Ott Tänak stormed to Ypres Rally Belgium victory on Sunday afternoon to seal back-to-back FIA World Rally Championship wins. The Estonian driver inherited the top spot late on the penultimate day when Hyundai i20 N team-mate and long-time leader Thierry Neuville understeered off the road and into a ditch, shattering the Belgian’s hopes of a repeat home win. Tänak - winner of Secto Rally … [Read more...]
Toyota Aygo X makes its mark in Wales
Car sales in Wales last month saw the Toyota Aygo X the best seller for the first time as it stood out in a declining market. While Ford never figured in the UK top ten last month it was again notiching up double success in Wales with Kuga and Puma in the top ten, revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Total Welsh registrations exceeded 4,000 in July but that was drop of … [Read more...]
Toyota back holiday adventures for children
Toyota has teamed up with naturalist and adventurer Steve Backshall to provide ideas for adventures in nature to keep kids amused during the summer holidays. Steve, a father of three young children and presenter of Deadly 60 and Expedition with Steve Backshall, is passionate about encouraging children to be free in nature. He and his wife, two-time Olympic champion and triple world champion … [Read more...]
UK new car sales decline slows
UK new car registrations fell 9.0% to reach 112,162 units in July, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The result marks the fifth month of consecutive decline, although the fall is the smallest recorded this year. Ongoing global supply chain issues, predominantly the lack of semiconductors, continued to frustrate order fulfilment, exacerbated by Covid lockdowns in key … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota Aygo X Edge
With more people than ever now living in urban areas car makers are considering how they meet their requirements and the Toyoto Aygo X is the latest from one of the world’s biggest manufacturers. It first gave us the Aygo in 2005 but time and tastes change so Toyota has updated its original model and created the Aygo X, which has a chunkier and stronger look, better equipment and retains the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Toyota GR Yaris
The World Rally Championship is all about clipping seconds off your competitors, but the Toyota GR Yaris took years off me. Built to permit the company to take part in motor-sport’s toughest rally series and winning in 2018, the GR Yaris is probably the closest a driver will come to sitting in one of the actual WRC cars. For those of a certain age, or older, the GR Yaris rekindles the racy hot … [Read more...]
Newslines 10June
Automobili Lamborghini adds a new record to its list with its Super SUV Urus, as the best-selling model in the shortest time ever. Since its market debut in 2018, 20,000 units have been produced, setting sales records year on year and the twenty-thousandth Urus, in Viola Mithras with black calipers and panoramic roof, is destined for a customer in Azerbaijan. The cost of filling a 55-litre … [Read more...]
Ford take top sales in Wales
Ford has returned to the top spot in Wales once again. It has been hamstrung by vehicle shortages due to components being unavailable to build cars across Europe but it has slowly been improving this year as alternative sources are used. Now in May it saw the Puma and Kuga clearly ahead in Welsh registrations with the former making big gains in particular and claiming the top spot after five … [Read more...]
Hybrids hit the hard stuff this weekend in WRC
Kalle Rovanperä starts on the back foot this weekend as he defends an early-season FIA World Rally Championship lead in Croatia at the event that marked his low point of 2021. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver holds a 14-point advantage ahead of the Zagreb-based Croatia Rally (21 - 24 April), round three of the year and the first pure asphalt fixture of the new hybrid-powered era. Twelve months ago … [Read more...]
EVs spark life into 24 year car sales slump
New car registrations collapsed to a 24-year low last month, despite bulging orders which car makers cannot supply. UK new car registrations fell by -14.3% to 243,479 units in March, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Wales bucked the trend and saw 9,523 new cars registered with the new 71-plate in March, a 2.52% rise on the same time last year … [Read more...]