Porsche Cayenne offers diesel option

Launched six years ago the Porsche Cayenne has sold over 250K vehicles worldwide. Porsche is now launching a new diesel and hybrid version to offer Porsche technology with greener credentials. The new Cayenne diesel is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine with 240bhp and offers a CO2 emissions figure of 244g/km and an average combined mpg of 30.4.

The throttle response and high torque characteristics of this new common rail direct fuel injection diesel engine ensure that high performance levels are maintained.

The new Cayenne S Hybrid S Hybrid will come primarily from a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 with Direct Fuel Injection interacting with a 38kW/52bhp electric motor. The electric motor can be used as an additional source of power to boost the output of the petrol engine or as the sole drive unit operating on its own.

Cayenne S Hybrid coming in 2010

The Cayenne S Hybrid accelerates from 0-62 in 6.8 seconds yet promises CO2 emissions at 20% less than  a conventional vehicle.  CO2 figures should be around the 210g/km mark and the new Cayenne S Hybrid should be out in 2010.

Honda Insight Hybrid

Honda has reported strong demand for the Honda Insight, outselling other competitors in the hybrid car market in April. The new Insight went on sale on the 4th April and already 229 Insights have been sold in the UK, ahead of the Toyota Prius (198 units). Honda has said that together with the Civic Hybrid that totals 308 units they have sold in April.

John Kingston, Honda (UK)’s Environment and Government Affairs Manager said ” The Insight is proving a hit with cost-savvy consumers looking for a cleaner car that’s more affordable”. The Insight is exempt from the London congestion charge due its green credentials and offers a good option for a Company car driver due to its low benefit in kind tax. Honda contract hire rentals on the Insight and the Toyota Prius can be compared easily off the contract hire car leasing shopper

CAP Black Book has reported some stability returning to the used car market after two months of record prices being achieved at auction. CAP produces Black Book as the benchmark trade guide for used car pricing. This marks the end of a year when prices have been extremely volatile beginning after Easter 2008 with the largest downturn in memory and switching to an unprecedented upturn this calendar year.

One of the main reasons for the increase in prices has been a shortage of used car stock as consumers have delayed renewing their vehicles and many Companies have extended their life cycles of vehicles. Many dealerships were reporting used car stock at 30-50% lower than they would have liked in April.

If you are thinking of changing your car then now might be a better time to get it valued.

Toyota Prius Hybrid

Toyota is launching a new third generation Prius which is capable of running individually on a petrol engine, electric motor or a combination of both. Ninety percent of the components have been re-designed for a more lighter, more compact and efficient system.  

A new four-cylinder 1.8-litre VVT-i Atkinson cycle petrol engine replaces the 1.5-litre unit which is in the current Prius. The new engine delivers higher torque in lower revs and combines quieter running with a 10 per cent improvement in long distance cruising fuel economy. By adopting the Atkinson cycle and a new cooled exhaust gas recirculation system the new Prius brings gains in fuel efficiency  and emissions reduction.

The new Prius has a 80bhp (60kW) electric motor that works in tandem with the petrol engine to improve its acceleration when needed. It is 33 per cent smaller than in the current Prius yet 20 per cent more efficient.

New Toyota Prius

The car has three driving modes namely EV, ECO and POWER to increase fuel economy, driving efficiency and performance according to driving conditions. From starting the car (and also at speeds less than 31 mph) it operates in EV mode.  In ECO mode, throttle response to aggressive accelerator pedal inputs is reduced and the air conditioning is adjusted.  Driving in ECO mode can save approximately a 10-15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. POWER mode is for when you want better performance and modifies your responses to throttle inputs.

Apparently the RainSport 2 tyre scored equal overall to a premium competitor in the 205/55 R16W test but you can buy four RainSport tyres for the price of the three competitor’s tyres. Which? commented ” The tyre has good all-round grip, handles well in wet and dry conditions and resists aquaplaning well on the straights and in the bends”.

Uniroyal tyres

The RainExpert has also proven itself in the 185/60R 14 H test with Which? researchers saying ” The UniRoyal Rain Expert lives up to its name tag thanks to its class-leading wet grip.

Both tyres have Uniroyal‘s trademark directional V tread patterns to help cut through the water and provide grip to the road. The RainExpert, for small to medium sized cars comes in rim sizes of 13 to 16 inches whilst the RainSport 2, for sporty high performance vehicles, is available in 14 to 19 inch wheel sizes.

Tyres are normally included on a full maintenance contract hire arrangement however if you opt for non maintained contract hire then all servicing, mechanical repair, tyres , batteries and exhausts are your responsibility. Choosing the correct tyres for your vehicle is therefore important for your own safety as well as fitting within your budget.

