Veloster

Hyundai has added 29 new dealerships to its existing network and now has 152 franchises nationwide, offering new vehicle and aftersales support. The Korean brand continues to expand and grow its product range with up to eight new models expected to join the model line-up in 2012. In anticipation of the increased demand for its cars (and vans) the expansion of their dealer network is a sure sign of growth and confidence for the future.

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO Hyundai Motor UK, says: “The UK is a rapidly growing market for Hyundai and having on board the right franchises is integral to the further development of our brand. We now have 152 dealers throughout the UK and the growth of the network will help us to deliver the best level of service to our customers.”

All new Hyundai models are covered by a Five Year Triple Care Package for peace of mind that includes: unlimited mileage Five Year Warranty, Five Year’s Roadside Assistance, Five Year Annual Vehicle Health Checks. The full range of Hyundai cars and vans are on the site on contract hire now, with the exciting new Veloster prices just added.

New Hyundai dealerships and locations:

Hyundai Glasgow: Glasgow South
Cars 2 Hyundai: Bradford
Hyundai Torbay: Torquay
Howards Hyundai: Yeovil
Bristol Street Motors: Nottingham
John Mulholland Motors: Colerian (Derry)
West London Motor Group (WLMG) Hyundai: Reading
Border Hyundai: Dumfries
Brindley Hyundai: Wolverhampton
Vantage Hyundai: Manchester
Chambers Hyundai: Tamworth
Wessex Hyundai: Cardiff
Arnold Clark: Inverness.
Bristol Street Motors: Sunderland.
Ingram Hyundai: Ayr.
Seawards Hyundai: Salisbury.
Arrow Hyundai: Swansea.
JT Hughes Hyundai: Telford
Motorline Hyundai: Maidstone.
Border Hyundai: Carlisle.
West Riding Hyundai: Blackburn and Burnley.
Brindley Hyundai: West Bromwich.
Motorline Hyundai: Canterbury.
Read Hyundai: Lincoln.
Lister Hyundai: Leamington Spa.
Johnsons Hyundai: Coventry.
Johnsons Hyundai: Sutton Coldfield.
Sturgess Hyundai: Leicester.
Sturgess Hyundai: Loughborough.

2012 Scenic

The new Renault Scenic 2012 will be ready to order from the 23rd January, with prices starting from £18,325 on-the-road (Scenic) and £19,725 (Grand Scenic).  The car gets a revised look for 2012, including a more contemporary front styling on both Scenic and Grand Scenic, plus gloss black and chrome detailing, standard LED daytime running lights and new rear lights as well. The new 2012 Scenic range also sees two new body colours added, Azzurro Blue and Damask Red.

To keep things nice and simple, the new Renault Scenic and Grand Scenic 2012 is launched with just only trim level – Dynamique TomTom.

Grand Scenic

Some of the new standard vehicle options added for 2012 include rear parking sensors and LED daytime running lights, 16” alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, Bluetooth™, cruise control, Carminat TomTom Live satellite navigation. There will also be the option of adding Renault’s Visio System (lane departure warning and automatic high/low beam headlight function), plus Hill Start Assist, if you require.

Two new fuel efficient engines debut in Scenic in the  2012 range, the 1.2 TCe 115 petrol and 1.5 dCi 110 Stop & Start, both offering impressive performance, economy and emission figures. The diesel for example offers a class-leading 68.9 mpg (combined cycle) and emits only 105 g/km CO₂

If you are interested in some of the options available, there is a new Luxe Pack on all versions of the Dynamique TomTom (except the 1.6 VVT 110). The Luxe Pack offers some impressive extra equipment which is worth much more than its £1,500 price tag.  This includes 17” ‘Sari’ alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, BOSE Energy Efficient sound system with nine speakers, digital amplifier, sliding centre console, electrically folding door mirrors and the Visio System.

