By Martin Ward on Wednesday, May 26, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

TESLA/TOYOTA – Tesla Motors Inc and Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that they intend to cooperate in areas such as parts, production system and engineering support on the development of electric vehicles.

 

VAUXHALL – Has announced the introduction of the Corsa Limited Edition. The new Black & White Limited Edition will feature glacier white bodywork with black detailing, black 17” alloy wheels and a black sapphire roof. It will also feature a VXR body styling kit, sports suspension and piano black centre console. It will be available with a 1.2 litre 16V 85ps petrol or a 1.3 litre CDTi 16V 75ps diesel, in three or five door variants. Prices will start at £13,995 and it will be available in showrooms from next month until the end of the year.

 

VOLKSWAGEN – Are to introduce a new trim to the Golf range. The Golf Match will directly replace the outgoing SE trim and will be available in three and five door variants with the following...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, May 19, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

ALFA ROMEO – Has added two new engines to the Brera coupe and Spider convertible ranges. The engines are: 1.8 litre turbo 200bhp petrol and 2.0 litre JTDM 170bhp diesel.

 

BMW – An even quicker M3 will be offered in the UK from February 2011. The M3 GTS has a 4.4 litre (4,361cc) engine that produces 450hp, goes from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 190mph. The M3 GTS has been designed for club sports racing events but is also street legal. Prices will be announced nearer to its on sale date.

 

LAND ROVER – Will introduce a 2WD option on the new compact Range Rover (codenamed LRX) in addition to the 4WD. The 2WD will have a CO2 emissions figure of 130g/km and will go on sale in 2011.

 

By the end of 2010 Land Rover will be testing the first diesel hybrid prototype called the 'range e', which is being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform. The test vehicle will use the existing 3.0 litre TDV6 diesel engine,...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

AUDI – Ordering is now open in the UK for the new A1. Pricing starts at £13,145 on the road for the 1.2 TFSI SE manual, going up to £18,280 on the road for the 1.4 TFSI S Line S Tronic. Deliveries are expected in late 2010.

 

INFINITI – Has announced pricing for the new FX diesel. Prices start at £44,235 on the road for the FX 3.0d GT, going up to £50,815 on the road for the FX 3.0d S Premium. Orders for the FX diesel are open now.

 

SKODA – There will be a new Greenline variant introduced to the recently facelifted Fabia Estate and Roomster ranges. The Greenline II will be available with a new 1.2 TDI CR 75ps start/stop diesel engine that boasts CO2 figures of 89g/km (Fabia) and 109g/km (Roomster). Fuel consumption is expected to be 83.1 MPG for the Fabia and 67.3 MPG for the Roomster.

 

First driving impressions – Saab 95 – Trollhattan, Sweden

 

We went up to the factory in Sweden to have a first drive in the...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, May 05, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

AUDI – Has announced the introduction of the R8 GT. It will use the V10 FSI engine from the existing model but with an increased output of 560ps and a 0-62 time of 3.6 seconds. It is 100kg lighter than the standard R8 and has a top speed of 199mph, making it the fastest Audi road car ever produced. Priced at £142,585 on the road, the R8 GT opens for ordering this summer, with first deliveries expected in spring 2011.

 

FIAT – Has announced the introduction of a new 500 special show car called the 500 thousandth, which celebrates the production of 500,000 Fiat 500 models. Fiat 500 users, and anyone who has a specific connection with the...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, April 28, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

VAUXHALL – Has announced that the first pre-production Ampera has rolled off the assembly line. The Ampera is an electric vehicle with an engine generator which is capable of travelling up to forty miles on electric power. The engine generator kicks in when the battery starts to run low, allowing the vehicle to have a range of up to three hundred miles. The first Ampera is due to arrive in UK showrooms in early 2012.

