Three days of Arctic WRC action puts drivers’ skills to the test this week. The plans are for the Rovaniemi round of the WRC to be driven as a three-day event: the action starts on Friday 26 February with a shakedown in the morning. The first special stages of the rally proper will be driven on Friday evening and the competition continues on Saturday 27 February with three stages that will all … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Suzuki Swace, SZ-T
The Suzuki Swace hybrid 5-door mid-sized estate is the second recent model to join the Suzuki range from their partnership with Toyota formed in 2019, writes David Miles. Toyota also manufacture the Across large-ish Plug-in-Hybrid SUV which is based on the new RAV4 PHEV. The addition of Swace and Across models to the Suzuki range means all Suzuki models throughout their line-up are hybrids and … [Read more...]
Evans begins bid for 2021 WRC crown this week
As the first round of this year's WRC gets underway today in Monte Carlo, the FIA World Rally Championship revealed it will venture into the Arctic Circle for the first time next month after WRC Promoter added Arctic Rally Finland to the 2021 calendar. The all-new snow and ice event will be based in Rovaniemi on 26 - 28 February and replaces the cancelled Rally Sweden as the WRC’s only pure … [Read more...]
Rare and rarer & ready to be picked up for peanuts
There are some of Britain’s true automotive gems. And we don’t mean the obvious one-offs and models that were launched so long ago there are only one or two left. Where’s the fun in that? CarleaseSpecialOffers said you might think Ferrari owners enjoy exclusivity, but you’d be wrong. Sort of. Even the Ferrari 812 Superfast – a 6.5-litre, 789bhp grand tourer – isn’t as rare as the Fiat … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 December
Toyota and Lexus models roll off production lines at the rate of 19.9 models a minute. Moneyshake analysed the makers and found Volkswagen Group built 19.8 cars a minute, Hyundai 13.7, GM 13.0 and Ford 12.2 per minute but they fade into the background when all China makers churn out 48.9 cars a minute, more than double the rate in the US. Honda Swindon has restarted car production. It stopped … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota C-HR Dynamic 2.0 Hybrid
Continuous improvement is the philosophy of Toyota and few car makers have as much experience of evs, launching its Hybrid Synergy Drive in 1997, and is rolling out more models every few years, writes Robin Roberts. The Toyota C-HR is a good example of continuous improvement, first introduced to the UK in 2018 with a 120bhp 1.8 litre petrol engine which helped it notch up over 50,000 … [Read more...]
Welsh lockdown badly hits car dealers
The firebreak lockdown has wiped 25% off new car sales in Wales, revealed figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. It is a warning to England which has just gone into a month's lockdown as opposed to the fortnight shutdown in Wales which ends on monday after 3,677 new cars were sold by Welsh dealers in the three weeks they could open last month.October new car … [Read more...]
As emissions fall, there’s a dire warning on trade
Amid a very turbulent year, there is finally some positive news on the horizon for the automotive industry. Many OEMs have started to see a significant reduction in their average emissions levels and are largely on track to hit targets set by the European Commission, despite new car registrations being severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to data collected and updated on a … [Read more...]
Newslines 6 October
Mazda Your Way is a new national scheme to help prospective owners tie up with a local dealership. After a pilot in London, Mazda Your Way permits remote connections from initial enquiry to final purchase and delivery of their chosen car. Midlands and North East car plants of Toyota and Nissan have reportedly asked the UK government to reimburse them if charged an additional 10% tax on exports … [Read more...]
Wales’ forests rallying agreement signed
Motorsport UK and Natural Resources Wales have signed a new access agreement to allow competitive four-wheeled rallying for the next three years until 2023. For decades, NRW’s forests have played host to a range of motorsport, working effectively with Motorsport UK to stage events at every level of the sport, from grassroots to the iconic Wales Rally GB – Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally … [Read more...]