New Twingo

The New Twingo city car has just gone on sale in UK, with the Dynamique 1.2 16V 75, priced from just £10,350 on-the-road. The New Twingo has improved styling at the front (with new Renault design DNA identity), plus a revised bumper, tailgate and new rear lights. Yet it is the ‘eyelids’ of the headlights that really contribute to new Twingo’s distinctive looks.

There are also a wide range of cost options on offer, including climate control, electric panoramic sunroof (fabric version available from April), two Option Packs and long list of accessories, for you to really personalise your new car. It is available with new colours called Fuchsia and Bermuda Blue, which are added to the seven existing body colours, plus there are eight different alloy wheel options.

In the UK, the New Twingo will be powered by the 1.2 16V 75 engine, boasting 55.4 mpg in the combined cycle with CO₂ emissions of 119g/km, resulting in nil road fund licence for the first year (and £30 from year two), if you are buying/owning the car. Don’t forget with contract hire, the road fund licence is included in the rental you pay each month. 

The new audio system is improved with Bluetooth functionality, together with audio streaming with USB connectivity as standard (from March). This makes it really easy for you to play digital music and the audio system can also be used as a docking station for the latest-generation iPhone and iPod Touch®.

Inside the car it has separate, independently sliding, 50/50-split rear seats, with the boot capacity extending from 230 to 959 dm³. In addition, there are numerous storage spaces, making this city car ideal for town driving.

Renault is also planning to have a new microsite to demonstrate the customisation programme and this will be available via www.renault.co.uk from February and will be divided into four sections: stickers, door mirror housings, spoilers, alloy wheels. Details for New Twingo Renaultsport 133 will be released closer to launch, in April 2012

Kangoo Van Z.E.

Renault has just announced the list of their specialist UK electric vehicle dealers to sell and service their four-model electric vehicle line-up. Twenty one sites have been branded Z.E. Expert and are now live. All the specialist Renault dealer sites have a Kangoo Van Z.E. demonstrator on site for full test drives and also three new Chargemaster E.V. charging points.

The E.V. charging points are located in the workshop, the demonstrator area and car park and there is also a dummy domestic charging point to show customers how to charge the vehicle.

The full list of Z.E. Renault dealers is:

Renault Manchester
Renault Birmingham
Renault Liverpool
Renault Leicester
Renault Cardiff
Renault London West
Renault Enfield
Renault Croydon
Ness Inverness
The Co-operative Bradford
Seward Portsmouth
Donnelly and Taggart, Londonderry
Charles Hurst Belfast
Vospers Plymouth
Motorline Maidstone
Benfield Newcastle
Bristol Street Exeter
Westover Poole
MarshallMilton Keynes
Smiths Peterborough
Toomey Basildon

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) latest poll has concluded that the proposed European MOT rules represent a road safety danger issue, with 60 per cent of motorists saying the first MOT should continue to be carried out after three years.

The new European Union directive is proposing we move to a minimum of four years for the first test and then every two years thereafter, rather than the annual MOT test in the UK. In Europe this is known as the four-two cycle.

In the UK, according to data released by the IAM, 27 per cent of all three year-year old cars fail their first MOT however in France, the failure rate for the first MOT (after 4 years) is only 6 per cent. The survey also found that most motorists are comfortable with the current UK MOT test procedure with 63 per cent believing the test will always pick up potential dangers.

IAM chief executive, Simon Best, said,”In a time when people are struggling financially, the MOT seems to be one cost they are happy to pay. The IAM is wary of abandoning our well-established and accepted cycle of MOT testing. The poll suggest that most motorists are happy with it”.

Hydrogen vehicle refuelling

Honda has just opened the UK’s first hydrogen vehicle refuelling station in Swindon, at the Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) site in South Marston. The refuelling site has been built and will be operated by industrial gases company, BOC, a member of the Linde Group and Honda is also in partnership with economic development company, Forward Swindon.