 

VOLKSWAGEN – The new Phaeton has been unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show. The newly revised design comprises of a reprofiled bonnet, new front and rear lights, new front grille, new front and rear bumpers and new front wings. It is...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, April 21, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

CITROEN – Has revealed a concept car called Metropolis, which pays homage to Chinese development with a design that reflects its dynamism and ambition. It will be on show in the French pavilion at the Shanghai World Fair from 1st May to 31st October 2010.

 

 

 

SEAT – Has released photographs of the all new Alhambra. Measuring 22cm longer and 9cm wider than its predecessor, it expected to go on sale this summer. The new Alhambra will be available with the following choice of engines: TSI 150ps petrol, TDI 150ps diesel or TDI 170ps diesel.

 

 

VOLKSWAGEN...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, April 14, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

AUDI – Has announced details of the up-and-coming 2011 TT range. Enhancements include subtle exterior styling changes, new interior and exterior colours and xenon headlights now come as standard on the S Line trim. A new 2.0 litre TFSI 211 engine replaces the previous 2.0 litre TFSI 200, offering an improvement of 14% in engine efficiency.



Further details will be announced at a later date.



An S Tronic version of the TT RS is to be made available later this year.

 

HYUNDAI – Has announced that sales for last month reached an all time high of 15,241 units; the best result in the UK so far for the Korean manufacturer. The best selling model was the i10 city car with a total of 6,195 units, followed by the i30 with 4,584 and the i20 with 3,570. Only one in three Hyundai cars sold on March registrations were to scrappage scheme customers.

 

SAAB...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, April 07, 2010

CITROEN – Has announced the introduction of the Airdream+ on the C3, C3 Picasso and C4. The Airdream+ derivative gains, on all three ranges, rear parking sensors and a connecting box which consists of Bluetooth and a USB socket. The C3 Picasso Airdream+ gains electric rear windows and electrically adjustable heated door mirrors. The C4 Airdream+ gains automatic digital air conditioning. Prices start at £14,590 on the road for the C3 Airdream+.

 

KIA – Has unveiled a new D sector saloon car at the New York Motor Show called the Optima. There will be a choice of two engines available in Western Europe: a 2.0 litre CVVL petrol and a 1.7 litre VGT turbo diesel, both available with a choice of 6 speed manual or auto transmissions. The Optima is expected in 2011, with pricing to be confirmed at a later date.

 

 

PEUGEOT – Has announced...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, March 31, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

FIAT – Has announced that the 500,000th 500 model has been produced this week. It is currently on sale in 83 different countries around the world.

 

FORD – Has announced the introduction of the limited edition Focus RS500. The RS500 has an increased power output of 350ps, in comparison to the standard RS which is 305ps. Production numbers are limited to 500 vehicles, with 101 being allocated to the UK. The RS500 will make its debut at the 2010 Leipzig Motor Show.

 

 

 

LEXUS – Has announced that the LFA supercar is now available with a Nurburgring package. It has been introduced in celebration of the LFA’s entry into the Nurburgring 24 hour race and is aimed at track driving enthusiasts. Enhancements include an increased power output to from 552bhp to 562bhp and sports...

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By Martin Ward on Wednesday, March 24, 2010

This week’s manufacturer news

 

MITSUBISHI – Has announced pricing for the all-electric i-MiEV. It is priced at £38,699, less the government’s allowance of £5,000, making it £33,699 including VAT. First deliveries in the UK are expected in January 2011.

 

 

 

 

SEAT – Has announced a limited edition Ibiza model: the Ibiza SC ‘Goodstuff.’ The Goodstuff is based on the 1.4 85ps SE three door but has additional equipment including 16” alloy wheels, climate control, TomTom satellite navigation with cradle and dock, iPod Nano 8GB, Nokia hands free Bluetooth connection and external Goodstuff badging. The Goodstuff celebrates the partnership between Seat and pop star Shakira, and the title comes from Shakira’s forthcoming European tour which Seat are sponsoring. The Goodstuff is priced at £11,995 on the road.  ...

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