Chrysler 300C

Chrysler UK is set to relaunch the brand in the UK with a new series of advertisements that draw upon its gritty, urban reputation.  The £10 million Different Is What We Do campaign is led by three major television commercials, the first of which was the 60-second film during the break in Sky TV’s coverage of the Super Bowl last week.

Further TV advertising is also planned, along with various other marketing campaigns. The advertising campaign includes the US giant’s entire UK model range: the highly successful Grand Voyager people carrier, stunning new 300C executive saloon, versatile Delta hatchback and Ypsilon, Chrysler’s first supermini.

“These are exciting times for Chrysler,” says Nigel Land, brand director, Jeep Chrysler UK. “The brand’s great success in the States is widely recognized, and this will help us to establish Chrysler as a main competitor in the UK car market”.

The Chrysler car range starts at £10,695 for the Ypsilon 1.2S, Chrysler Delta starts at £16,695 for the 1.4 T-Jet 120S, while the Grand Voyager’s entry price is £28,225. The new 300C will become available in the UK later this year and we have Chrysler contract hire prices on all current models on the site now.

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One of our car leasing partners has just loaded a great contract hire offer on the Honda CR-V 2.0 i-VTEC SE+ 5-door SUV from only £255.41+VAT on a two year deal. This Honda contract hire offer is based on non-maintained business contract hire, 10,000 miles per annum, 6 months initial rental followed by 23 rentals (over a 24 month contract).

Other terms are available from our car finance partner and if you want any further details on this great 4×4, just fill out a Contact Form today. The image shown is for illustration purposes and may not represent the actual model.

MINI Highgate

After the MINI Baker Street and MINI Bayswater exclusive editions a new model in the trio has just been launched called the MINI Highgate. MINI is continuing the brand’s  policy of taking the names of fashionable areas of London, with Highgate a sophisticated new version of their drop-top Convertible.

This new four-seater convertible offers a raft of unique exterior and interior features and is finished in an all-new metallic ‘Iced Chocolate’ body colour, which works perfectly with the tailored ‘Silvertouched Truffle’ fabric roof. The unique look is enhanced by truffle bonnet stripes with blue edging.

MINI Highgate

Midnight Black metallic or White Silver metallic paintwork can be specified as an option and the door mirror caps are always finished in the same shade as the exterior. The MINI Highgate comes with bespoke 17-inch ‘Double Cross Turned’ light-alloy wheels in a subtle aluminium colour, taking its design inspiration from the Union Jack flag.

Inside the car there are ‘Dark Truffle’ Lounge Leather seats that feature blue piping and contrasting stitching. MINI’s popular Chili Pack; filled with added extras like automatic air conditioning, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, multi-function steering wheel, multi-coloured interior lights, is also standard on the Highgate special edition.

Inside the Highgate

You also get sun-touched Brushed Alloy detailing on the dashboard and the Chrome Line Interior and Exterior packages are also included. Finally for that final touch, exclusive ‘Highgate’ lettering  is detailed on the side indicator surrounds, door sills and seat tags, marking the car out from the crowd.

The MINI Highgate comes in four engine options; the MINI Cooper (90 kW/122 hp), MINI Cooper S (135 kW/184 hp), MINI Cooper D (82 kW/112 hp) and MINI Cooper SD (105 kW/143 hp). All are linked to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, with a six-speed automatic available as an option and the OTR prices are below. MINI contract hire prices on the new model will be loaded shortly.

Mercedes-Benz Citan

Citan is the name of the new urban delivery van from Mercedes-Benz which is scheduled for an autumn launch this year.  The name “Citan” was announced at the Mercedes-Benz Design Centre in Sindelfingen and is derived from the words “City” and “Titan”, to emphasise urban ”city driving” with the rough and tumble of everyday working life.

The Citan promises a robust and durable package with a generous load compartment with compact dimensions, allied to typical attributes of the Mercedes-Benz brand such as quality, economic efficiency, safety and dynamic driving. The choice of drive systems will comprise of a broad range of economical and low-emission diesel and petrol engines – including a BlueEFFICIENCY package, with a version powered by an electric engine already being planned.

Mercedes-Benz Citan

The new Citan urban delivery van was developed and tested to the same standards as its larger Sprinter and Vito siblings and as with every Mercedes-Benz, the controls, the interior, the quality of materials and workmanship safety is paramount, with ESP standard specification for all variants.

The Citan urban delivery van offers a broad range of potential commercial uses and will be available as a panel van, crewbus or Mixto in various lengths and weight categories.  Market launch of the Citan will take place in the autumn of 2012 and it will be on show to the general public for the first time in September, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover.

