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“It was devastating for both of us. The entire household income was wiped out overnight,” says Adrian Leary, former Thomas Cook cabin crew. Both Adrian and his partner Paul Jones worked as air stewards when the holiday business collapsed last September, taking more than 9,000 UK jobs with it. “Paul had only flown for four years, I’d flown for almost 25. I absolutely loved it. I never had any intention of doing anything else. I would have done it till the day I died,” explains Adrian, full of passion as he reminisces about the jobs they lost. The couple realised they wouldn’t get back into aviation when the pandemic took hold in March as airlines immediately cut flights and soon after, jobs. After looking for other work, their local job centre in St Helens told them they qualified for an enterprise initiative, so they began planning something new. On the platform of their local train station in Frodsham, Cheshire, Adrian and Paul spotted an empty building and an opportunity.”We negotiated with the landlord for a rent-free period because of lockdown. Then as lockdown eased we opened. We’re a brand new business combining a coffee shop and interiors and gifts,” says Adrian, although their café still hasn’t fully opened because of the continuing changes in guidance for hospitality due to the pandemic. “For a pair of old duffers, we had no idea on social media. We had to learn Instagram and Facebook,” says Paul, “but it’s been absolutely amazing, we’ve had such a good reception.” He tells me last Saturday they were absolutely packed, and they couldn’t believe it.This week marked a year since Thomas Cook collapsed, so the pair decided to launch a special initiative to get their former crew back together: come by dressed in your old uniform and you’ll get a free tea or coffee. What went wrong at Thomas Cook?Today, Cathy Kirk Jardine, Betty Knight and Sandra Hutson have popped in. “The last year has been dreadful,” says Cathy, who was with Thomas Cook for 25 years. A year on she still isn’t working. “It’s been really hard. I don’t think employers actually realise what a talent pool crew are. We were firemen, policemen, councillors, diplomats, medical staff – if something went wrong up there, there was no 999 to call.”It’s hard to get back into aviation because of Covid. It’s a huge market now because so many others have been made redundant,” she says.Since the pandemic began, more than 30,000 jobs have been made redundant at UK airlines, according to the industry body Airlines UK. Added to that are cuts that have been made by airports, baggage handlers and third parties that rely on flights and the ecosystem around airports. Sandra loved her job. “Fabulous, everything you can dream of” is how she describes it. She worked for Thomas Cook for 23 years, and says she felt “bereaved” when the company collapsed. “I was very fortunate, I got a job with Jet2 on the ground,” she says, standing neatly in her Thomas Cook uniform, looking like she’s about to depart for a long-haul destination, her hair in a perfect bun. “I was there for seven weeks and then the coronavirus hit. I’ve been furloughed since. I don’t know yet what’s happening and if I’ll go back.” Matt McKay was a senior first officer at Thomas Cook for three years. We first met last year, days after the business collapsed. “I thought I’d be there till I retired,” he tells me. “I was aiming to buy a house, settle down and be living here close to my family.” His partner was expecting a baby a few months after Thomas Cook went under. Matt had interviews with a number of airlines and then got a job with Aegean, based in Athens, which he says wasn’t ideal but the family would “make it work”.Soon after starting, the pandemic hit. “I was there for three days before they sent us home. I was put on leave until the end of March and then made redundant.”Matt isn’t alone in people who suffered this double whammy of redundancy in aviation. I’ve been contacted by lots of former Thomas Cook staff who took jobs with some of the UK’s big airlines, including Jet2, BA and Tui. In some instances, staff completed training courses, only to be made redundant before making a flight. Others did just a handful and were then let go. Matt says it has led to a period of self-reflection and realisation. “I don’t think I’ll be flying again until at least summer 2022.” In the meantime, he’s starting his own business piloting drones for agriculture until the sector improves. The collapse of Thomas Cook was at the forefront of what has been a devastating year for aviation. And as Covid-related job losses mount, airlines like BA have said they don’t expect demand to return to levels seen before the pandemic for two to three years. It means that former crew, who say they have “aviation in our blood”, might have to wait a bit longer before they can return to the skies.

By Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondentRelated TopicsCoronavirus pandemicThe original NHS Covid-19 app, which was shelved, would have worked on a larger number of handsets than the app which launched in England and Wales this week, I have discovered.VMware Pivotal, the firm behind it, has just published its software code. It shows that it works on 97.5% of handsets, and provides more accurate measurements of contacts between users.One expert told me the first app was better – but VMware Pivotal says it does not wish to compete.The new app doesn’t work with a variety of older phones, including iPhones made before 2015, and Android phones not running the Android 6.0 operating system or above. It can also generate false readings of close contacts in a third of cases.”Compared to version two of the NHS app that we’re using now, this app appears to have a significant advantage in terms of distance-measuring accuracy, at least up to about eight metres,” said Prof Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at Surrey University.VMware Pivotal was contracted by the health service’s digital division NHSX to work on the original contact-tracing app, which was trialled on the Isle of Wight in May. In June it was shelved because the app, developed without the co-operation of Apple and Google, failed to pick up contacts between iPhones when they were asleep. Under the management of Baroness Harding’s Test and Trace organisation, a new team started work on an app using the Apple Google privacy-focused toolkit, which had already been adopted by many other countries.NHS Covid-19 app hits one million downloads’We’re all friends’But engineers at VMware carried on developing the Bluetooth technology behind their app and believe they have improved it, going some way to mitigating the problem with detecting iPhones and making the measurement of distance between phones even more accurate.On Thursday, the company published the code behind what it calls its Herald Bluetooth Protocol on Github, the open-source software platform.But VMware insists that it is not trying to reopen the argument about which technology the NHS app should use.It says it has been talking to Apple and Google, and the hope is that they can take some aspects of the Herald Bluetooth system to improve their technology, which the majority of government contact tracing apps use.The company also points out that the Apple Google system is only available to governments, so businesses such as cruise ships or office buildings might wish to develop their own apps using the Herald technology.”The last thing we want this to be seen as is adversarial,” an engineer at VMware said, insisting there was no rivalry with the team that built the final version of the NHS app. “This is a whole bunch of people worldwide working together. We’re all friends.”Prof Woodward said that while the VMware software was likely to be more effective than apps based on the Apple/Google API, “it retains the privacy issues discussed at the outset of building these apps”.Apple and Google have said they are examining an upgrade to their system which should improve its accuracy in measuring distance. That would lead to better performance for all countries using the platform, including the NHS Covid-19 app.Related TopicsMore on this story

Tesco has become the latest supermarket to place limits on the number of items shoppers can buy, following a similar move by rival Morrisons.It now has a three-items per customer limit on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and some wet wipes.The supermarkets are acting to prevent a repeat of the panic-buying that led to shortages in March.The managing director of Iceland told the BBC he is urging shoppers to “calm down and carry on as normal”.Richard Walker said his supermarket chain was not currently considering limiting purchases on any lines. He said there had been a small uptick in interest in the “usual suspect products” like toilet roll, but it was “nothing like last time”. Mr Walker said that, in March and April, this had resulted in elderly and vulnerable people, as well as NHS workers, being faced with empty shelves. He described panic buying as socially divisive, only an option to those who can afford it. ‘Good availability’Tesco said it had “introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products”.It said this was to “ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need”.”We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal,” it said.The supermarket has introduced additional limits for a small number of products online, such as rice and canned veg.Morrisons introduced a limit of three items per customer on some ranges on Thursday, including toilet rolls and disinfectant products.It said stock levels “were good”, but it wanted to “make sure they were available for everyone”.No shortagesIn March, UK supermarkets were forced to take steps to prevent shoppers from panic-buying around the height of the pandemic. Many introduced limits on the number of certain items that customers could buy, such as flour, pasta or toilet roll.Enhanced measures introduced in recent weeks have not triggered stock-piling by customers, according to several supermarkets approached by the BBC earlier this week.Tesco joins Morrisons to limit sales of some itemsAsda said it still had good availability in-store and online, while Waitrose said it had “good levels” of stock and that it had also looked at the items people bought early in lockdown and planned ahead accordingly.”We would like to reassure customers that there is no need to worry about buying more than they need,” a spokesperson said.The British Retail Consortium said supply chains were good and has urged consumers to “shop as you normally would”.Director of food and sustainability at the BRC, Andrew Opie, said: “Supply chains are stronger than ever before and we do not anticipate any issues in the availability of food or other goods under a future lockdown.”Nonetheless, we urge consumers to be considerate of others.”Aldi boss Giles Hurley has written to customers saying: “There is no need to buy more than you usually would. I would like to reassure you that our stores remain fully stocked and ask that you continue to shop considerately.”

