Production of the three-year-old Mercedes-Benz X-class pickup is ending in June. Based on the Nissan Navara, it has failed to reach anticipated sales figures but it will remain available to order until 11 February, it has told media. Pump prices are falling at last. RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said, “Drivers should be relieved the supermarkets are cutting fuel prices after weeks of … [Read more...]
Diesel cars collapse in January new car decline
The UK new car market declined 7.3% in January, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Some 149,279 vehicles left showrooms as continued confusion surrounding diesel and clean air zones and ongoing weak consumer and business confidence continue to affect demand. Continuing low consumer demand was a key driver behind the decline, with registrations by private … [Read more...]
Tradelines 22 January
People seeking a rewarding and exciting career in the automotive industry are being encouraged to apply for an apprenticeship place at BMW Group’s UK manufacturing operations. Opportunities exist at Oxford, Swindon and Hams Hall in engineering, maintenance and business and there’re 30 places for the two to four year courses. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles UK Ltd. has announced a raft of changes to … [Read more...]
Newslines 17 January
Toyota will use the Geneva motor show in March to unveil its concept for a new small SUV due to go on sale in about 12 months. Based on the forthcoming new Yaris platform and assembled in northern France, the un-named model will sell along with a new plug-in hybrid RAV4, the company said this week. European car-makers reported an overall 21% rise in December registrations as buyers filled … [Read more...]
BMW boost their electric offerings
The figures speak for themselves with the latest line-up of new BMW PHEV plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on offer with more models to come, writes David Miles. This week BMW UK held a media test driving event with most of their PHEV models available for test driving. This coincided with this week’s United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Madrid until 13 December. At this … [Read more...]
EV values are sparking
Used electric cars are bucking industry trends by appreciating — rather than depreciating — in value, according to the UK’s fastest-growing automotive shopping site, CarGurus. Every day, CarGurus analyses millions of data points on hundreds of thousands of UK used car listings to calculate each car’s Instant Market Value (IMV) or fair retail price. Using this data, CarGurus examined prices for … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 October
Over 50 BMW models, two from Rolls-Royce and a Toyota Supra are among 257,473 new cars recalled by US safety experts. All have been fitted since 2018 with a reversing camera which may not show any image due to a fault in the system settings, although the camera is working. As part of Vauxhall’s ongoing commitment to reduce CO2 emissions, the manufacturer has revealed information on the … [Read more...]
BMWs score top marks in safety tests
Two BMW’s - the 1 Series and the 3 Series – both achieve a maximum five-star rating in the latest EuroNCAP crash tests. The Jeep Cherokee and the Peugeot 208 settle for four stars apiece. The Peugeot 208 narrowly misses out on a five-star rating, so drops a star compared to the previous-generation vehicle, that offered fewer standard safety technology but was tested against less stringent … [Read more...]
Electric & premium brands’ car sales soaring
Brits are going bonkers for battery powered cars. September sales figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show a staggering 236.4% increase in pure electric models registered, albeit from a low point 12 months earlier. But their sales would have been higher if manufacturers had supplied more and there is now a long waiting list for the lowest carbon emissions … [Read more...]
Newslines 20 September
If you’re planning to watch the Rugby World Cup games at a club or pub, beware the fact that drink drive accidents markedly increase between 1 and 4pm on a Sunday. Men are the main culprits, mostly younger drivers, says insurethebox.com . New trams on South Wales proposed £738M metro network will not have toilets, it has been learned. Transport for Wales says passengers would be able to use … [Read more...]