In the meantime if you are interested in Mercedes Benz van contract hire then we have the latest models on the site now.

Kia Track'ster concept car

The new Kia Track’ster concept car was created in the California Design Studio and is envisaged with a 250PS Petrol engine. It was launched by Kia at the Chicago auto show and is based on the popular Soul urban crossover. Last year, more than 102,000 Souls were delivered to US customers and Kia sees the US vehicle market as an attractive proposition.

This Kia concept has a powerful, dynamic and aggressive style, yet displays the distinctive design direction that the South Korean manufacturer is taking. The Track’ster is intended to be a sporting representation of Kia’s Soul B- segment SUV, which was originally created in the California Studio.

The California Studio is also the birthplace of the Soul’ster convertible concept that is currently under final assessment for production, however there are no plans for Track’ster to enter production just yet. But this could change if public demand for the concept is strong. If you are also interested in leasing a new Kia Soul we have Kia contract hire on the site now.

Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TDIe

The new generation midsize Audi coupe and Sportback models are now available with even more cost-effective TDIe versions and new specification making them an even more desirable package. The new 136PS and 163PS 2.0-litre TDIe versions of A5 Sportback are now available priced from £27,320 OTR and £27,825 OTR respectively, with the 163PS TDIe engine also available in A5 Coupe priced from £28,775 OTR.

Performance figures for the TDIe engines is impressive as follows;

• A5 Sportback 2.0 TDIe 136PS six-speed manual – 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds, top speed 132mph, combined MPG 64.2, CO₂117g/km
• A5 Coupe 2.0 TDI 163PS six-speed manual – 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds, top speed 140mph, combined MPG 64.2, CO₂115g/km

There is also a new SE Technik specification available for all four-cylinder TDI models in both body styles that saves up to £1,925, compared with specifying additional options individually.

In both the A5 Sportback and A5 Coupe models, all the four-cylinder TDI engines can be combined with a new, highly cost effective SE Technik specification which was first seen in the A4 Saloon and Avant ranges. The Technik specification adds DVD satellite navigation, Audi Music Interface (AMI) iPod connection, the Audi Parking Plus system with front and rear sensors and cruise control to the familiar SE equipment list.

The SE specification in both models already includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Milano leather upholstery, three-zone climate control, Bluetooth mobile phone preparation and a colour Driver’s Information System (DIS), which is pretty generous. Both TDIe engines are available allied to Standard, SE and S line trim in the A5 Sportback, and Standard and SE in the Coupe and we should have Audi contract hire prices loaded shortly.

Fiat Doblo Cargo

Fiat has just launched a new 3 years unlimited mileage warranty offer across its award-winning Doblò Cargo and Combi range and is currently available on all new Doblò Cargos and Combis registered to business users until 31 March. The enhanced warranty increases the mileage period to unlimited rather than 120,000 miles, adds to the existing 3 years’ AA Assurance cover, which includes Roadside Assistance, Home Start, Relay, Relay Plus & European cover.

“This unlimited mileage warranty offer on Doblo Cargo further underlines the confidence that Fiat Professional has in this award-winning vehicle,” says Sebastiano Fedrigo, Director, Fiat Professional UK.

“Since its launch, Fiat Professional’s Doblo Cargo has been very well received for its quality and reliability, both by the media and by customers. This enhancement to the warranty package provides customers with yet another reason to purchase this class-leading van.”

The new Doblo comes in eight different versions – Cargo, Cargo Maxi, Cargo SX, Cargo Maxi SX, Combi, Combi Maxi, Platform Cab and Work Up – offering something for a wide spectrum of commercial vehicle users. The engine line-up is a 1.4-litre 16v 95bhp petrol unit and four MultiJet 16v diesels – 1.3 (90bhp), 1.6 (105bhp), 1.6 MTA (90bhp) and 2.0 (135bhp). 

Start&Stop, which stops the engine automatically whenever traffic conditions bring the van to a complete halt, and restarts it when the driver wants to move off again – is fitted on all Euro 5 Doblo versions to give you up to 15 per cent fuel savings, and the vehicles offer a low CO₂ figure from just 126g/km. Fiat Doblo Cargo contract hire is on the site now.

New Honda Civic

The all new 2012 Civic advert hits TV screens to coincide with the car arriving at Honda showrooms, with customer test drives available from today, the 1st February.

The TV campaign can also be viewed on Honda’s youtube channel www.youtube.com/hondacivicuk and the advert follows the spark of an idea from conception in the Honda factory, the development of the car, before finally resulting in the new Civic being launched.  