A bid battle is looming for UK betting giant William Hill after it received two rival takeover approaches.The company confirmed it had received proposals from US-based private equity firm Apollo and casino giant Caesars Entertainment.It said talks were “ongoing” with both suitors and there “can be no certainty” that any formal offer will be made.News of the takeover interest sent shares in the bookmaker soaring by nearly a third to 289.8p.William Hill said Apollo and Caesars were required “to announce a firm intention” to make an offer by 17:00 on 23 October under UK takeover rules.William Hill to close 119 betting shops
William Hill punters bet on table tennis in sports lull
Under the recent lockdowns betting has continued to shift online and away from the High Street, and last month William Hill said that 119 of its betting shops would not re-open.The company, which has 1,500 UK outlets, said it did not expect customers to return in the numbers seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.Its High Street presence had already been receding prior to the coronavirus outbreak. It closed hundreds of shops after the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals was reduced sharply from £100 to £2 last year.’Strategic position’Despite William Hill’s problems in the UK, “an approach for Hills is entirely understandable”, said Russ Mould, an investment director at AJ Bell, as it “has an excellent strategic position in the US market”.William Hill already has 170 retail sites in 13 different states, Mr Mould pointed out.Caesars already owns a 20% stake in William Hill’s US operations, which also have exclusive rights to operate sports betting under the Caesars brand.Private equity firm Apollo has also been looking to buy supermarket chain Asda in recent weeks, and has placed an offer with the chain’s owner, US retail giant Walmart.

image copyrightGetty ImagesThe European Commission plans to appeal against a ruling that Apple does not have to pay 13bn euros (£11.6bn) in back taxes to Ireland.The EU’s General Court had ruled in July there was no evidence Apple had broken any rules on tax paid there. Ireland never disputed the arrangement but the European Commission, which brought the case, argued it enabled Apple to avoid taxes on EU revenues.The EU said paying the correct amount of tax was “a top priority”.In 2016, a court ruled that Apple had indeed been given illegal tax breaks by Dublin – but this was overturned in July 2020.Apple has €13bn Irish tax bill overturned The European Commission claimed Ireland had allowed Apple to attribute nearly all its EU earnings to an Irish head office that existed only on paper, thereby avoiding paying tax on EU revenues. Ireland has always said Apple’s tax bill was in line with its regulations.EU executive vice-president and competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said in a statement: “If member states give certain multinational companies tax advantages not available to their rivals, this harms fair competition in the European Union in breach of state aid rules.”We need to continue our efforts to put in place the right legislation to address loopholes and ensure transparency.”A new appeal will now go before a higher court, the European Court of Justice.Related TopicsAppleEuropean CommissionRepublic of IrelandTaxMargrethe VestagerMore on this story

‘This will make zero difference to my business’ Video, 00:01:06’This will make zero difference to my business’

The UK government borrowed £35.9bn in August as tackling the economic fallout of pandemic took its toll on the public finances, official figures show.The figure – the difference between spending and tax income – was £30.5bn more than it borrowed in August last year.The increase meant that the borrowing figure hit its highest amount for August since records began in 1993.Borrowing between April and August totalled £173.7bn – also a record.UK debt passed £2tn for the first time in history in July as the government spent billions on introducing measures designed to protect the economy against the fallout caused by the coronavirus crisis.In August, debt hit £2.024tn, £249.5bn more than the same time in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.That figure now exceeds the size of the UK economy, the highest level of debt seen since the 1960s. Andrew Wishart, UK economist at Capital Economics, said that rising borrowing figures were down to the government absorbing “much of the cost of the Covid-19 crisis”.The government has been forced to cover a wide range coronavirus-related costs – from the furlough scheme and bailouts for rail firms to business rates holidays and VAT cuts for hospitality and tourism.But “the big picture is that fiscal support will fade over the autumn causing many more job losses to be realised”, Mr Wishart added.Friday’s figures from the ONS showed that while billions have been pumped into propping up the economy, tax receipts have dropped sharply.The amount collected by central government in taxes dropped to £37.3bn in August, which is £7.5bn less than a year before.The amount of VAT, corporation tax and income tax collected fell “considerably”, the ONS said.

