Citroen 2CV

The Citroen 2CV is still breaking records after 60 years with a record-breaking global-gathering taking place from the 26th-31st July, at the 19th International ‘Amis de la 2CV” event near Salbris in France, where over 6,000 examples are expected to attend.

The original 2CV was developed in the 1930s with most of the prototypes being destroyed in the second world war, with the exception of three, which were hidden to stop them falling into enemy hands, with the fourth prototype stored by Michelin. The 2CV was officially launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1948 and a remarkable 5,114,940 units were sold between 1948 and 1990.

The 2011  ’Amis de la 2CV” event will have a wide range of features including a 2Cv “disassemble-reassemble” competition, a bring-and-buy sale, children’s events and the use of driving simulators, plus the Citroen REVOLTe concept city car will be on show, which was inspired by the 2CV’s distinctive silhouette.

Goodwood Moving Motor Show

There will be a record number of new cars attending the Goodwood Moving Motor Show in two weeks time. The event gets underway on the 30th June, closely followed by the popular Festival of Speed (1-3 July). Goodwood expects more than 175,000 visitors over the four days of the event and if you are thinking of attending this fun packed meeting, here is a sample of some of the cars on show.

There will be public debuts for the Citroen DS4, Morgan 3-Wheeler, Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, Ford Focus Estate and BMW 1 Series M.

In the Supercar Run you can feast your eyes on the Ferrari FF, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Pagani Huayra, Jaguar XKR-S, Marussia B1 and B2, Hulme Can Am Spyder, Hennessey Venom GT and the BAC Mono.

In The First Glance interesting performance cars section on show will be the Vauxhall Astra GTC, Honda CR-Z Mugen, Range Rover Evoque and Citroen Survolt concept. Other concepts at the show include the Alfa Romeo 4C and Jaguar CX-75 plus a number of other surprises.

Ticket details, and other information for the 2011 Festival of Speed can be found by calling the Ticket Hotline on 01243 755055 or at the Goodwood website below.

http://www.goodwood.co.uk/motorsport/motorsport.aspx

EcoVelocity Show 2011

The EcoVelocity UK eco motor show is being held at Battersea Power Station in London from Thursday the 8th to Sunday the 11th September. There will be a number of green low-CO2 cars, electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids on show, with manufacturers being represented including Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, SEAT, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

EcoVelocity is going to be a fun interactive day out for all the family with the “SEAT youngs driver programme (11-16 year olds), Honda introducing motorcycling to young children, a Green Supercar paddock and also an Eco-Lab which delves into the science behind eco-motoring.

Gile Brown, Event Founder, commented,”In the absence of the British Motor Show in 2011, EcoVelocity will be the most important and definitely not to be missed motoring event of the year, showcasing the best real-world cars for real-world motorists at a single location”. If you are also thinking of leasing a low CO2 car try the Vehicle Type leasing shopper for a range of the latest models available.

Nissan LEAF rear view

The Nissan LEAF is the first all-electric vehicle to win the coveted 2011 European Car of the Year Award. The Nissan LEAF is the world’s first mass marketed, affordable, zero-emission vehicle and this is the first time in the 47 year history of this award that it has gone to a 100% electric vehicle.

Nissan LEAF

The jury included 57 leading motorist journalists from 23 countries and the Nissan LEAF saw off competition from Alfa Romeo, Citroen , Dacia, Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and Volvo to win top prize. Hakan Matson, President of the Jury, Car of the Year, said, “The jury acknowledged today that the Nissan LEAF is a breakthrough for electric cars. Nissan LEAF is the first EV that can match conventional cars in many respects”.

The Nissan LEAF is powered by a compact electric motor that develops a power output of 109PS and has a maximum speed of 90mph. It comes with regenerative braking, air conditioning, satellite navigation, parking camera and an advanced on-board IT and telematics system.

The car will be available in five colours in Europe namely blue metallic and pearl, white pearl, silver metallic, black solid and red pearl and will be launched in the UK in March 2011.

Nissan has a number of other eco-friendly cars in the pipeline, under the PURE DRIVE label including a petrol-electric hybrid based on the Infiniti and next year also sees the launch of the new Micra which will offer CO2 emissions of just 95g/km.

Volkswagen Polo at 91g/km CO2 is a low CO2 car

Clean Green Cars has found that in the second quarter of 2010, average CO2 emitted by new cars was 145.1g/km, compared to 145.6g/km of CO2 in the first quarter. In May and June the actual figures edged back and up and the end of the car scrappage scheme has probably caused the blip.