Martin Moll, Head of Marketing, Honda (UK), commented “Our dealers are incredibly excited about taking the launch activity to the next phase and get customers in the car. Everyone here at Honda (UK) is looking forward to receiving customer feedback and we are confident it will be even more successful than its predecessor.”

“We have timed the launch of the TV advert to coincide with the first cars arriving in showrooms to really maximise awareness. The advert is a synopsis of the unknown journey the engineers took to continuously improve the Civic and is brought to life in a dramatic reveal of the new model at the end.” 

The Honda Civic is now in its ninth generation and prices start from just £16,495 for the entry-level 1.4-litre 100PS i-VTEC SE, with trim levels of SE, ES, EX and EX GT available. All models offer comfort, convenience and new technology as standard with Honda contract hire prices on the site now.

John Watts, from used van pricing experts, CAP, has warned that the new emissions rules could cause unforeseen costs for van fleet operators and lower van residual values in the used market.

This is because compliance with the new Euro 5 emissions legislation relies partly on the use of diesel particulate filters and this poses particular problems for van owners or operators when operating on short-distance urban work.

Diesel particulate filters can easily clog under the typical operating conditions faced in many cities, spelling expensive repairs or replacement parts for fleet operators. CAP warns this may create caution in the future used van market, due to the ‘invisible’ nature of such problems. The end result is that many trade buyers will factor in the risk of a clogged particulate filter when determining the price they will offer for a used Euro 5 van.

John Watts from CAP, explained: “Many diesel particulate filters require specific drive cycles in order to remain working efficiently. These filters need to reach a certain operating temperature before effectively reducing particulate emissions, but if this is not achieved they can become prone to clogging.

“This problem will mostly emerge in low speed, short distance operating cycles, typically undertaken in large conurbations. A typical example could be a city-based self-employed used van owner who travels less than ten miles to site from home and stays all day. A continuous operation of this nature could result in a blocked filter and a potential replacement cost”.

CAP’s view is that used van buyers will be aware of the need for a properly functioning particulate filter for Euro 5 compliance and that problems may not be routinely covered under manufacturer warranty. One way to avoid these unnecessary costs is to lease your next van under a contract hire agreement, with full maintenance included. This will protect you from unforeseen maintenance costs and also protect you from any future residual value decline.

Alfa Romeo "Test Me" campaign

Alfa Romeo’s latest television commercial, entitled ‘Test Me’, will be launched this month in a year-long marketing campaign focused on highlighting the reasons why people should buy or lease an Alfa Romeo car. Alfa Romeo recorded impressive UK sales figures in 2011 and wants to  build on this success with the new advertising campaign.

The marketing initiative  compares the MiTo and Giulietta against their closest competitors to emphasise why you could choose an Alfa Romeo instead of a BMW for example. There is also a dedicated website where you can find further information on the campaign at www.alfaromeo.co.uk/testme. 

Some of the comparisons where Alfa Romeo is offering head-to-head examples against BMW and Volkswagen are as follows:

• The Alfa Giulietta 1.4 TB MultiAir 170 bhp ALFA TCT (semi-automatic transmission) is currently the best-in-class for CO₂ emissions at just 121 g/km against the Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 160 DSG at 139 g/km for example.
• The Alfa MiTo 1.3 JTDM-2 85 bhp Sprint possesses fuel efficiency of up to 80.7 mpg on a combined cycle. The Mini One D achieves 74.3 mpg as a direct comparison model.
• The Alfa Giulietta, with a class leading Euro NCAP crash safety score of 106, is higher than the new  BMW 1 Series score of 103.
• All MiTo and Giulietta models offer 3 years complimentary servicing. This is available at an additional cost on VW Polo and Golf models.

Damien Dally, Head of Brand for Alfa Romeo UK comments: “Customers appreciate the stylish lines and sleek design of an Alfa Romeo, but due to preconceived misconceptions, some turn to our competitors, wrongly believing they offer a better proposition”.

He went on to say, “With the new ‘Test Me’ campaign, we can prove that Alfa Romeo offers customers significantly more than the likes of our key German competitors, together with Alfa’s passion, heritage and design flair inherent in every model.  We also boast class-leading economic credentials such as fuel efficiency and environmental considerations. Our customers are able to drive away in something extra special which possesses the perfect combination of style and substance”.

If you want to compare contract hire prices for Alfa Romeo, against the likes of Audi, BMW or Volkswagen, try our Vehicle Type Shopper and select those manufacturers. This quote engine will then display the monthly lease prices and you can see which models offer the best value for money, as well as CO2 and combined mpg.