New-look Vauxhall Astra range

Vauxhall has released the first pictures of their new Astra range as the British-built Astra Hatch and Sports Tourer get a bold new look, with first deliveries expected in September.

There is also the new GTC 2.0-litre BiTurbo diesel available to order, which offers a blistering performance from its 195PS engine with a 0-60mph time  of 7.8 seconds, a top speed of 139mph, combined mpg of 53.3 and CO2 emissions at just 139g/km.

The GTC BiTurbo comes with bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels, Electronic Climate Control, a 6mm lower ride height, new body-kit and “Track” interior trim with a stylish flat-bottomed leather steering wheel

All-new Santa Fe

Hyundai, South Korea’s largest car manufacturer, has just unveiled their all-new Santa Fe at the 2012 New York International Auto Show,  held at the New York Jacob Javits Convention Center.

The popular D-segment SUV is completely re-styled inside and out, is fitted with enhanced features and new technology, is powered by re-tuned engines with improved fuel and CO2 efficiency and will go on sale in the late summer.

Hyundai is keeping the name, Santa Fe, for this well-established SUV model as it enters its third generation, with  worldwide cumulative sales of almost 2,56 million units, and more than 350.000 in Europe, since its debut in 2000.

All-new Santa Fe

The all-new Hyundai Santa Fe has been influenced by Hyundai’s form language, Fluidic Sculpture but adopts its own design concept called ‘Storm Edge’, which intends to capture the strong and dynamic images created by nature during the formation of a storm.

The New Generation Santa Fe has a more masculine, more aggressive and more characterful SUV appearance than its predecessor and three powertrain options will be available to European buyers, including a new, super-efficient, Euro 6- compliant 2,0-litre ‘R’ VGT diesel engine.  This unit produces 150ps yet emits just 155g/km of CO2. 

The 2.2-litre diesel unit has also been tuned for greater efficiency, making it one of the cleanest offerings in the segment with CO2 emissions of only 145 g/km.

As with all newly-launched Hyundai models in Europe, the New Generation Santa Fe will come with Hyundai’s Five Year Triple Care that comprises a five-year unlimited warranty, five years of roadside assistance, and five years of vehicle health checks.

Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, Allan Rushforth, commented, “The original Santa Fe has maintained strong sales year-on-year across Europe, thanks to its combination of quality, practicality and value.  With its fresh exterior styling, more efficient engines, greater comfort and improved quality, New Generation Santa Fe is a truly attractive proposition that will build on the successes of the previous model by broadening its emotional appeal.”

New Hyundai i30 estate

The New Generation i30 wagon (estate) is the second member of the New Generation i30 family, and joins the five-door hatchback to broaden the appeal of Hyundai’s C-segment range. It will make its official world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The stylish wagon (estate) shares its engines and running gear with the well-received New Generation i30 five-door, but has a longer body to create a significant increase in boot space without compromising the model’s dynamic styling.

The i30 wagon’s overall length is increased by 185 mm over its five-door sibling and is 10mm longer than the original i30 wagon. Compared to the five-door hatchback, the new Hyundai i30 wagon has a larger load space of 528-litres and cargo volume increases more than three-fold, to 1,642-litres (with the rear seats folded).

Hyundai i30 wagon

The car was designed and engineered specifically for European customers at Hyundai’s European R&D Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany and was developed alongside the hatchback from the earliest stages. It has a design that bears a strong family resemblance to other new Hyundai cars inspired by Hyundai’s fluidic sculpture form language.

The front is distinguished by Hyundai’s hexagon-shaped grille and jewel-like headlamps, with a sloping roofline extending rearwards over the flexible passenger/cargo area. A pronounced swage line runs horizontally along the sides of the body and rises all the way to the rear lights, plus the rear windscreen wraps around the D-pillars, increasing interior luminosity and benefiting visibility.  The deep tailgate also gives the car a clean look and opens to bumper-level for easy loading in the back.

The New Generation i30 wagon will be available in the UK with the same three petrol engines and three diesel engines as the five-door, producing 90 to 135 ps, with the full UK specification to be confirmed at a later date.

As with all new Hyundai cars you will enjoy the benefit from their Five Year Triple Care, comprising a five-year unlimited warranty, five years’ roadside assistance, and five years of vehicle health checks.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Europe, said: “The New Generation i30 has been widely praised for its style, quality, and value.  Our new wagon offers all of those attributes plus even greater load-carrying capacity.  We expect it to appeal strongly to those looking for stylish and flexible practicality, especially active families.”

MINI Clubvan Concept

A new compact lifestyle van makes its world premiere at Geneva International Motor Show 2012 as MINI reveals the MINI Clubvan Concept, a compact van for business and leisure, and the first premium model in the small car-based van segment.

The MINI Clubvan Concept shows that style can also be practical, and that practicality can be attractive when designing a commercial vehicle. This new concept combines all of the driving fun and distinctive design for which MINI is renowned, with an increased load-carrying capability for trade users.