Ford Bridgend is shutting down production after 40 years in the south Wales town. Before the closure announcement, there were 1,644 staff employed at the site, most of whom have opted for retraining. More than 120 people will remain on site for a number of months to support the decommissioning. The plant’s closure was not wholly unexpected by industry watchers, but the loss of so many highly-skilled jobs is a particular blow for the area. What happens now?The latest figures from the Ford taskforce said most workers have undertaken retraining while 236 opted to retire or take severance and 362 have found new employment or started a business. Until Friday’s closure, 999 staff had continued to work at the plant.A history of Ford in BridgendAs well as the staff staying on for decommissioning, more than 50 will continue to work for Ford and be redeployed to other sites. The company has established a £1m community legacy fund, to which employee-nominated charities and community organisations can apply.It has also established a £2m research and development fund to be targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises and academic projects, to be administered by Welsh Government. Economy Minister Ken Skates said the government would do all it could to stimulate new investment in the area, with a particular focus on next generation technology. Since it opened in 1980, Ford has received £116m in taxpayer funding for the Bridgend site, aimed at supporting and creating jobs, and it has paid back £15.5m in Welsh Government grants since the closure was announced. In the past 10 years, it is estimated the plant has brought £3bn to the local economy. What could the future hold for workers?For workers, the challenge is not just finding employment, but also getting a job that pays as well. A father of two teenagers, Jason Evans, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, is facing “deja vu” as the factory closes its doors.He has worked on the production line there since he was made redundant from Bosch in Miskin in 2010, but he thinks the current Covid-19 crisis will make finding a new job more difficult. “It’s quite a long period to digest the news but this week the reality has hit,” Mr Evans said. “It’s real and a bitter pill to swallow.”Some who have been there 35 to 40 years will go off and hopefully enjoy their retirement but for the likes of me, who need to find employment, it’s a difficult time.”To stay in the industry, I’m never going to match the terms and conditions. It’s a journey into the unknown.”Wales Ineos 4×4 vehicle plant ‘suspended’ in Bridgend
Aston Martin launches first car made in St Athan factory
Peter Hughes, the secretary for Unite Wales, said it was “desperately sad” to see the plant close.”Ford Bridgend was able to hold its own against other Ford sites across the world throughout those four decades for one reason only – its world class workforce,” he said. “Nothing has changed in this respect in recent years. Every one of the workers who are finishing their time with Ford today retain their status as a world class manufacturing worker. What did and has changed is Ford’s commitment to Wales and the UK. “We will continue to support our members as they seek employment in new jobs and with new employers. They will always be part of the Unite family.”What about retraining?Matt Williams, the executive director for work-based learning at Bridgend College, has been working with Ford over the past year to offer retraining to employees.He said more than 150 courses had been booked by Ford employees for this academic year.He said there was a “real mixed bag” of options people were looking at, including construction and “trade-type courses”, plus training in engineering, electrical, mechanical and programming. “But equally [they’re looking at] some sectors that are quite far removed really from the manufacturing sector, like health and social care for example or… things like tree-felling or chainsaw courses.”The college is also building a new Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Academy, aimed at boosting the area’s skills in these subjects, which are seen as important for high-value jobs. While there is some optimism in the automotive sector about future developments, attracting future employers offering well-paid work is a collective challenge for the whole area.

Industries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic are facing further uncertainty after missing out on help in the chancellor’s new emergency jobs scheme.Hospitality, events and retail workers and businesses have expressed concern, as have those on zero-hours contracts.Rishi Sunak said employees must be in “viable” jobs to benefit from the wage top-up scheme. This means people working in industries currently closed – such as nightclubs – may lose out as there isn’t any work.Mr Sunak said he hoped the new plan, announced on Thursday, would “benefit large numbers”, but warned the government “can’t save every job”.The Job Support Scheme will replace furlough and last for six months, starting in November.Under the scheme, if bosses bring back workers part time, the government will help top up their wages to at least three-quarters of their full-time pay.But only staff who can work at least a third of their normal hours will be eligible.The plan to try to stop mass lay-offs was announced after the government introduced further measures to tackle a rise in coronavirus cases.A new enforced early closing time is now in place for pubs, bars and restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales.The latest daily data shows the UK has recorded 6,634 new coronavirus cases – the highest since mass testing began. Another 40 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus.’Terrifying’While many in affected industries welcome the government’s effort to save jobs and an extension of the cut in VAT, they say the increased virus restrictions will put the brakes on recovery and prevent them from earning enough money to stay afloat and take advantage of the government’s measures.Lisa organises events in a hotel and has been furloughed, along with her partner. She was hoping she would go back to her part-time job in October, if companies started booking Christmas parties. But she is worried the new 22:00 closing time for hospitality venues will scupper any Christmas business and is not sure her employer will bring her back under the new scheme.”It is worrying for anyone who works in events. I’ve worked in hospitality since I was 16 – but now it is terrifying,” she told the BBC. Lisa’s concerns are reflected throughout the hospitality and live-events industry. “There’s simply no work to return to, with demand drying up in line with social distancing measures,” said Peter Heath, managing director of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association.”As a result, the majority of businesses in our sector will not be able to generate sufficient revenue to support their contribution towards employees’ salaries, nor will they be able to contract the huge self-employed community the events industry has become so dependent upon.”Nightclubs in particular feel aggrieved by the idea of help only going to businesses considered “viable”. They have been closed since the end of March and say it is unfair they should be penalised because they have been obeying government regulations.”The situation is simple – because we are closed, none of the Job Support Scheme extension is helpful to us,” said Peter Marks, boss of the Deltic group, which runs 53 nightclubs across the UK, employing 4,000 people. “We have been forced into the place described as ‘unviable businesses’ only because the government have closed us.”Almost all the group’s staff are still furloughed. He said they might need to look at making staff redundant.How will I be paid on the Job Support Scheme?
Will the chancellor’s plan to save jobs work?
Mr Sunak has defended his decision to restrict the Job Support Scheme to employees working at least one-third of their normal hours. He told MPs the government had to make sure it was targeting support to where it could make a difference, and to jobs which provided the prospect of long-term security.But Michael Kill, who runs the Night Time Industries Association, has called for a rethink, saying: “To completely exile the entire night-time sector is simply unacceptable.”How will the Job Support Scheme work?The government will subsidise the pay of employees who are working fewer than normal hours due to lower demand
It will apply to staff who can work at least a third of their usual hours
Employers will pay staff for the hours they work
For the hours employees can’t work, the government and the employer will each cover one third of the lost pay
The grant will be capped at £697.92 per month
All small and medium-sized businesses will be eligible
Larger business will be eligible if their turnover has fallen during the crisis
It will be open to employers across the UK even if they have not used the furlough scheme
It will run for six months starting in November
Theatres – where the vast majority of venues and productions remain closed – are also calling for targeted support..

Skip Twitter post by @Sacha_Lord

Todays announcement from the Chancellor, simply isn’t good enough for the sectors still shut. I’ve spoken with @AndyBurnhamGM and we are going to convene a meeting of some of those affected across Greater Manchester, to urge the Government to have a rethink.— Sacha Lord (@Sacha_Lord) September 24, 2020

End of Twitter post by @Sacha_Lord

Skip Twitter post by @amylame

The measures announced by @RishiSunak today do not go far enough. London’s nightclubs, theatres and music venues that operate late at night aren’t able to reopen at all. Does that mean they don’t qualify as ‘viable businesses’ providing ‘viable jobs’ ?— Amy Lamé (london.gov.uk/coronavirus) (@amylame) September 24, 2020

