Latest news with #WayneGriffiths
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Seat Leon e-HYBRID Style trim expands electrification reach
SEAT, a member of Volkswagen Group, has introduced the Style trim for the Leon e-HYBRID, enhancing electrification accessibility. This move is part of the brand's strategy to make plug-in hybrid technology more accessible. The SEAT Leon was the brand's inaugural plug-in hybrid model. Available in both five-door and Sportstourer versions, the Leon e-HYBRID in Style trim aims to broaden the customer base for electrified vehicles. The new generation e-HYBRID engine delivers 204PS (150kW)/350Nm, combining a 1.5-litre TSI 150PS (110kW) petrol engine, a 115PS (85kW) electric motor, and a 19.7kWh lithium-ion battery. This combination provides an electric-only range of up to 134km. Charging options include up to 50kW on DC fast-chargers or 11kW at home using an AC wallbox. Standard features of the SEAT Leon e-HYBRID's Style trim include ecoLED lights, 17in alloy rims, a 10.25in digital cockpit, and a 10.4in infotainment system with a retro-illuminated slider. SEAT's Martorell facilities in Barcelona are responsible for the design, development, and production of the SEAT Leon e-HYBRID. SEAT Brand Officer Arantxa Alonso said: "The SEAT Leon continues to be a fundamental element of the brand's strategy, especially with the introduction of this new generation of plug-in hybrid powertrain, which reflects our commitment to innovation and sustainability. "The addition of the Style trim to the Leon e-HYBRID broadens its appeal and gives even more people access to an electrified future, mixing the efficiency and excitement SEAT is renowned for.' In March, Wayne Griffiths resigned as CEO of VW Group's SEAT and CUPRA brands. Markus Haupt, SEAT's executive vice-president of Production & Logistics, is now the interim head until a new CEO is named. "Seat Leon e-HYBRID Style trim expands electrification reach" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad says HPV vaccine might have saved daughter
The family of a 25-year-old who died from cervical cancer after contracting human papillomavirus in 2012 have urged parents to get their children vaccinated. Wayne Griffiths, from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said his daughter Rhian may still be alive had the vaccine been available when she was a child. HPV is a common group of viruses which can cause cancer and is estimated to infect 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives, according to Public Health Wales (PHW). In schools across Wales the HPV vaccine is being offered to all Year 8 pupils and to those who may have previously missed their vaccination. A routine cervical screening test saved my life Call for at-home smear tests to cut cancer risk Cervical screening to be every five years in Wales Mr Griffiths told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "It is extremely important for parents and carers to understand the benefits of the HPV vaccine because at the age of 12-13 when it's given, children rely more heavily on advice from parents. "If you're unsure, don't be, what's stopping you? There's no disadvantages. It could save the life of the child. "Were this available when Rhian was that age she could quite well be with us now." HPV vaccines have been available in the UK for girls aged 12-13 since 2008 and to boys of the same age since 2019. Some HPV-related cancers are more common in men than women, yet despite this, boys are less likely to get their HPV vaccine than girls, according to PHW. Chris Johnson, head of the vaccine preventable disease programme at PHW, said: "Most HPV infections don't show any symptoms and, for most people, the virus will clear from the body naturally without causing harm. "However, in some cases it can lead to cell changes that may develop into cancer, or cause genital warts "High-risk types of HPV are linked to cervical cancer, head and neck cancers, and other cancers of the genitals and anus." He said the HPV vaccine was "a safe and highly effective single-dose vaccine". Young people remain eligible to receive the HPV vaccine until their 25th birthday. For boys, the catch up is for those born after 1 September 2006.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Cancer: Dad urges parents to get children HPV vaccine
The family of a 25-year-old who died from cervical cancer after contracting human papillomavirus in 2012 have urged parents to get their children vaccinated. Wayne Griffiths, from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said his daughter Rhian may still be alive had the vaccine been available when she was a child. HPV is a common group of viruses which can cause cancer and is estimated to infect 8 out of 10 people at some point in their lives, according to Public Health Wales (PHW).In schools across Wales the HPV vaccine is being offered to all Year 8 pupils and to those who may have previously missed their vaccination. Mr Griffiths told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "It is extremely important for parents and carers to understand