Car Leasing News

Toyota Verso-S

The new B-segment MPV, the Toyota Verso-S, gets its world premiere at the forthcoming 2010 Paris Motor Show and will be launched in the UK in early 2011. This new Toyota is small, spacious and smart and is a lesson in space management as it is less than 4-metres in length, but offers maximum space through its flexible design. Further details of the new Toyota Verso-S will revealed on the press day, which is on the 30th September.

Toyota will also be making its Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) a focal point of its stand, to celebrate 10 years of hybrid history and the recent launch of the Auris HSD. The feature of the stand will be the Hybrid Synergy Drive Gallery which is an interactive exhibition charting the company’s drive to sustainable mobility through its development of HSD use in Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHV), Electric Vehicles (EV) and of course fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles (FCHV). They will also unveil the FT-CH Concept which is their proposal for a full hybrid in the small compact car segment.

In addition Toyota will also launch a new interior finish for the iQ and a new colour scheme (and easy to use multimedia system) for the Aygo. You can find Toyota in Hall 4 of the show from 8.45 a.m. on Thursday the 30th September.

i-MiEV European spec

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is set to unveil the European specification all-electric i-MiEV, at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, which is being held at the Paris Expo-Porte de Versailles in Paris, from Thursday September the 30th to Sunday, October 17th.

The European spec i-MiEV will be rolled out across Europe from December this year, including the UK, and features a new design to the front and rear bumpers to meet EU regulations. In addition the car has a rearranged centre stack in the instrument panel and improved interior comfort.

Mitsubishi will be showing a range of 12 vehicles at the show, including the new ASX compact crossover, Lancer Sportback and the new Outlander 2.2 DiD mid-size crossover and you can find them in Hall 3.

Honda Jazz IMA Hybrid

The Honda Jazz (B-segment car) is set to get Honda’s petrol-electric IMA system added to the range and will make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show. The new car will get the same engine that is in the Insight Hybrid, the 1.3-litre i-VTEC combined a CVT gearbox, with an electric motor to offer a parallel hybrid system.

The new cleaner Jazz also gets a visual refresh with revised headlights with a blue surround, clear rear lights, new front grille, restyled bumpers and a chrome tailgate garnish. Available in a range of existing colours there is also a new Lime Green metallic. The cabin also gets a new fresh look with a darker single colour dashboard and is available with leather trim for the first time in a Jazz model in Europe.

Honda will also display the 2011 Insight, CR-Z, Jazz, CR-V, Accord and Accord Tourer as well as their sports touring motorcycle VFR1200F which has a V4 engine plus their PCX scooter, with a low emission idle-stop 125cc engine. The current Honda Jazz is also still on special offer on the site via the Business contract hire special offers pages from £139+VAT per month.

Kia POP

Kia Motors is set to unveil its all-new electric concept car at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show on the 30th September. The Paris Motor Show will run from the 30th September until the 17th October and will showcase the latest in challenging designs and latest models.

The Kia all-new electric concept car is called the Kia POP and boasts zero emissions (whilst in use), is only three metres long, has a three-seat layout and adds innovative chic to the city car segment. Further details will be released closer to the show.

EcoDaily Electric van

Iveco has launched a new EcoDaily Electric van and chassis cab in the UK and Ireland which now combines the robustness of its popular commercial vehicle, with a model that has zero tailpipe emissions. They will now offer a 3.5 tonne single rear wheel (Daily 35S) and 5.2 tonne twin rear wheel (Daily 50C) model in van or chassis cab, with special applications (crew cab, MPV etc) available on request.

This electric van is ideally suited to short distance journeys and door-to-door deliveries in an urban environment and of course qualifies for a 100 per cent discount on the London Congestion Charge. Depending on how many batteries you have fitted, the range varies from 55 miles to 80 miles and each vehicle has their speed limited to 45mph.

