The first Aston Martin DBX five-seat SUV will roll off new production lines in South Wales in Spring 2020, writes Robin Roberts. Breaking new ground for the 106-year-old luxury British marque, the DBX was unveiled simultaneously in the Beijing, China motor show and in the £250M St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan assembly plant today. The DBX marks a significant step for Aston … [Read more...]
News
Petrol & diesel popularity dominates buying plans
Petrol and diesel cars will dominate vehicle sales in the foreseeable future, according to a poll for information agency Somo. Despite the environment being the biggest driver for switching to an electric vehicle, new research by digital transformation agency, Somo, has identified that the interest in petrol vehicles is not declining. In fact, over half would consider purchasing a … [Read more...]
Newslines 19 November
Dr Andy Palmer CMG, President & Group CEO at Aston Martin Lagonda will be deliver the keynote speech at the annual Welsh Automotive Forum networking dinner next month. Master of ceremonies will once again be undertaken by presenter, journalist and low carbon champion Quentin Wilson and it’s taking place at The Vale Hotel, Miskin on 5 December. According to data, 48,271 drivers across Wales … [Read more...]
Drivers sceptical of “smart cars”
Britain’s motorists are highly sceptical over the future use of driverless cars according to comparethemarket.com. In its Road Ahead research series looking at the future of driving, it was found that only 55% of people expect driverless cars to be in use in the next ten years. According to a survey of over 2,000 British motorists, 80% are worried about the safety of driverless cars. This … [Read more...]
Young driver premiums are falling
With the cost of getting a young driver on the road climbing to nearly £7000 this year, choosing the right car and car insurance can have a significant impact on how much new drivers must pay to stay mobile. The good news is that one comparison site has found average car insurance premiums for drivers under 25 are falling. In the first eight months of 2019, the average comprehensive … [Read more...]
Fuel research saves 1,400tonnes in tests
Britain’s first research project to assess the viability of biomethane in heavy goods vehicles has saved over 1,400 tonnes of well-to-wheel CO2e emissions compared to diesel in a two-year trial. The Dedicated to Gas project deployed 20 Euro VI vehicles running on biomethane to the three fleet operators, in a combination of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG). It was … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 November
The new Mazda CX30 from £22,895 is the safest family car you can buy, according to the latest Euro NCAP crash tests. It produced a near perfect 99% score for adult occupant protection, slightly better than the MB GLB and Ford Explorer and a star above the new Vauxhall Corsa. Land Rover puts fans inside the New Defender on the set of No Time To Die, the 25th official James Bond film, in a … [Read more...]
Welsh Forest Rally Championship decided
Matt Hirst and Declan Dear took the 2019 Pirelli Motorsport UK Welsh Forest Rally Championship in style on Saturday with outright victory on the final round, writes Peter Hughes. It was Russ Thompson and Andy Murphy who led the series going into the Winner Garage Wyedean Stages Rally, needing just a solid finish to take the title. When they retired on the very first stage of the rally, however, … [Read more...]
Auction slowdown expected as normal
Supplies of used models will go down over the next few months as dealers traditionally hold off putting them in auctions. “Half of respondents in this month’s NAMA survey are expecting volumes to fall over the coming month. Volumes of vehicles arriving at auction centres generally reduce towards the end of the year, and this year appears to be no different,” said Louise Wallis, Head of the … [Read more...]
Used cars sales rebound
The SMMT said used car sales rose 0.9% in Q3 after nine quarters of decline. Some 2,076,382 transactions took place between July and September, 18,925 more than the same period in 2018. Demand for diesel models was up 1.4% in the quarter with 858,442 changing hands, while petrol sales were flat with a slight drop of -0.2%. Plug-in electric and hybrid models showed a solid increase of 13.0%, … [Read more...]