the benefits of the HPV vaccine because at the age of 12-13 when it's given, children rely more heavily on advice from parents."If you're unsure, don't be, what's stopping you? There's no disadvantages. It could save the life of the child."Were this available when Rhian was that age she could quite well be with us now." HPV vaccines have been available in the UK for girls aged 12-13 since 2008 and to boys of the same age since HPV-related cancers are more common in men than women, yet despite this, boys are less likely to get their HPV vaccine than girls, according to Johnson, head of the vaccine preventable disease programme at PHW, said: "Most HPV infections don't show any symptoms and, for most people, the virus will clear from the body naturally without causing harm. "However, in some cases it can lead to cell changes that may develop into cancer, or cause genital warts"High-risk types of HPV are linked to cervical cancer, head and neck cancers, and other cancers of the genitals and anus."He said the HPV vaccine was "a safe and highly effective single-dose vaccine".Young people remain eligible to receive the HPV vaccine until their 25th birthday. For boys, the catch up is for those born after 1 September 2006.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cupra Terramar: Glimpse of What's to Come from U.S.-Bound Spanish Brand
It's appropriate that Cupra christened its small SUV the Terramar, because we traveled over both terra and mar—that's "land" and "sea" for you non-Spanish speakers—to drive the brand's newest entry. We flew down to Florida to sample the solely gas-powered Terramar VZ in Miami; and we crossed the Atlantic to get behind the wheel of the gas-electric Terramar VZ plug-in hybrid (PHEV), in Wolfsburg, Germany. Why take such measures to drive a vehicle from a brand without any footprint in the United States? Because Cupra plans to enter the United States before the end of the decade. Cupra—a portmanteau of the words "cup" and "racing"—started out as a performance subbrand of Spain's Seat (SAY-aht), but it became its own marque for 2018. And every year since, Cupra has achieved year-over-year sales growth, making it the darling of the Volkswagen Group. Now, Cupra is planning to expand into the U.S. market, where the brand will be positioned as a sporty offering between Volkswagen and Audi. Two vehicles will initially come to our shores: a next-gen version of the battery-electric Formentor subcompact SUV (one of the seven vehicles in the Cupra model line), and a North American-built mid-size SUV. The Terramar isn't on that list, but now-former CEO Wayne Griffiths (he recently stepped down) had told us the model best exemplifies "where we are, where we are going, and where we want to go in the future." While Cupra offers the Terramar with more mundane gas and hybrid powertrains with output ranging from 148 to 201 horsepower, we drove the most performance-oriented variants, which bear the VZ moniker. It's short for veloz, Spanish for "fast." The gas-only Terramar VZ is powered by a 261-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine teamed with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive. In PHEV guise, the Terramar VZ relies on a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an electric motor to produce 268 horsepower. The gas-electric version uses a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and drives the front wheels. Though the 2.0T has fewer ponies in its stable than the PHEV, it more than makes up for the deficiency by hitting the scales a claimed 340 pounds lighter than the plug-in. With less mass to move, the VZ 2.0T is said to reach 62 mph in 5.9 seconds, undercutting the PHEV by 1.4 ticks. The Terramar VZ PHEV's 7.3-second run to 62 mph may seem at odds with its VZ nomenclature, but at city speeds, it feels sufficiently rápido. Credit the electric motor's 243 pound-feet of torque, a figure that swells to 295 pound-feet when the gas engine joins in, a number equal to that of the 2.0T. With a 20-kWh battery pack, the plug-in hybrid also is good for around 75 miles of battery-electric driving per the notoriously optimistic WLTP cycle. Get much beyond urban speeds—such as when merging onto the freeway or executing a pass—can be a white-knuckle affair when in EV mode, however. Rather than immediately fire up the turbo four in response to the accelerator kissing the firewall, the Terramar PHEV takes a few beats while it stubbornly motors ahead using just the 114-hp electric motor before it finally tags in the 174-hp gas engine. By contrast, the turbo 2.0-liter suffers from no such suspense. Pin the right pedal, and the gearbox downshifts with immediacy, sending the Terramar VZ surging ahead. That division carries over into the siblings' driving dynamics as well. The PHEV feels wholly disconnected, owing to its mushy, long-travel brake pedal and numb steering with artificial-seeming weighting. Meanwhile, the 2.0T's left pedal is firm, if somewhat grabby at initial application, and its steering is more normally weighted, though still devoid of feedback. In