End of Twitter post by @amylame

Meanwhile, the boss of clothing firm Next has told the BBC hundreds of thousands of traditional retail jobs may not survive in the wake of the pandemic.Lord Wolfson welcomed the jobs scheme but said thousands of jobs were now “unviable” because lockdown had triggered a permanent shift to online shopping.’Forgotten group’Self-employed people will continue to receive support but the chancellor made no specific mention of those on zero-hours contracts.Before the pandemic struck, Samantha Pearmain worked on reception and front-of-house duties in a busy conference centre near Cambridge. She was on a zero-hours contract and was furloughed between March and the end of July. The company she worked for paid her 80% of her wages in August as a goodwill gesture but now she has no income.”I feel we’re the forgotten group of people,” she said. “I really want to know what the government is doing about people like me.”The Treasury said employers could decide to change their zero-hours workers’ contracts to make them eligible for the scheme.Samantha is looking for work, but is worried there will be an “explosion in unemployment”. The new scheme is designed to prevent that happening when the furlough scheme finishes at the end of October.The City and Guilds Group, which helps people acquire the skills to develop their careers, said the chancellor’s measures were only a small part of the employment puzzle and a long-term solution was required. Unless people were helped to retrain, Kirstie Donnelly, the City and Guilds chief executive said, “We run the risk of a whole generation of people being permanently left behind.”COVID-19 IN WINTER: What will the effect be on the SARs-CoV-2 virus?

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Harley-Davidson is pulling out of India, the world’s biggest motorcycle market.The iconic US motorcycle brand is stopping manufacturing and massively scaling back its sales operations.Harley’s decision comes weeks after Toyota said it wouldn’t expand further in India due to the country’s high tax regime.The exit is a blow for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to lure or retain foreign manufacturers.Harley’s departure involves $75m (£59m) in restructuring costs, around 70 redundancies and the closure of its Bawal plant in northern India. The plant was opened in 2011 but Harley-Davidson has struggled to compete with local brand Hero as well as Japan’s Honda. About 17 million motorcycles and scooters are sold each year in India. More setbacksWhile it is cheaper than many other developing economies, India has proven a tough market to crack for foreign automakers.General Motors pulled out of the country in 2017 while Ford agreed last year to move most of its assets into a joint venture with Indian vehicle giant Mahindra & Mahindra. US President Donald Trump has previously complained about India’s high taxes, specifically mentioning the levies placed on Harley-Davidson bikes. India’s import tariffs were slashed by 50% but the brand has still struggled in the competitive market.Harley has also been suffering its own problems and recorded its first quarterly loss in more than a decade between April and June this year.It has been cutting hundreds of jobs under its new chief executive Jochen Zeitz and focusing on core markets and models.Harley couldn’t play the gameBy Nikhil Inamdar, BBC News’ India business correspondentHarley Davidson came into India with much fanfare a decade ago. But it has since, struggled to find a foothold in one of the world’s most lucrative two-wheeler markets. With sales averaging under 3,000 units every year, the iconic American brand simply couldn’t capitalize on the big Asia opportunity it was betting on. Auto experts put the blame on the brand’s failure to drive up volumes and derive cost efficiencies by leveraging local tie-ups. This, coupled with prohibitively high taxes, a slowdown in discretionary spending and an inability to compete with Indian brands may have prompted the decision to call it quits. “India is a high volume, low margin market. They weren’t structured to play that game, being at the very pointy end of the pyramid,” Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor of Autocar India told the BBC. “The lifestyle element that goes with owning a Harley bike is also not fully developed in India yet.” Incidentally the bike maker has had a better run in other Asian markets like Thailand and Korea, precisely because the market and cost structures are more favourable. Harley’s exit may not have a significant economic impact, but is bad optics for the Modi government, which is preparing to roll out a $23bn package to lure global manufacturers to set up base in India as part of the country’s ‘Make In India’ policy. High import tariffs on Harley have also been a flashpoint in India’s trade negotiations with the US. Mr Trump has previously cited the example of Harley to call India a “tariff king”, and its decision to exit the Indian market could well set off another diplomatic tussle with the US with whom India is negotiating a free trade agreement. Harley HistoryThe iconic US motorcycle brand was founded in 1903 and has built a very loyal customer base. It has owners’ clubs all over the world.It hit the global stage in 1969 thanks to the classic road movie Easy Rider starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson.Its bikes, nicknamed “hogs”, are also made in factories in the US, Brazil and Thailand.Harley has been looking to grow the brand beyond baby boomers in the US, with smaller models and all-electric versions.