Lexus CT 200h

Lexus has introduced innovative body engineering to give the new Lexus CT 200h sporty handling plus fuel efficiency for the luxury small car market. They have used front and rear lateral performance dampers combined with a body that delivers greater torsional rigidity, suppresses vibration and enhances the ride comfort.

The new CT 200h has been specifically tuned for European roads and aims to take on the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3, offering a sporty hybrid alternative. The driving mood can be changed by the selectable SPORT, NORMAL and ECO drive modes and the new car goes on sale in early 2011.

Fleet of THINK city EVs

THINK, the Scandanavian electric vehicle manufacturer (EV) and M-Way, it’s Swiss distribution partner (part of the Migros Group) have tied up a deal for 60 THINK City electric vehicles to be supplied to Swiss eco tourism group, Alpmobil.

The programme is to run as a trial during the peak European holiday season until the end of September 2010 and will take place in the Goms and Haslital region, with vehicles being powered entirely by renewable energy sources  from the Swiss mountains. The THINK city electric vehicles will be available for hire through some 30 hotels in the resorts and also through the Alpmobil website at a rate of 45 euros per day.

There are more than 20 battery charging points installed in the area with power coming from hydroelectric generated electricity derived from local mountain waters, reservoirs and dams.

Free fuel efficiency check voucher

If you visit the Vauxhall ecoFLEX Expereince website they are offering a free fuel efficiency check voucher which you can use at any Vauxhall Masterfit Retailer. The ecoFLEX Fuel Efficiency Check includes an inspection of the vehicle’s tyres, the air conditioning system and you will also be given tips and advice for improving fuel efficiency and reducing your carbon emissions when driving.

Andrea Caumon, Vauxhall MasterFit Manager said,”The ecoFLEX Fuel Efficiency Check voucher offers motorists an opportunity to gain expert help in minimising their fuel bills and environmental footprint completely free of charge. The ecoFLEX approach to efficiency is a reminder that we can all make a contribution to emission reduction simply by servicing and maintaining our cars on a regular basis”.

Bosch Start/Stop technology

Bosch has announced that Start/Stop technology, which is usually only available on manual cars, is now available for automatic vehicles. They have sold over 1.5 million Start/Stop systems since 2007 and the technology has now been adapted and is already available in cars like the Volkswagen Passat, the Porsche Panamera (with dual clutch transmission), the Fiat 500 (in combination with automated manual transmission) and in the Audi A8 with a torque converter clutch.

In vehicles with automatic transmission the start/stop function is really easy to use. When the driver steps on the brake pedal (and as soon as the car stops), the engine stops automatically and then starts again when the brake pedal is released. This sounds really simple but for the Bosch engineers it was a real challenge to make the start process faster and more dynamic.

The Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has reported that average new car CO2 emissions were down 4.7% in the first half of 2010, to 145.2 g/km, compared with the same period in 2009. The rate of improvement has cooled since the withdrawal of the Car Scrappage Scheme, which favoured smaller eco-friendly cars. The SMMT also found that registrations of alternatively fuelled cars doubled over this period as well.

Interestingly, registrations for “signposted eco-models” (Volkswagen BlueMotion, Vauxhall Ecoflex and Mercedes-Benz BlueEFFICIENCY) have risen by 141.4% in the first half of 2010, to almost 74,000 units and by almost 850% when comparing to the first half of 2008.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive said,”Continued vehicle manufacturer efforts to improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions has further reduced average CO2 output during a better than anticipated first half of 2010. The remainder of the year is set to be challenging, especially post scrappage scheme. All manufacturers are committed to offering ever more efficient product through the introduction of increasingly efficient engines and alternative technologies”.

If you are looking for a low CO2 car with great fuel economy, The Contract Hire Super Shopper is an excellent way of selecting your next vehicle. Choose your type of car (saloon, estate etc),your favourite car manufacturers (or all) and then your preferred CO2 and combined mpg ranges and the cars that fit your criteria will be displayed.