New car registrations in Wales rose the most in mainland Britain last month, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufactuers and Traders. Welsh showrooms saw 4,166 new cars leaving in 2022 compared to 2,654 as the year started in 2021, a 56.97% jump. The latest figures from the SMMT show that 115,087 new cars were registered in January, some 24,838 more than the same month last year, … [Read more...]
Hyundai WRC drive for top British junior driver
The winner of the 2022 Motorsport UK Junior British Rally Championship will be offered a career-defining opportunity to contest a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, behind the wheel of a Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing-built i20 N Rally2. For the third time since its inception in 2019, a collaboration between the British Rally Championship and Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing will … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 November
The Volkswagen ID.5 and ID.5 GTX are the latest all electric models from the German car maker. The new SUV coupe styling covers a common platform but with a choice of single or double electric motors and it will go on sale in the UK next year. The SEVEN is the name of the forthcoming all-electric car from Hyundai and to be sold under the sub-brand of IONIQ. It will be revealed at the … [Read more...]
Safety ratings for new Ford, Hyundai and Toyota models
Ford’s new all-electric crossover SUV, the Mustang Mach-E, bears little resemblance to the 5-litre muscle car with which it shares its name. While its sports-car stablemate struggled to gain three stars in 2017, the Mustang Mach-E firmly secures a top five-star rating against the latest test requirements in the EuoNCAP programme. The car comes equipped with a centre airbag, deployable bonnet … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Genesis G70 saloon
The arrival of the Genesis brand marks a new beginning in the motor trade but with the old fashioned value of personal service behind it. Head of Genesis UK sales Jonny Miller said the brand’s philosophy is built around the customer and giving them a buying experience which exceeds expectations and creating a long term relationship. Genesis is the luxury division of Hyundai and after … [Read more...]
End of the road for some familiar cars, say Vehicle Contracts
Motor leasing company Vehicle Contracts has conducted in-depth research to find out which car models are expected to disappear completely from UK roads in the next decade and there are a few surprises. The Rover 25, the update of the Rover 200 Series, could be gone from the UK by mid-2023. This iconic car which was created by Rover was a staple in the ‘90s and ‘00s but sadly, only has a … [Read more...]
WRC enters the plug-in era in 2022
Top flight rallying will forever change at the end of this year, but it's not going fully electric yet. The WRC has fundamentally revised its technical regulations from next season. The top-tier Rally1 class for manufacturer teams will bring a substantial gain in crew safety, as well as more equality between competitors, due to a new design approach. An even bigger revolution concerns the … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 September
Councils in Cardiff and West Wales have started work to reopen roads closed or restricted during the Covid-19 pandemic. The moves were done to allow more pedestrian room on pavements and permit outdoor eating and drinking, but now the local authorities want the streets returned to private vehicles to ease congestion and lower emissions in surrounding roads Italy is discussing with the European … [Read more...]
Vauxhall and VW looking to dominate EV sales this year
Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have all spotted the risk Tesla and other EV-based manufacturers have on the dominance in the sector and will all end 2021 with upwards of four models. But according to motor dealer Peter Vardy, it’s Vauxhall and Volkswagen that are currently the most eager for dominance in the EV market in 2021. Volkswagen is set to rival Tesla with 6 EV models available by the end … [Read more...]
Newslines 10 August
The iconic electric-first brand, Tesla has come out as the Euro NCAP’s safest car brand tied with Polestar, a Swedish EV manufacturer who’s owned by Volvo Cars. Both companies scored an impressive 87% safety rating out of a possible 100%, while Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, came in third with their safety rating of 86%, closely followed by Genesis and Volvo with 85%, reported … [Read more...]