Lexus is Britain's best brand to be selling, according to the latest poll for the National Franchised Dealers Association. It is encouraging that despite the challenges affecting our industry, franchised dealers show high levels of satisfaction around a number of key business areas, particularly current profit, margins on used cars and manufacturers’ finance programmes, said Sue Robinson, Chief … [Read more...]
EV sales offer hope as new car market staggers
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...]
Newlines 1 February
Tesla has delayed production plans for their cyber truck until 2023. It has also postponed launching a compact European sized electric Model2 below its current Model3 and ModelS as it builds on capacity for the current cars enjoying unprecedented demand which will see the company make over a million models this year. Toyota Motor Co sales rose by 10.1% last year, making it the world's biggest … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Suzuki Swace SZ5 1.8 auto
Collaboration to cut costs but not quality is very evident in the Suzuki Swace. There’s a lot more component sharing going on throughout the global motor industry than many realise but it’s not been a feature of UK in recent years, with just a few exceptions. We had extensive badge engineering across Midlands’ factories between the 1950s and 1980s but with the disappearance of the British … [Read more...]
Welsh high hopes as new era in WRC flags off today
The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will begin a bold new era in the FIA World Rally Championship when the 2022 season begins and the GR Yaris Rally1 makes its debut on the Rally Monte-Carlo from 20 – 23 January. The GR Yaris Rally1 is the successor to the all-conquering Yaris WRC, which claimed a clean sweep of the manufacturers’, drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in the 2021 season that … [Read more...]
Tesla is world’s most researched car brand
Global car exports are worth billions in the automotive industry, with manufactures around the world providing their cars to countries far and wide. To reveal which countries are home to the most popular car brands, Confused.com analysed Google searches from across the globe and it was Tesla that came out on top as the most searched for car brand. The American electric car brand owned … [Read more...]
Keeping Land Cruisers going
The legendary Land Cruiser 40 is the latest great Toyota to benefit from Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Heritage Parts Project. TGR announced today that it is reproducing key discontinued components for the model, helping enthusiasts keep more of these mighty SUVs on the road. Around the world, the Land Cruiser 40 became symbolic of “go anywhere” performance, a tough and hugely capable 4×4 with a … [Read more...]
Tradelines 5 January
Toyota pushed General Motors off the top spot in America after 90 years domination of the market. Toyota sold 2.332 million vehicles in the United States in 2021, compared to 2.218 million for General Motors, as GM's US sales were down 13% and down 43% in the fourth quarter while Toyota was up 10% for the year. Former chief executive of the Welsh Automotive Forum, Tim Williams, was made an … [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: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Excel AWD
It's the original Toyota SUV and the latest RAV4 is still one of the best you can buy in this booming sector. The Recreational Activity Vehicle 4 was launched in the mid-1990s as Toyota's first SUV intended to offer more space and luggage room for families who liked an out-door lifestyle. It was available with a 2.0 petrol engine and choice of front or all-wheel-drive in three or five-door body … [Read more...]