Warranty Direct, the leading insurance specialist, has said that more than half of Britain’s motorists would struggle to pay a major repair if their car broke down. The credit crunch continues to affect the pockets of motorists and 53% of drivers admit tightening their belts and admitting they can ill afford the average bill of £273. Warranty Direct claims that one in three will suffer a mechanical failure annually.

Nearly 72% of the 3,000 motorists surveyed claim they would be lost without their cars, more than 5 million said budgets were so tight that they would not be able to pay up a large amount to get their car back on the road. The research showed that a third of owners are now considering extending their service interval this year to save money which is probably a false economy if things do go wrong.

Warranty Direct’s Duncan McClure Fisher said ” In the short term you might save a bit of cash by not servicing your car but eventually it is going to need work doing on it and you’re only increasing the likelihood that’s it’s going to be a very expensive repair job on a (mobility-fatal) part”.

Most expensive parts to repair according to Warranty Direct

One of the benefits of “with maintenance contract hire” is that the car leasing company can be responsible for all routine servicing, mechanical repair, tyres, batteries and exhausts thereby protecting you from these sorts of risks. Contract hire is available to both business and personal users.

actonco2

The recent Budget has focussed the mind of both companies and their drivers around the importance of CO2. The Government strategy is clearly to encourage companies and individuals to move towards low CO2 emission vehicles. The new Vehicle Excise Duty rates also came into effect in April so what are the lowest CO2 cars with an output less than 100g/km? 

The following top five cars have been take off the CO2 shopper and show your options.

1) Smartfortwo Diesel @ 88g/km

2) Seat Ibiza Diesel 1.4 TDi Ecomotive @ 98g/km (DPF version comes in at 99g/km) 

3) Ford Fiesta Diesel 1.6 TDCi Econetic @ 99g/km

4) Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i  @ 99g/km

5) Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Bluemotion TDi @ 99 g/km

Choosing your next company car by CO2 will save a company money and also the driver too.

100 Fiat Grande Punto vans for E.ON

The meter reading division, of leading power company E.ON, has taken delivery of 100 Fiat Grande Punto vans in a deal designed to generate new savings in fuel and CO2 levels. In total 101 of the brightly coloured Grande Punto vans have been supplied by Fiat Professional, the UK commercial vehicle division.

All vans are equipped with air conditioning, reverse parking sensors, rear window protection grille and protective mats along with with a speed limiter and alarm. Powered by Fiat’s tried and tested 75bhp 1.3-litre 16v MultiJet engine the vans have been finished in customised E.ON graphics.

Colin Parnell, National Contract Hire and Leasing Manager, Fiat Professional said ” We are delighted with this deal, which is a five year contract hire agreement based on 30,000 miles per annum. E.ON chose us for a number of reasons, including the overall cost of ownership, the Grande Punto’s fuel efficiency and the fact that they received positive feedback from their drivers during evaluation.

Natural Gas powered Iveco Daily

Iveco is gearing up production of a right-hand drive natural gas powered Daily van following a recent six month trial. Camden Council ran a Daily 65C14G on fuel suppplied by Gasrec, the UK’s first commercial producer of Liquid Biomethane (LBM), allowing comparisons to be drawn against vehicles that operate on both diesel and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

Martin Flach, Product Director at Iveco said ” The trial demonstrated a 62 per cent saving in CO2 over diesel and highlighted the suitability of LBM as a high quality fuel. Following the success of this trial, we will be making our gas powered Daily available to operators nationwide for use with LBM”.  The trial also showed a 30 per cent fuel saving per month compared to the diesel equivalent.

The complete range of gas powered Iveco Daily’s extends to 28 different models available in the UK including three panel vans, five chassis cabs and five chassis crew cabs, available in a variety of wheelbase lengths. All models are powered by the same 3.0-litre engine which is capable of producing up to 136hp between 2,730 and 3,500 rev/min. The engine is built as a dedicated natural gas vehicle and is subject to all the same quality build standards as the diesel model.

Fiat 500 C offers low emssions in diesel model

Fiat has recommend that company car drivers choosing their next car should consider a Fiat product following the recent Budget. The new Vehicle Excise Duty reforms means that cars emitting between 101g/km and 140g/km CO2 ( in Bands B-E) will see a reduction in road tax next year. This will mean a lower contract hire rental as this will be reflected in the Fiat car leasing  price (Vehicle Excise Duty is included within the rental ).

Seven of the Fiat‘s nine-strong model range has variants that are going to easily satisfy the new requirements – including the 500C convertible in 1.3 MultiJet diesel guise plus the Panda, 500, Grande Punto, Qubo, Bravo and Doblo.

James McMenamin, National Sales Manager for Fiat Group Corporate Sales said ” We have a total of 38 sub-140g/km CO2 models that will benefit from the introduction of these new VED rates next year. This combined with impressive fuel economy from our cutting edge engine technology and our innovative eco:Drive system, makes a compelling case for drivers and fleet managers alike to choose our vehicles”.