The mandatory manufacturer CO2 target by the EU is an average of 130g/km by 2012 and Clean Green Cars thinks there could be significant problems ahead for the car industry. Jay Nagley, Publisher of Clean Green Cars said,”Car manufacturers are swimming against the tide now that the scrappage scheme has ended.They are going to have to redouble their efforts to meet what is a reasonable target overall”.

There are three car manufacturers below the overall EU target (four seat models) as follows;

1. Toyota at 124.49 g/km
2. Fiat at 125.05 g/km
3. MINI at 129.33 g/km

Hyundai and Citroen are close to the target as well with both these manufacturers below 132g/km of CO2 and if you want to see the full table you can find it at the Clean Green Cars website. Alternatively if you are searching for a low CO2 car on contract hire then try the Super Shopper. You can choose a body style, then all manufacturers (or a selection), your contract hire budget range and then set the CO2 level to below 130g/km for example.

Mazda

The Northern Ireland Mazda dealers are outperforming UK mainland Mazda dealers, with March year on year sales growing by a record 81%. Motorists in Northern Ireland are switching to Mazda which is outperforming other manufacturers like Audi, Citroen, Honda and Fiat. Mazda is now the third best selling Japanese brand in Northern Ireland after Toyota and Nissan.

The popularity of the Mazda2 and Mazda3 has helped the growth in Northern Ireland, with fewer than one in four car sales being accounted for by the car scrappage scheme. Mark Cameron, sales director for Mazda UK said,”Customers know that we represent really good value for money and as our brand awareness grows in Northern Ireland, more and more customers are switching to us”. Mazda contract hire prices on the whole Mazda range is available now.

Used Car Expert magazine has commented that with some Peugeot and Citroen models also sharing the same accelerator part as Toyota, and also in need of correcting, that manufacturer recalls also need to be included as part of any vehicle service history.

Magazine editor Matthew Turnbridge said,”The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VoSA) tells me that 9.36% of vehicles or components recalled last year never got repaired.  While this shocking statistic includes stolen vehicles and motors that have been scrapped or written off, what it does mean is that there’s a huge number of cars out there that haven’t had a faulty part fixed – for one reason or another, owners have not answered the recall”.  

If you ever want to check the state of play with any manufacturer recalls campagins then you can search at the VoSA site@ http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/default.asp . One of the added value benefits of having a maintained leased car is that the leasing company will usually be told by the manufacturer about any recalls and will notify you accordingly.

2010 Citroen Berlingo First

The popular Citroen Berlingo First 1.6 HDi 75hp 600kg panel van has been updated for 2010 with a significant specification boost. The van now comes with “Plus Pack” as a standard option and this adds remote control central locking, electric front windows and electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors.

In addition the 2010 Berlingo First specification model gains a near side sliding side load door as part of its standard equipment, to further improve access to the vehicle.

Charles Peugeot, head of commercial vehicles and business sector sales said,”The well proven Berlingo First continues to be a popular budget choice for van buyers. The latest Berlingo First specification upgrade will further enhance the appeal of this evergreen model”.

Justin Patterson

Justin Patterson, group fleet manager of the MITIE Group, and the Citroen Berlingo were both recent winners at the Fleet Van Awards 2009. Justin Patterson won Van Fleet Manager and Citroen won Van of the Year and Small Van of the Year.

Mr Patterson has chosen the Berlingo for the MITIE Group fleet and said,”Since the new Berlingo was launched last year,we have been buying the both Berlingo L1 and, more recently, L2 models for use by all three MITIE Group divisions.

The Berlingo is unique in its sector in that it offers more load space and thus provides us with greater operational flexibility, as well as low operating costs”.

The new Berlingo also offers low van CO2 emissions with the starting range from just 153g/km CO2.

Citroen C3 Picasso

The award winning Citroen C3 Picasso has been updated to become even more economical with an engine upgrade that sees this MPV deliver sub-120g/km Co2 emissions.

The 1.6HDi 16V 90hp diesel engine has been re-homologated and in VTR+ and Exclusive trim now emits only 119g/km and offers 62.8 on the combined mpg fuel cycle.

New Citroën C3 Picasso – CO₂ Emissions, Fuel Economy (combined cycle) & Pricing Information: