New Honda Civic in disguise

Honda has confirmed that the new Civic and the next generation CR-V will be built at their UK manufacturing plant in Swindon, which is great news for the local economy and the UK as a whole.  The new Civic will be the ninth-generation of this popular hatchback since it went on sale back in 1972.

Mark Trowbridge,Director of Quality and New Model at HUM, said,”The next six months will be busy, as we ramp up to full production following the training and trial builds of the new car. The fact that we will be the only Honda plant in the world producing this hatchback version of the new Civic, makes us extremely proud of the highly skilled and dedicated team we have working here in Swindon”. Honda contract hire prices are on the site now with some special “quarter three 2011″ offers loaded by Honda as well.

Aston Martin Cygnet

Aston Martin has entered two Cygnets into the fifth annual Bridgestone Eco-Rally which starts tomorrow at Broad Street in London at 10.00 A.M. and finishes at 14.30 P.M. The rally showcases the world’s best eco-friendly vehicles and the hand-crafted Cygnet is a bespoke, exclusive Aston Martin in small package, offering CO2 emissions of 116g/km and fuel economy of 56.5mpg. 

One the Cygnets is in Seychelles Blue which is the paint colour of the Aston Martin DB6 Mark II Volante recently driven by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their wedding day. In addition to the two formal entries there will also be a third Cygnet supporting the two entrants, which is in eye-catching “Flouro Orange”. Darren Martin from Aston Martin, said,”I have been a fan of Cygnet from the start. It’s a great city car, easy to manoeuvre and park and a lof ot fun to drive”.

Suzuki Alto

The latest Warranty Direct reliability survey confirmed Suzuki’s reputation for car reliability with another strong performance by the company. The brand scored 38 points in the Reliability Index and came in at third place with two other Japanese manufacturers. The score of 38 was impressive when compared to the average score across 35 manufacturers which was 100 (the lower the score the more reliable the car).

The Warranty Direct Reliability Index takes into account all manners of repair including the cost of parts, frequency of failures and time off the road. The Suzuki cars that were measured in the survey had an average age of 4.5 years, mileage of 33,400 and just 15% of which required a warranty claim. The average cost of a repair for the brand was low as well, at an average £255.

Suzuki’s Alto supermini also did well with the previous generation Alto (at 4.2 years old) ranking as one of the cheapest cars to repair at £96.20, plus its reliability score was 6.00.  This follows on from the Which? magazine report into reliability which found that the average repair time for a Suzuki car was 0.63 days, the second lowest measured and Suzuki was also one of the cheapest to repair at £191. If you are interested in leasing a Suzuki then we have the full range on the site now.

Hybrid technology

Toyota has just been awarded the title of the “world’s greenest brand” as part of  a new global survey from the international brand consultancy, Interbrand. The new global survey is called Best Global Green Brands and takes into account environmental performance plus public perception, to give a “green profile” which then produces a Green Performance Score.

Toyota’s development of full hybrid technology, notably with the Prius, was a key contributor to their strong green performance and since 1997, Toyota and Lexus have notched up 3.2 million hybrid vehicle sales worldwide. The Interbrand report covered data from the world’s leading markets including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Brazil and India with Toyota receiving an impressive top score of 64.19.

The methodology for the new report was designed by Interbrand and Deloitte, with the new Green Performance Score designed to be applied across differing industries. Interbrand also interviewed over 10,000 consumers across ten of the world’s largest markets to understand consumer perceptions of a brand’s green performance.

New Twingo

Renault has released the first official image of its new Twingo which is the first mass production vehicle which will showcase the new brand identity of Renault. The front end has been completely changed while on the bonnet, the Renault logo has been enlarged and is in a more central, vertical position.

The new Twingo will be offically unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on the 13th September, by their Chief Operating Officer, Carlos Tavares and we should load new Twingo Renault contract hire prices thereafter.

CAP, the UK’s leading vehicle information provider, has just set its residual value (future resale value) for the Azure fully-electric van at just 20% after three years and 30,000 miles. This certainly reflects the conservative view that the trade is taking over the resale value of electric vans, despite the low running costs of the Azure.

The Azure Dynamics Transit Connect, which was launched into the UK this summer, is the result of a collaboration between Ford and Canadian company Azure Dynamics. The van has a current manufacturer list price of £39,999 and the CAP future forecast resale value is just £8,000 after 3yrs/30,000.

CAP’s opinion is that second-hand values of electric vans is fraught with many uncertainties with the main issue around whether expensive battery packs will need to be replaced at some stage. Tim Cattlin, CAP Commercial Vehicle Monitor editor, said,”We have no wish to dampen enthusiasm for any new development in the light commercial vehicles sector but at this point the prospects for all-electric vans are fraught with difficulties, despite the clear operating advantages of using one for specific kinds of work”.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport convertible

The Maserati GranCabrio convertible has just been taken to a new level with the launch of the new Maserati GranCabrio Sport. This new car has more power, a faster gearshift with a more aggressive look and now sits alongside the GranTurismo S and the Quattroporte Sport GT S as the flagships in each respective range.

The GranCabrio has a 4.7-litre engine offering 450hp which takes the car from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and onto a top speed of 177mph (where permitted). The car has improved fuel economy with the faster MC Auto Shift mode coupled to a six-speed transmission, plus the handling has been upgraded with a revision to the Skyhook active-suspension system and a more responsive brake package. The GranCabrio Sport has an aggressive, dynamic look with a distinctive nose and first RHD car deliveries to the UK should be in October 2011.

Peugeot 107 Experience

Peugeot has launched a special YouTube channel which will broadcast targeted videos of the Peugeot 107 city car at young-minded people on the Internet. The worldwide campaign uses personalised, entertaining and interactice content and it is designed to introduce the values of the 107 to this targeted audience.

Four videos have been commissioned with Continental Productions, with one video available in two versions to cater for both specific male and female viewers. Users can share from four universes: VIP, SHARE, GLAM or FUN with a different story to each, and you can upload your picture to the video, your name and then share it on Facebook , Twitter or E-mail with your friends.

The site can be found at www.youtube.com/107experience

William Fox-Pitt

William Fox-Pitt, the UK’s top three-day event rider, has just collected the keys to a brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee with 237bhp on tap. The three-time World and three-time Olympian Champion chose the flagship  3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel 4WD for its legendary off-road capability, luxury, space and pulling power.

William said,”I have the British Open and the European Championships coming up, followed by events at Burghley and Blenheim, so the Jeep’s four-wheel drive capability is going to be very useful. The car will also be vital in the winter and during wet British summers. The large boot space is essential, and there is plenty of space in the back for my two sons. All in all it’s a fantastic new car which will suit my busy lifestyle very well”.

The new Grand Cherokee has been getting great attention from the press and media and this new model offers up to 34mpg on the combined fuel cycle. Jeep Grand Cherokee contract hire is on the site now.

Supermarine Spitfire

It is the 75th anniversary of the Supermarine Spitfire this year and a dozen or so planes will fly over the Goodwood skies, when the 2011 Goodwood Revival gets underway (16th-18th September). Goodwood used to be an active Battle of Britain air base, known as RAF Westhampnett during the Second World War, and Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes regularly took to the skies.

During the Goodwood Revival weekend the Spitfires will undertake a series of air displays with a final scramble for take off on the last day (Sunday), when a dozen examples will take to the skies. The Goodwood Revival is an iconic historic motor race meeting and relives the glory racing days of the 1940s, 50s and 60s with various classic cars taking part. Tickets to the event can be obtained at www.goodwood.co.uk/motorsport