EV & Low CO2 Fleet Show

The EV & Low CO₂ Fleet Show is a one-day event being held at the world-famous Silverstone circuit on Wedneday the 18th April. The event will feature major motor manufacturers who have pioneered the development and production of electric vehicles, including Renault, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroen.

The event is being organised by Fleet World magazine in association with the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association, the trade association of the UK’s leasing and rental industries, with the event being sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust.

If you fancy attending the event, at the Silverstone racing circuit in Northamptonshire, there will be a wide range of electric, hybrid and other low-carbon vehicles that will be available for driving around the famous track.

Ross Durkin, Managing Editor of Fleet World, said: “The show is really starting to take shape now. We’re delighted that four of the motor manufacturers who have really been at the forefront of EV development will be at the event in order to help fleet managers really understand the potential for incorporating electric vehicles onto their fleet”.

The EV & Low CO₂ Fleet Show will allow visitors to:

- Test drive the latest petrol-electric hybrids, diesel-electric hybrids, fuel-cell hybrids and electric range-extenders, as well as many of the latest low-emission petrol and diesel engine vehicles

- Discuss future drivetrain strategies with leading motor manufacturers that attend the event

- Find out more about low-emission light commercial vehicles

- Talk to EV charging point suppliers and recharging infrastructure providers

- Discuss low-carbon vehicle supply with leading vehicle leasing suppliers

For more details on the event you can phone 01727 739160 or visit http://evfleetshow.co.uk/

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.

New Peugeot Expert Van

The new Peugeot Expert Tepee will be unveiled as a world premiere at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show in March and will be available in the UK, along with the new Peugeot Expert Van from around mid-March 2012. The new Peugeot Expert incorporates the new Peugeot style codes, has new equipment and a range of Euro 5 engines which position it as a market leader in its segment, for lowest CO₂ emissions.

New Peugeot Expert Tepee

The new Peugeot Expert will be available as a Compact Van or Combi (Tepee) and here are some of the headlines for this new model.

• The Peugeot Expert has a modern appearance, introducing a new front face
• It comes with high-performance and efficient Euro 5 engines
• Offers best-in-class low CO₂ emissions for the Expert Tepee – 172g/km
• The 2.0l HDi Expert Van delivers the best power/CO₂ emissions ratio -168g/km
• Introduces a 6-speed automatic gearbox on the 2.0-litre HDi 163bhp engine.

Skoda MissionL

SKODA’s is attending the 2012 Qatar Motor Show where it will be showcasing their MissionL concept saloon. This car is a close-to-production concept and reveals the future design direction for the SKODA brand. The visit to the Qatar Motor Show also demonstrates their future international growth strategy plans.

The new compact MissionL saloon will be launched in late 2012 and will extend the model range of the brand in a new segment between the Fabia and Octavia models. The MissionL is destined for Qatar as well and SKODA aims to substantially increase their global sales of all car models to at least 1.5 million units per year, by 2018. In addition to the MissionL, SKODA is also displaying the latest Fabia, Octavia, Yeti and Superb models at the show.

The MissionL concept saloon impresses with its clear and precise lines with the front showing SKODA’s new brand design. The revised and freshened-up SKODA logo is now prominently positioned on the bonnet’s rounded front end and the grille sports a chrome frame and is made of vertical plate fins. There is also a black transparent glass roof that spans across the car’s interior with the cockpit conveying its spaciousness thanks to its horizontal arrangement.  

If you are interested in leasing a brand new Skoda car then we have the full Skoda model range on the site on contract hire.

Continental GTC

Bentley Motors will unveil their new Continental GTC for the first time in Qatar at the Qatar International Motor Show, Doha. The all-new Bentley GTC Convertible features an even more spacious and sumptuous hand-crafted cabin, with soft-touch leather hides, plus an extensive range of wood veneers, cool-touch metals and deep-pile carpets. It now comes with a more powerful 575PS 6.0 litre, twin-turbocharged W12 engine, as well as a new QuickShift transmission, enabling faster gear changes than ever before.

Alasdair Stewart, Member of the Board for Sales and Marketing, Bentley Motors, said:

“We are delighted to be here in Qatar with the new GTC. It has always been the most emotional model in the Continental range and a showcase for Bentley design. With its tailored soft top, the GTC is a pure British convertible true to those classic Bentleys of the past. However, the technology, performance and overall design excellence invested in this model means that we are now writing a new chapter for the Bentley convertible driver.”

