Subaru XV

Subaru will be unveiling their Subaru XV “Urban Adventure” sporty crossover concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show this month. This C-segment crossover concept features Subaru’s next-generation power unit and Subaru core technologies like the symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive and Subaru Dynamic Control Concept, making this not only a fun car to drive but also very safe.

In addition, Subaru will show off their all-new Rear-Wheel Drive Sports Car, the Subaru BRZ PROLOGUE, which is currently under joint development with the Toyota Corporation. The car features Subaru’s new platform built around the Horizontally-Opposed Boxer engine which is also a brand new direct injection unit built especially for the new car.

Toyota Enthusiasts Club

The Toyota Enthusiasts Club was founded by in 1991 by Nik Ellis and Bob Willis, who both shared an appreciation for Toyota cars. Last weekend the club celebrated its 20th anniversary at its annual meeting at Billing Aquadrome, near Northampton, with around 45 classic Toyotas on show.

The club has around 150 members and some of the cars that turned up included a 1970′s Hiace Campervan driven by Raf Evers from Belguim, who also owns 36 Toyota vehicles in total. Other classic models at the event included the Cressida, Crown, Corolla, with a classic Toyota Celica ST from 1977, 1985 Celica Supra and an Avon Celica cabriolet version headlining the show.

If you own a classic Toyota and you are interested in joining the TEC then you can get more details off their website which can be found at www.toyotaenthusiasts.com . However, if you are interested in a brand new Toyota car (Avensis, Aygo, iQ, Prius ,Yaris, RAV-4, etc) then of course we have Toyota contract hire prices on the site now.

Toyota solar energy

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) and British Gas have just switched on a new giant solar energy system to start supplying power at Toyota’s Burnaston car plant in Derbyshire. The solar panels in the main array cost £10million and are all British manufactured. The new solar power system should be capable of producing 4.6 million kWh a year which is enough power to build around 7,000 cars.

The new initiative builds further on Toyota’s green credentials having recently been voted the World’s Greenest Brand in a survey by leading brand specialist, Interbrand. The car plant at Burnaston is also the production location for the Toyota Auris Hybrid which is the first volume production full hybrid car to be built in Europe.

The RAC Future Challenge

This year the RAC Future Challenge 2011 is taking place on Saturday the 5th November 2011 and is open to electric, hybrid, hydrogen and low-emission internal combustion engine cars and light-commercial vehicles. The challenge invites contenders to drive a 60-mile route from Brighton to London with the aim to use the least amount of energy.

This year the event organisers are using experts from Imperial College London to provide the expertise and neutral input to the event’s regulations, measurements and the results analysis. All vehicle entrants will be supplied with the necessary FCC data-loggers and sensors to ensure everyone has a fair chance to overcome any fitting problems and also to ensure all data recorded is accurate.

Last year’s car manufacturer entry list included prototypes, pre-production vehicles and current production cars from the likes of BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Skoda, Vauxhall and Nissan. For 2011 the total number of entries has been increased to 90 and because of the diversity of the vehicles involved, there are a range of awards in 20 different categories. The vehicle type energy categories have been revised to the following:

1. Pure Electric (EV)
2. Extended-Range/Plug-in Electric (E-REV, PHEV)
3. Hybrid (HV, HEV)
4. Hydrogen (HFEV)
5. Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) – up to 110g/km CO2 emission fuelled by any legal means

The ACEA economic report has announced that European total vehicle production in the EU rose by 15% in the first nine months of 2010, when compared to the same period in 2009. Car production rose by 13%, with vans expanding in all segments, in all three quarters as well.

The ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) was founded in 1991 and represents the interests of the sixteen European car, van, truck and bus manufacturers across Europe. The Association members include some of the major manufacturers, including the BMW Group, FIAT Group, Ford of Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group and Volvo Cars to name just a few.

These figures and other data can be found in the latest ACEA Economic Report published on the ACEA website.

Hyundai

When the Germans think of a quality car, Autobild, the leading German motoring magazine has found that only one name comes to mind and that’s Hyundai. They awarded Hyundai the honour of first-place in its annual Autobild Quality Report for 2010 eclipsing Toyota, BMW and Audi.

Autobild evaluates seven criteria, including feedback from 9,278 owners, manufacturer warranty provisioning, recall information and data from over 7.5 million vehicle inspections (from Germany’s Technische Uberwachung Verein report -TUV).  This accolade follows the Hyundai i30 being voted by Which? consumer guide magazine readers as Britains’ most reliable medium sized car. Hyundai contract hire prices on the i30 are available now.

Mazda tops Customer Service

Every six months, the Institute of Customer Service asks 26,000 people (twice a year) what they think about the service levels they received from the UK’s major companies and then collates the information into the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI).

Mazda has once again come top scoring 80.6% satisfaction, which is five points above the overall UK average. The top five results in the car manufacturer part of the survey are as follows;

1. Mazda 80.6%
2. Honda - 80.3%
3. BMW/MINI – 80.2%
4. Toyota -79.6%
5. Mercedes-Benz -79.0%

Mazda was ahead of the overall manufacturer car company average and the highest score in any sector was 88% for both Waitrose and John Lewis. The twice-yearly survey covers more than 150 companies in the retail, financial, tourism, telecoms, transport and automotive sector.

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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.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) has held its second International Automotive Summit in Central London with over 250 delegates attending. They were discussing the future of the UK motor industry, its role in supporting the economy and the growth opportunities through low carbon technology.

The Secretary of State, Dr Vince Cable, who made his first address at the summit also commented,”The car industry has endured tough times in the last few years but we are now seeing reasons for cautious optimism. Low carbon cars offer opportunities for future business growth and the UK is leading the way with Toyota’s plant in Derby this week starting production of the first mass produced fully hybrid car in Europe and Nissan starting recruitment at their electric battery plant in Sunderland”.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive said yesterday,”Today’s Summit marks a new era for the UK automotive industry following a period of difficulty for the wider economy. We look forward to welcoming delegates and working together to help strengthen the UK supply chain and to support a transition to low carbon vehicles“.

Toyota Aygo

The J.D Power and Associates/WhatCar? Vehicle Ownership Study (VOSS), has show Toyota maintaining its fifth placed ranking, but up nine points. The star performers however were the Aygo and Yaris which achieved top ranking in VOSS City Car and Small car categories (Yaris equal top ranked). The full hybrid Prius was second ranked in the Upper Medium Car category and the Verso and RAV4 were voted third-ranked MPV and SUV.

Toyota Yaris

The study was conducted from owners who had used their cars for around two years old. Jon Williams, Toyota Commercial Director, said: “These study results are all the more important as they are based on the real-world experiences of vehicle owners. Toyota is committed to delivering quality, reliability, durability and owner-appeal in all its models, supported by competitive low running costs”. Toyota contract hire on the full range of cars, vans and pick-ups is available now.