This new hydrogen vehicle refuelling station is open to anyone who is developing or using hydrogen-powered vehicles and can fill both 350 bar and 700 bar, the two standard filling pressures adopted by major vehicle manufacturers. The new station can also fill vehicles “back-to-back” from a bank of hydrogen cylinders without having to wait for new hydrogen to be generated. It looks just like a conventional fuel filling station and the time to fill a vehicle is comparable with conventional fuels as well. For example, the Honda FXC Clarity fuel cell car takes less than five minutes to fill up.

Thomas Brachmann, Head of Electrical Powertrain R&D at Honda, said,”Hydrogen fuel cell technology is the ultimate transport solution; meeting environmental demands but also delivering the range and performance that customers expect”.

Weather forecasters are predicting that yet again, the UK will experience another harsh winter with temperatures colder than average and more ice and snow expected. A recent YouGov poll of senior decision makers at small businesses found that 58% said their “business suffered last year” as a result of the snow across the UK. The report also found that 74% of employees were affected by the snowy conditions and 26% didn’t make it into work at all.

The online tyre retailer, mytyres.co.uk, is recommending that small businesses think about fitting winter tyres for those employees most affected. An example of where winter tyres helped a business continue trading effectively was the fitting of these specialist tyres to a major online supermarket grocer delivery service’s vehicles. The company said that fitting winter tyres improved the safety for its drivers and provided improved grip and stability, helping them make their deliveries.

To give you an idea of how winter tyres are more effective, the British Tyre Manufacturer’s Association found that a car braking at 60mph on a wet road (with the temperature at 5 degrees Celsius) stopped five metres shorter, which is equivalent to more than one car length. So if it is essential that your drivers are mobile this winter it may well be worth considering fitting winter tyres for extra tyre safety?

Zap-Map

Zap-Map is the new electric vehicle (EV) charging point map that details where all the EV current points are in the UK. The total charging points detailed on Zap-Map is now 1,034 across 451 locations. However the majority of the EV charging points continue to be the “slower” chargers, which take 6-8 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle.

Zap-Map has added the first six “Fast” chargers (3-4 hours to fully charge) and an additional two “Rapid” chargers (which offer an 80% charge in 30 minutes) to add to the existing 27. Zap-Map will also be updating the data on its website on a weekly basis as more chargers continue to be installed across the country. The Office of Low Emission Vehicles has confirmed funding of £300 million for the installation of 8,500 EV charging points across the UK by 2013, with 4,000 of these to be “on-street” public access points.

The link to Zap-Map is www.nextgreencar.com/zap-map

Snow chains

Snow chains are compulsory for vehicles on most Alpine roads, however with the current UK weather conditions, many drivers may also be considering fitting them to get around, even on minor roads.

When fitting snow chains to your car you should always fit them to the driving wheels only and for 4×4 vehicles, usually the front wheels. They are hard to fit on slopes and it is best to fit them at designated chain fitting bays. It is also important to buy snow chains that comply with European legislation and from a reputable supplier.

Try www.top-gear.net/ who offer a wide range of products and advice on driving on snow, as a starting point.

Please note Comparecontracthire.com is not responsible for any external sites and you must ensure you check all arrangements (monetary) directly with any external supplier.

Ford price rise

Ford has announced it is increasing its prices on all orders received after the 30th November 2009. The price rise which is on average about 2.7 per cent is due to the weakness of the £.

Since 2007 the £ has devalued by around 30 per cent and although Ford has taken actions to reduce their costs this price increase was inevitable according to Nigel Sharp, Ford of Great Britain managing director.

He said, “To combat the continuning weakness of the £ against the Euro, Ford has reduced costs across its entire UK business, including personnel reductions in its central operation and across its dealer network. However price increases are still required to maintain a viable business and to recover relative costs increases caused by the weakness of the £ over an extended period”. 

This will add about £250-£500 on the most popular Ford models like Ka, Fiesta,Focus,C-MAX,Kuga and Mondeo.