Mulsanne

The other Bentley featured car at the Qatar Motor Show is the Bentley Mulsanne, which continues to do exceptionally well in the Middle East. The new Mulsanne flagship is an elegant car, yet distinctly sporting in character and delivers effortless performance from the classic 6.75 litre V8 engine. It still represents the pinnacle of British luxury motoring which continues to attract substantial interest in the Middle East with the market now accounting for 15% of global sales.

Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Sport Coupe Concept

The stunning Lexus LF-LC Hybrid Sport Coupe Concept has been honoured with the annual EyesOn Design Award for the best concept car, at the Detroit Motor Show (NAIAS).

The Lexus Calty studio in California created the LF-LC and their aim was to create a future redefinition of Lexus design, with new and advanced technologies. Some of the features of the new design concept have already been introduced in the new GS 450h, for example the “spindle” grille shape and the rear architecture.

Lexus LF-LC concept

Kevin Hunter, Calty President,said,”The LF-LC was a dream car to design and a true collaborative effort at Calty. It is an honour to have that work recognised by our peers and to receive the award”.

The EyesOn Design Awards are one of the most prestigious awards a car manufacturer can receive, as the judges are made up of a group of world leading automotive designers and design academics. They evaluate Aesthetics and Innovation, Concept Implementation, Functionality and the Spirit of Industrial Design.

Toyota 2012 Land Cruiser V8

The new 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 has just been launched and offers even higher quality, comfort, luxury and off-road performance than its predecesor. The car gets a new exterior and interior styling as well as a revised 4.8-litre V8 turbodiesel engine, which meets Euro 5 emissions standards.

The 2012 Land Cruiser V8 will make its debut at the Brussels Motor Show this week and will go on sale in the UK in March 2012, when full range prices and vehicle specifications will be announced.

The 2012 Toyota Land Cruiser V8 design changes include a new over-size bumper with integrated fog lights and a new grille that pairs chrome and silver finished vertical bars, to name some of the styling highlights.

Other advanced technologies for greater off-road driving capability include;
o   World-first Turn Assist, reducing vehicle turning radius when negotiating tight bends
o   Crawl Control with seven speed settings for steep incline climbs and descents
o   Multi-terrain Select with five modes to suit different off-road conditions
o   Multi-terrain Monitor providing 360-degree view of vehicle surroundings via four external cameras
o   Tyre Angle Display
o   Variable Flow Control power steering

The range will also offer Toyota Touch Pro advanced multimedia and navigation system with voice command control, Bluetooth and rear-view camera, new premium features including heated steering wheel, front seats with cooling and heating functions and memory settings, new-design 20-inch alloy wheels, powered upper tailgate section and bi-xenon headlamps.

Toyota NS4 Advanced Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car

Toyota has unveiled its new NS4 advanced plug-in hybrid concept car at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The NS4 concept signals a new styling direction for Toyota and the advanced power hybrid plug-in system features a reduction in size and weight, improved fuel economy, better acceleration, a longer all-electric range, while still maintaining a short charge time.

The NS4 concept has a human-interface machine (HMI) centred round a multi-touch screen that resembles a smartphone and conveys information to the driver quickly, while minimizing distractions. It also controls air conditioning, audio, battery-charge and navigation functions and even “learns” driver preferences to anticipate driver responses in a variety of situations.

Toyota NS4 Advanced Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car

Toyota has installed its latest safety system developments in the NS4 concept, including next generation pre-collision (PCS), adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights and blind spot monitor systems. Four new glass technologies are integrated into the windscreen, front and rear windows to improve driver mobility, fuel economy and electric driving mode efficiency. The new glass technologies are as follows;

• Rain-resistant ‘hydrophobic’ coating – Fluorine coated glass causes rain drops to form intosemispherical shapes for improved visibility and rain drop elimination.
• ‘Anti-fog’ coating – High performance resin material with anti-fogging characteristics and increased durability.
• High ultraviolet (UV) absorbing inner-layer – Removes 99 percent of harmful UVA and UVB rays
• Anti-solar film with radio-wave transparency – Reduces the internal vehicle temperature and improves electronic device functionality

The inner and outer rear view mirrors have also been replaced by cameras displaying a panoramic view to the rear on a dashboard-mounted screen, providing the driver with a much wider field of vision compared to a normal rear view mirror.

New Kia c'eed

The new Kia c’eed is set to be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012 and in the meantime Kia has just released the first image of the new car.

The styling resembles a sporty coupe and has design features like chrome framed windows and muscular lines on the bonnet. The new Kia c’eed will be available in Europe from the second quarter of 2012 and in the UK by June.

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.