fairness, the Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires on the PHEV we drove in Wolfsburg lacked the grip of the Continental SportContact 6 summer rubber on the 2.0T we drove in Miami, which may have exacerbated difference between the two. The 2.0T still falls short of offering a truly engaging driving experience, but it takes to curvier roads with a competence and cohesion wholly missing from the PHEV. Either Terramar VZ absorbs impacts with a firm but forgiving quality with its adaptive dampers in their softest setting. Switching to their stiffest mode all but strips away any compliance. That said, the Michelin-equipped PHEV felt far less busy in this setting than that of the 2.0T with its stickier rubber, which also let more road noise and tire slap into the passenger compartment. Save for its charge-port door and a slightly smaller cargo hold due to the packaging of the battery, the VZ PHEV is essentially identical to the 2.0T from an exterior and interior design perspective. Both share the same massive maw, canted headlights, triangle lighting motif, raked windshield, and arcing roofline, all of which give the Terramar a rather striking look. The interior takes a similar tack with its driver-oriented dashboard, tasteful bronze-accent trim, and quality materials. The Terrarmar cabin shares only a handful of parts with lesser Volkswagen models, most obviously the 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system's operating system and base-mounted touch-capacitive temperature and volume controls. Built alongside the Audi Q3 in Győr, Hungary, the Terramar rides on a 105.6-inch wheelbase, and space for rear passengers is limited. Even so, there's enough room for a six-footer to sit directly behind an equally tall driver. If the Terramar VZ PHEV is an indicator of where Cupra is heading, then the brand may want to look into forging a new path. The Terramar VZ 2.0T, however, provides a blueprint that Cupra would be wise to follow and improve on over time. Its chic style and dynamic competence help spice up this meat-and-potatoes offering. That spice is relatively mild, though, and if Cupra really wants to assert itself as a performance brand, then it's going to need to turn up the heat up to at least medium in the vehicles it plans on selling in the U.S. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Seat and Cupra CEO steps down after four years
Seat and Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths is leaving the Spanish company after nearly five years at the helm. Griffiths is stepping down with immediate effect 'at his own request', Seat said in an official statement, 'to pursue new challenges'. There is no word on whether he has accepted a new job. The Brit will be replaced on an interim basis by production and logistics boss Markus Haupt, with a full-time successor to be announced at a later date. Over the past half-decade, Griffiths has overseen a transformative period of expansion and diversification at Seat, with Cupra becoming one of Europe's fastest-growing car brands under his stewardship. When Griffiths was named CEO in 2020, Cupra was a newly independent brand that sold only a hot version of the Seat Ateca under its own badge. Shortly after, it launched the Formentor as its first bespoke model and now, five years later, has another three bespoke cars in its portfolio: the Born hatchback, Tavascan crossover and Terramar SUV. Last year, Cupra achieved a 7.5% sales uptick, delivering just under 250,000 cars - not far behind the 310,000 sold by the Seat brand. Around a fifth of Cupra's sales were electric cars and another fifth were plug-in hybrids. Looking back on a strong year for his firm, Griffiths said recently: "The automotive industry faced major challenges in 2024, marked by unstable economic conditions, intense competition and industry-wide reluctance to buy fully electric vehicles. But these positive delivery figures encourage us to stay on track with our strategy. 'The upcoming months will test our determination as our transformation progresses. We are fully committed to electrification. However, we need urgent action from government and stakeholders to secure an electric future, because our industry is at stake." Speaking to Autocar in the wake of the announcement, Griffiths gave further details on the future of the Seat brand, which has been overshadowed by the rapid rise of its more premium sibling. Seat doesn't currently sell an electric car, but Griffiths said it "will need an EV for it to continue" and that a decision on when to launch one was due by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, Cupra is targeting further growth by expanding into the US market with a new line of more premium-focused EVs towards the end of the decade. Marking Griffiths' departure, Thomas Schäfer, the Volkswagen Group's core brands boss, said: 'Wayne Griffiths has done a great job in building the Cupra brand and restructuring the company. His understanding of the brand is remarkable. He is, in the best sense, a true car guy. We thank him for his excellent contribution and wish him all the best for the future.' ]]>