MINI has a heritage in producing compact vans, when just a year after the classic Mini car’s birth, the Morris Mini Van was born. With its 10-centimetre-longer wheelbase, a separate load compartment and split rear doors, it was perfectly equipped for commercial use and also provided the basis for the fully glazed, four-seat iconic Morris Mini Traveller.

MINI Clubvan rear loading

The MINI Clubvan is limited to two seats and creates a large load capacity with the flat load area (which reaches from the split rear doors right up to a partition grille behind the two seats) making full use of the interior’s depth.

There are six attachment loops recessed into the load floor that use elasticated straps to hold cargo in place, plus a fixed partition grille ensures load items stowed in the rear won’t fall into the front cabin. The side walls, floor and roof lining of the load area in the Clubvan Concept are also trimmed in high-quality anthracite-coloured cloth.

The Clubvan Concept is a five-door car, with two front doors for the driver and front passenger, two side-hinged rear doors and the rear-hinged Clubdoor on the right-hand side offering you access all-round. The Clubdoor gives you the option of loading smaller items from the side of the car as well as the rear.

The MINI Clubvan Concept is finished off in a British Racing Green paintwork, which extends to the roof, C-pillars and exterior mirror caps, while the rear side windows are opaque with polycarbonate sections. The rear doors also feature heavily tinted glass making it difficult to see into the load compartment, for extra protection.

New Audi RS4 Avant range

An all-new version of acclaimed Audi super-Avant retains eight-cylinder power for exceptional performance and its sporting character, with first UK deliveries expected in September this year. The latest 4.2-litre V8 delivers 450PS, has 0-62mph of 4.7 seconds, a governed 155mph top speed (174mph capability) and offers you a combined MPG of 25.7. This is the third generation RS 4 and of course the car also boasts its famous quattro all-wheel-drive handling.  

The Audi RS4 Avant comes with polished 19-inch, ten-spoke forged aluminium wheels filling the arches, or for an even more extreme stance there is the option of 20-inch five-V-spoke design wheels, or 5-arm rotor design wheels with two different finishes.

Audi RS4 Avant

The Audi RS4 Avant offers Audi’s drive select driving dynamics system as a standard feature, This allows you to switch between three modes, comfort, auto and dynamic, to determine the characteristics of the steering, the S tronic transmission and the throttle response. Audi drive select can even vary the sound of the exhaust system, double-declutching when downshifting in dynamic mode. 

It will be available in a choice of eight colours, one solid and one metallic finish, four pearl-effect colours and two special ‘crystal-effect’ colours (Panther Black, which is available from launch, and Prism Silver, which will be available later in the year). The interior of the RS 4 Avant is finished in black, with the exception of the roof lining, which is optionally available in Moon Silver.

Exact pricing and specification details for the new RS 4 Avant have yet to be finalised for the UK and when they are, Audi car lease prices will be loaded.

Audi A6 Avant allroad quattro

The Audi A6 all-terrain Avant promises to build on its predecessors’ go-anywhere appeal and is the third generation model. The A6 Avant allroad quattro is expected to open for UK orders in February, with first deliveries in the spring. Three engines will be available initially – 3.0 TFSI with 310PS, 3.0 TDI with 204PS and a 3.0 TDI with 245PS. The advanced third generation A6 allroad quattro also has four-level adaptive air suspension making its world debut and prices will start from £43,145 OTR.

The new car is 4.94 metres long, 1.90 metres wide and 1.47 metres tall and sits six centimetres higher than the standard Avant.  Total vehicle weight has been reduced by as much as 70 kilograms compared with the previous model, making the car much more fuel efficient.

The new A6 allroad quattro features extended side sills, more widely flared wings and vertical slats within the single-frame grille. Stainless steel guards protect the underbody of the car at the front and rear and the exhaust system ends in two large, flattened tailpipes, with roof rails mounted on double bars. Java Brown exterior colour is available exclusively for the new A6 allroad quattro.

Audi A6 allroad quattro

The luggage compartment has a capacity of 565 litres, with easy-folding rear seats which increase luggage capacity to 1,680 litres, and Audi will offer a wide choice of cost options for the new A6 allroad quattro.

The 3.0 TFSI engine is boosted by a supercharger and produces 310PS, which powers the A6 allroad quattro from 0 to 62mph in just 5.9 seconds, on the way to a limited top speed of 155mph. The combined economy figure is 31.7mpg.

The two diesel variants of the 3.0 TDI engine produce 204PS and 245PS respectively. The entry-level 204PS version returns a combined economy figure of 46.3mpg with 159 g CO₂/km emissions. All three engines are paired with the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission.

The iconic quattro permanent four-wheel drive system ensures safe driving in all-terrain conditions and with the Audi drive select system, the driver can vary the function of the steering, the air suspension, the throttle pedal, the automatic transmission, the sport differential, the automatic air conditioning, the lighting and the adaptive cruise control.

The adaptive air suspension, which combines air suspension with controlled damping, comes as standard. It lowers the car body by 15 millimetres at high speed and raises it again by 35 millimetres at the push of a button.

