The VW Arteon five-seat coupe is now available to order with a new 272ps 2.0 TSi engine and seven speed automatic transmission. The flagship 4WD model comes in two trim levels from £39,065 and £39,850. Only four out of ten UK motorists (41%) would call the Police if they thought a car was being driven by a drunk driver. A quarter would ignore it completely if they saw a car meandering in … [Read more...]
Newcomers: Cars
Newslines 18 December
Car-parts entrepreneur Ian Warhust has stepped in to save the Bloodhound supersonic speed project after it went into administration in November. The 1,000mph Bloodhound team said it is being bought for an undisclosed amount by the Barnsley businessman and a future plan will be unveiled in January. As many as 20 million individual Christmas leisure trips will take place this week in the … [Read more...]
Newslines 11 December
SEAT has now opened for ordering on its first large SUV and new flagship model, Tarraco, coming to Britain early 2019. The seven-seater, which sits above Arona and Ateca to complete the Spanish brand’s SUV line-up, is attracting attention with its high level of standard spec: metallic paint, 17” Alloys, DAB, alarm and Full Link for just £28,320. Alex Smith is to return to Volkswagen Group UK … [Read more...]
Mid-week motoring: Honda Civic Saloon
With no Estate version in the tenth generation Honda Civic range, until now only available in five door Hatchback form, now Honda has extended the Civic’s appeal by adding four door Saloon versions, writes David Miles. Unlike the Hatchback and Type R built in the UK for global sales, the Civic Saloon is built in Turkey for European markets. Available with 1.0-litre three … [Read more...]
Mid-week motoring: Suzuki Vitara upgraded
On sale early in 2019, although UK order books were opened in September, is the upgraded Suzuki Vitara with mild styling updates but more notable are new engine options and specification upgrades, says David Miles. Priced from £16,999 to £25,649 the nine variant 2019 model line-up sees 1.0-litre and 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbocharged petrol engines replacing the previous 1.6-litre 120hp petrol … [Read more...]
Old name is latest to arrive in UK dealerships
Stuttgart-based Borgward Group AG has entered into a strategic partnership with the automotive sales specialist International Motors and IM Group Ltd for the British and Irish markets. Contracts are close to being finalised with IM Group’s Nordic and Baltic businesses and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Wednesday to confirm their intention to import Borgward in the UK and … [Read more...]
Newslines 27 November
Commuters face three weeks of travel chaos on Wales' rail network just weeks after it was taken over by Welsh Government's Transport for Wales. The effect of storms on ageing trains means an "unprecedented" third of the fleet of 127 are damaged, so many will not run or be replaced by buses and Transport for Wales said they are trying to "share the pain" by diverting trains from quieter to more … [Read more...]
Mid-week motoring: Aston Martin twin-test
The Aston Martin story has all the excitement, luxury, twists and turns of a good James Bond book, but the reality in your hands is an exclusive range of high performance sports cars which now include the DB11 Volante and Vantage coupe, writes Robin Roberts. These are the latest additions to the range which comprise limited edition and Continuation models for the uber-rich AM enthusiasts and … [Read more...]
Vauxhall Crossland X Ultimate arrives
Vauxhall has introduced a new top-of-the-range Crossland X Utlimate to its SUV range. It features an eight-inch touchscreen, the Navi 5.0 IntelliLink infotainment system provides seamless smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Key features such as a driver drowsiness system, forward collision alert and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection are standard, … [Read more...]
Secret Welsh off-road tests for new AM DBX
Secret tests in Wales have started for the Aston Martin DBX SUV which will go into production in the company's new St Athan factory next year, writes Robin Roberts. Today officially confirmed as being named DBX, the first development five-door prototype was put through its paces in the hands of the company’s Chief Engineer, Matt Becker, along a demanding Wales Rally GB stage near … [Read more...]