BMW announced today that Tim Abbott has been appointed as their new Managing Director in the UK and will take up his position on the 1st February 2009.

Tim who is currently Sales Director replaces Klaus Kibsgaard who is moving to new role within the BMW Group Sales and Marketing division. Tim first joined BMW in 1986 and has held several sales positions before joining Audi in 1996. He re-joined BMW, after a spell at Sytner, in 2006.

Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG said ” Tim’s breadth of experience across this industry has proved to be a great asset in his current position and will be even more valuable as he takes over the leadership of BMW (UK).

Tim said ” I am clearly delighted with my new appointment. While the current business environment is tough, our exceptional brands and range of outstanding cars and motorcycles puts us in a strong position”.

Good luck to Tim in his new role.

The new MD for BMW (UK) is Tim Abbott

Peugeot has announced that the new Peugeot 107 is available in all UK showrooms with three trim levels available namely Urban Lite, Urban and Verve.

All the new 107′s benefit from a zippy 1.0 litre petrol engine emitting just 106 g/km CO2.

Fuel consumption for the manual model is 51.3 for the Urban cycle, 72.4 mpg for the Extra urban cycle and 62.7 mpg for the Combined cycle which are impressive numbers.

The new 107 is really practical and seats up to 4 people. It has also been awarded a 4 star EuroNCAP rating in the adult protection test.  Two new colours have also been added, Mandalin Orange and Electra Blue to the existing range.

A new and youthful style and design enhancing the spirit of the current model.

New Peugeot 107

esure,  one of the insurance comparison companies, has reported that car keys are being targeted by criminals. Ninety percent of high value cars ( £10,000+) stolen in 2008 involved the use of the original keys according to their research.

esure have give some tips to help you protect your car keys as ” hot wiring” has become a thing of the past;

1) Don’t leave your keys visible in a hallway

2) Never leave your keys in the ignition if you move away from the vehicle

3) Never hang up your jacket with your car keys inside a pocket

4) Be careful at the gym or other sporting activities where you change clothing as thieves may follow you

5) Don’t leave your car running to “de-frost” it in winter months

6) If you have garage then use it if possible

7) Make your home more secure i.e. get a burglar alarm, more secure locks etc

8) Drive with your car doors locked to avoid “car jacking”

9) Carry your car keys securely i.e. in a zipped pocket

All good advice and of course this applies to van drivers as well.

The flagship of the BMW range has now been launched with the introduction of a new long wheel base version. Used by chauffeurs and business users this new model has a Combined mpg of 38.7 and a CO2 g/km emissions of 194 g/km.

The new BMW  730Ld can reach 0-62 mph in 7.3 seconds which is no slouch for such a big powerful car. As with all new BMW models it comes with the EfficientDynamics technology to maximise economy, improve emissions whilst also improving output and engine performance. Standard options include Dynamic Stability Control, Hill-Start Assistant, Brake Drying, Brake Pre-tensioning plus Stop-soft and Brake Fade Compensation. The Dynamic Traction Control can be activated via a button to help driving on slippery surfaces or ice. 

New BMW 730 Ld

Prompt Payer has joined forces with the new car and van contract hire price comparison site, Comparecontracthire.com. Contract hire prices from 12 finance companies can be now obtained directly from the Prompt Payer site.

The Prompt Payer register supports and promotes prompt payment of invoices and ethical business practice. It has over 35,000 members, partners and associates.

The Prompt Payer Register  was founded in 2003 and was also created to help support the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is a charity that funds research to find an effective treatment for Cystic Fibrosis through gene therapy.

Robert Wastell, Managing Director of Comparecontracthire.com said ” We are delighted to be associated with The Prompt Payer Register and actively support its business code. Prompt payment of invoices for any services provided, is essential for any business in these uncertain times. Being associated with The Cystic Fibrosis Trust means you are also helping a fantastic charity and I would encourage all businesses to join as we have”.

Grosvenor Contracts, one of the UK’s FN50 contract hire companies has started to supply its contract hire prices on commercial vans to Comparecontracthire.com.

Grosvenor has been on this new price comparison site since October 2008, however have only supplied car data. There are 12 finance partners currently supplying contract hire leasing pricing data to Comparecontracthire.com to populate it’s live quote engine.

The addition of van pricing for Grosvenor Contracts means that six of the current partners are displaying van contract hire prices.

Just checking the £ budget shopper and the least expensive Audi available off the site at the moment is from TCH Leasing.

You can contract hire an Audi A3 1.6 SE Sportback 5 Door for only £203.00 per month (excluding VAT). This is based on three years at 10,000 miles per annum on non maintenance business contract hire. The payment terms are three initial rentals followed by 35 subsequent rentals.

Alfa Romeo has reported that the new MiTo is now on sale. There are three versions available namely Turismo, Lusso and Veloce with a choice from five engine variations, three petrol and two diesels.

The new MiTo goes into direct competition in a sector including the Mini so it will have tough competition. However with its attractive innovative styling it delivers head turning good looks so its bound to give the Mini a “run for its money”.

The turbo charged 1.4 Lusso hits 0-62 mpg in 8.4 seconds so it delivers impressive acceleration if required. However it also has a high safety accreditation and has been awarded a 5 star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Mazda has reported that demand from contract hire fleets and especially those companies with “user chooser” fleets increased by two thirds in 2008.

Peter Allibon, Fleet and Remarketing Director for Mazda said “ Mazda2 outperformed our expectations month after month in 2008 in both the retail and corporate markets due to driver downsizing, strong residual values and affordability”.

The Mazda strategy for delivering cars with very competitive whole life costs, strong future resale values,low benefit-in-kind tax bills and class leading specifications seems to be working.

Ford scooped several awards last night at the What Car awards. An excellent evening with entertainment supplied by Jo Brand, the well known comedienne. Steve Fowler, What Car Editor, said  “The Fiesta is the most complete small car we have ever tested.

Ford also won Best Family Car and Best Family Estate for 2009 with the Mondeo.

The full role call of winners is as follows.

Supermini - Fiesta 1.25i 82 Zetec 5 Door

Small Family Car – VW Golf 1.4 TSi 122 SE 5 Door

Family Car – Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Zetec 5 Door

Estate Car- Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Estate Zetec

MPV- Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 HDI SX EGS

Security- Audi

Safety – NCAP

Hot Hatch- Mini Cooper S

Coupe- Audi TT 2.0 TFSi

Open Top – Volkswagen Eos 2.0 TSi Sport

Performance Car -Nissan GT-R

SUV – Volvo XC 60 2.4D SE

Compact Executive – BMW 320d ES

Executive Car – Jaguar XF 2.7 V6 Diesel Luxury

Luxury Car- Mercedes Benz S320 CDI