are taking a prudent approach to reassess our targets and actively seek every possible opportunity to implement and ensure a robust recovery. "Re:Nissan is an action-based recovery plan that clearly outlines what we need to do now. "All employees are committed to working together as a team to implement this plan, with the goal of returning to profitability by fiscal year 2026."
The Irish Sun
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Major car brand ‘pauses work on some models' to cut costs after axing 20,000 jobs and £4billion loss
A MAJOR car brand has revealed it will halt operations for some new models in a bid to cut soaring costs. The manufacturer also announced it will be Advertisement 3 Nissan revealed they are set to lose £4 billion after axing 9,000 jobs earlier this year Credit: Getty 3 Some 6000 workers at Nissan's Sunderland plant could be faced with job cuts Credit: PA Japanese car giant Nissan has said it will pause work on the development of a few cars. The brand said that work has been suspended on "advanced and post-FY26 product activities". But the manufacturer did not reveal the names of the models that will be affected by the sudden change. However, Nissan suggests that the rollout of these models might not be delayed. Advertisement read more on motors In this new era of development at Nissan, the first models to launch will be a global compact crossover and a similarly sized model. A new version of Nissan Skyline is also in the works that could end up becoming a sedan - or even an SUV. It comes after Nissan confirmed it will The announcement said: " Nissan will consolidate its vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 by fiscal year 2027." Advertisement Most read in Motors It added: "Nissan aims to reduce its workforce by a total of 20,000 employees between fiscal years 2024 and 2027." The seven factories which will close are currently unknown, but the Nikkei business daily has reported today that some of these will be in Nissan's home country, Japan. Nissan's gloomy future The company has confirmed that it will cancel plans to build a Nissan also hasn't said where the 20,000 Advertisement As of March last year, the company had more than 133,000 However, there could be further structural changes to its remaining The company said: "This workforce reduction globally covers direct/ indirect roles and contractual roles in manufacturing, SG&A (selling, general and administrative expenses) and R&D (research and development) functions. "Additionally, Nissan will implement further measures under SG&A, including expanding the scope of shared services and identifying efficiencies in marketing." Advertisement These new cost-cutting measures arrive under Nissan's explosive "Re:Nissan" plan, announced this The plan aims to save an 3 Nissan has lost almost $3bn in the last two financial years Credit: Getty The company is seeking to implement these after a disastrous two years for the company's finances. Advertisement This morning , Japan's third-largest carmaker announced a net loss of 671 billion yen over the last financial year. Combined with considerable losses of 427 billion yen ($2.88bn) last year, Nissan has had a net loss of almost 1.1 trillion yen ($4.11bn) since March 2023. The company is looking to produce an incredible Nissan president and CEO Ivan Espinosa said: "In the face of challenging FY24 performance and rising variable costs, compounded by an uncertain environment, we must prioritise Advertisement "As new management, we are taking a prudent approach to reassess our targets and actively seek every possible opportunity to implement and ensure a robust recovery. "Re:Nissan is an action-based "All employees are committed to working together as a team to implement this plan, with the goal of returning to profitability by fiscal year 2026."
