Retail

Ford and VW look at future alliance

4 September 2018

Volkswagen and Ford are pushing ahead with a strategic alliance, beginning with van production, said the German manufacturer. At the weekend, The Sunday Times reported Ford was looking at 24,000 job cuts in Europe and ending S-Max, Galaxy and Mondeo production to stem losses which hit $73 Million in Q2. The US bosses have also said they will concentrate … [Read more...]

Fleet car risks poorly considered, say analysts

4 September 2018

Risk management of cars is being “given much lower priority” than vans across a wide range of fleets, says management software specialist FleetCheck. The reasons, explained Peter Golding, managing director, were that vans tended to be viewed more as working tools that were often treated roughly by their users, while cars were seen more as personal … [Read more...]

Newslines 3 September

3 September 2018

In a worrying result as children return to school this week, researchers polled 2,000 mums and dads and found 37 per cent have driven with someone else’s kid as a passenger despite not having a suitable child restraint for them. Fifty-seven per cent admit they don’t tend to lug a child car seat around on the off-chance they might need one for their little … [Read more...]

Sunday drive: Honda Jazz 1.5 i-VTEC Sport Navi

2 September 2018

The Honda Jazz might hit the right notes for some, writes David Miles. The supermini sized B-segment five door is one of Honda’s best sellers in the UK but is no longer built in this country as production for global markets at their Swindon plant has been given over to the latest Civic C-segment hatchbacks. Over seven million Jazz units have been sold … [Read more...]

Sony launch bigger in-car touchscreen receiver

2 September 2018

Adding more variety to its successful in-car audio range, Sony introduced the new XAV-AX3005DB car audio receiver , incorporating a big 6.95” Clear Responsive Touchscreen. AX3005DB (right) enables smarter driving and aids navigation, communication and playing music from your phone with voice control. All this is possible through Apple CarPlay and Android … [Read more...]

Weekend roadtest: Hyundai Kona SE 1.0 pet. 2WD

1 September 2018

While it takes its name from a Hawaiian island, the Hyundai Kona is really more of a landmark in the mainstream SUV sector. Kona is available in 11 versions based on five trim levels powered by choice of new 115 or 136 six or seven speed 1.6 turbo-diesels, alongside 120ps 1.0 2WD six speed and 177ps 1.6 AWD petrol engines, all sharing a … [Read more...]

Europe’s car sales break record as UK stalls

1 September 2018

European car market has hit a nine-year high with a strong performance in July, as a total of 1.31 million cars were registered, the highest monthly volume since July 2009 when 1.29m million cars were registered. The market was boosted by increased demand in Spain and France, as well as double-digit growth in midsize markets like the Netherlands, Austria … [Read more...]

Newslines 31 August

31 August 2018

Aston Martin is preparing to sell shares in its business, which includes the new car assembly plant in St Athan, west of Cardiff. After years of sustained losses, Aston Martin is expected to float on the London Stock Exchange in a few weeks and analysts say it could be valued at £5 Billion. Cardiff and Vale College is offering a series of auto-repair … [Read more...]

Audi on demand heading to Wales

29 August 2018

Cardiff is being considered for a new type of Audi daily-rental scheme backed by the German manufacturer. Working with Cardiff-franchise holder Mon Motors, the Audi on demand service is being rolled out to selected locations after a highly successful pilot programme in Oldham & Manchester. It asks drivers to sign up for the scheme which covers most … [Read more...]

UK fleet turnover fastest in Europe, says Arval