This allroad mode is therefore suitable for use on rough terrain and you can also select a lift mode at low speeds. This additional ten millimetres enables the new Audi A6 allroad quattro to also handle irregularities in the road surface (road humps). There is also the hill descent assist function for steep downhill passages included as standard and this function limits the speed of the car to between 6mph and 12mph, depending on the surface. Audi A6 Avant allroad quattro contract hire prices should be loaded shortly.

New Porsche Boxster

The new 2012 Porsche Boxster arrives in the UK this spring and sets the benchmark for the ultimate roadster. This new model is lighter, more efficient, more agile (revised chassis) has new flat-six engines and promises improved performance, as well as reducing fuel consumption by 15%.

The styling has shorter front and rear overhangs, forward shifted windscreen and a flatter silhouette, while inside the design offers the driver and passenger more space, with a new centre console (originating from the Carrera GT) taking centre stage.

Porsche Boxster S

The new power unit in the new Boxster delivers 265hp from the 2.7-litre engine (10hp more than the larger predecessor engine) and the 3.4-litre engine in the Boxster S now delivers 315hp (5hp more), with both models featuring a manual six-speed gearbox as standard. The seven-speed dual clutch Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) is available as an option.

The Boxster sprints from 0-62 in 5.7 seconds and the Boxster S in just 5.0 seconds and if you want to enhance the driving dynamics even further then opt for the Sports Chrono Package option, which is offered on the Boxster. Both models achieve their best fuel consumption with PDK, with the Boxster returning 36.7mpg and the Boxster S, 35.3mpg.

The Boxster comes with Alcantara interior, 18-inch alloy wheels, Auto stop/start, and Sports mode, remote control hood operation, audio CD with 7-inch colour touch screen control and an audio interface with MP3 connectivity. The Boxster S adds 19-inch wheels, partial leather interior and Bi-Xenon headlights and the new models will go on sale in the UK from April the 28th. Porsche contract hire on the new models will be loaded in due course.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid

Toyota has released the first pictures of Yaris Hybrid ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March 2012. The new model brings together the packaging and agile handling of the Yaris, with Toyota’s innovative Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain.

Yaris is Toyota’s best-selling car in Europe and the Yaris Hybrid follows the launch of Auris Hybrid in 2010 as the second core Toyota model to feature full hybrid technology. The intention is to now introduce the powertrain to the largest volume segment in the European market. As the new flagship car of the Toyota Yaris range, it shares the same new-design “face” of Toyota but places greater priority on aerodynamic efficiency.

New Toyota Yaris Hybrid

Toyota has downsized its Hybrid Synergy Drive for Yaris, combining a new 1.5-litre petrol engine with a more compact electric motor, transaxle, inverter and battery pack and the result is a system that is 20 per cent lighter than that used in the Auris Hybrid.

The location of the fuel tank and hybrid battery is under the rear seat and the Yaris Hybrid offers the same occupant space and 286-litre luggage capacity as conventional petrol and diesel Yaris models. Automatic air conditioning and e-CVT automatic transmission are fitted as standard on the car, signalling that customers do not have to compromise on comfort in order to achieve low CO2 emissions performance.

New Ford Mondeo

Ford has revealed their new all-new Ford Fusion, in North America, which will be the new Ford Mondeo when launched in the Europe, in the first quarter of 2013. This important fleet company car will be the first saloon to offer petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains when launched, and will offer top fuel economy.

The new Mondeo features a sleek silhouette and fresh face and will include numerous Ford technologies including a Lane Keeping System, adapative cruise control, active park assist, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) and SYNC^® communications and entertainment system, which enables voice-activated communication through a driver’s mobile phone and interaction with the car’s audio system.

In addition the car features the latest version of MyFord Touch^®, allowing a driver to interact with other vehicle systems through voice control, a touch screen tap or a conventional button.

New Ford Mondeo

Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of Global Product Development, said,”We brought our global teams together around a blank slate with the charge to develop a midsize car with ground-breaking design and jaw-dropping fuel economy-one that featured technologies to help our customers safer and better drivers. This car is the result”.

Donkervoort GTO

After two and a half years of development in close collaboration with Audi Quattro GmbH, Donkervoort has released details of their eagerly awaited new Donkervoort GTO open sports car.

The Donkervoort GTO has a beautiful shape, with a capacity of 340 to 400 HP from its 2.5-litre TFSI Audi engine and is larger than its predecessors, the closed GT and D8 270RS. The new Donkervoort GTO Audi engine is also lighter by 30kg and this lighter weight is reflected by its extra performance, being one of the fastest cars on the European market.

Donkervoort GTO

It has a special race module switch, which can instantly increase the capacity of the car from 340 to 400 HP at once and also has traction control on board if required. The car clearly takes many of its design themes from the aviation and rocket industry and production should start in 2012, with first models being delivered next summer. The first “regular” versions should be on European roads by 2013 however you will need deep pockets, as the car is priced between 100K and 150K Euros excluding taxes.