Continue reading »]]> The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has given motorists some respite over fuel duty increases. In the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement he announced that the proposed January increase in fuel duty had been scrapped and a 5 pence per litre increase due in August 2012 had been reduced to an increase of 3 pence per litre.  This will all come as welcome news to motorists who are having to deal with average fuel prices of 133.06 pence per litre.

The scrap in the duty increase will save a motorist filling up a car with a 50 litre tank £1.80 each time they fill up, 30 pence of which would have come from VAT added to the extra duty.

Mr Osborne claims that the fuel duty adjustments, which see a total increase next year of 3 pence per litre instead of 8 pence per litre,  will save an average family £144 per year.

AA President, Edmund King, said: “The Chancellor has seen sense on this vital issue. Cash-strapped drivers will heave a heavy duty sigh of relief as current pump prices are close to the record high.

“This measure will not only be a relief to drivers but also to the high street as drivers have less to spend if more money is pumped into their tanks. It is still tough on the streets for many drivers but at least the Chancellor hasn’t added to their pain. As the AA has been saying he understands that cars are a necessity and not a luxury.”

FairFuelUK’s Quentin Willson said: “This is a victory for us but only a stay of execution. We’ve saved the UK 9p since March in proposed fuel duty rises and we are now the gatekeepers of fuel sanity for this country.

“We’re going to carry on pressurising this Government to keep duty down and reduce it significantly. If we don’t, they’ll hike it up again the first chance they get.”

Continue reading »]]> Nissan unveiled the Juke NISMO concept at the Tokyo Motor Show and took the opportunity to announce that its performance brand will have a much stronger influence over its production cars and be involved in building some hot road cars in the coming years.

The Nissan Juke NISMO concept is a glimpse of what the NISMO brand will bring to Nissan’s road vehicles.  With the NISMO colour scheme of pearl white with red headlights, a really fantastic looking body kit with new front and rear bumpers and side skirts, the Juke NISMO is great looking car.

And with a 1.6 direct injection turbo engined rumoured to produce about 200 bhp it should be a bit nifty too.

Nismo president Shoichi Miyatani said “Our forthcoming range of cars will be just as accessible and innovative as every Nissan product, but with added NISMO energy they will be even more fun to own and drive”.  And from what we have seen of the Juke so far we are inclined to agree with him.

There is no date yet as to when we can expect a Juke NISMO to be available but it is rumoured that something similar to what has been showcased in Tokyo could hit the showrooms next year.  We wait with baited breath……

Continue reading »]]> The new Vauxhall Astra VXR is finally upon us.

Based on the Astra 3 door GTC chassis the VXR will come with a 2.o litre turbo-charged petrol engine producing 280 bhp.  Official performance speeds haven’t yet been announced, bar from the 155 mph limited top speed, but it should be easily capable of 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds.

To work in conjunction with the HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) that is standard on the GTC, Vauxhall have included a mechanical limited slip differential on the front wheels.  Working together these should enhanced lateral grip and tension.

Due to modified Brembo brakes and Vauxhall’s FlexRide system, inside the cockpit of the new Astra VXR there will be two nice buttons to play with: the Sport button and the VXR button which both adjust the dampers, throttle and steering.

Outside there will be twin exhaust pipes, side skirts and an aerodynamic roof spoiler.

The most powerful production Astra ever will arrive sometime in 2012 and prices will be announced it due course.

Continue reading »]]> Nissan have announced the introduction of the GT-R 2012 model with even more power.

Nissan are at it again.  The GT-R has had another annual upgrade – that’s one every year since its launch in 2007 – and the latest one has added another 30 bhp to the already impressive 523 bhp available on the 2011 model.  The improvements don’t end with the increased power though, somehow they have managed to increase the fuel consumption to 24 mpg (up from 23.5 mpg).

On the handling side of things, the suspension has been upgraded too with the springs on the driver’s side stiffer than the others to compensate for the driver’s weight.  It also has a stronger body for extra rigidity and enhanced transmission feel.

The engines responsiveness and torque at low to mid revolutions and power at high revolutions has been increase due to better intake efficiency and air flow resistance.

In the interior Nissan have added blue instrument lighting to match the shift indicator light to give a more sophisticated feel.  The sound system has also been upgraded to Bose Precision woofers.

The Nissan GT-R 2012 model year will be available in European showrooms in early 2012.

Continue reading »]]> Citroen have announced a brand new engine for the C3 range, the e-HDi 70 Airdream EGS VTR+.

The new C3 is the most environmentally friendly model ever produced by Citroen with CO2 emissions of just 87 g/km.  As well as these fantastic, class leading emissions, the C3 Airdream also has a combined cycle of 83.1 mpg making it the most fuel efficient and CO2 efficient diesel car on the market.

The car was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September but will be available to order from this month.

Continue reading »]]> The  Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed that UK new car sales for October were up 2.6% compared to the same period last year.

This is good news for manufacturers and dealers particularly in light of the current problems and uncertainty created by the Eurozone crisis.  Although there is generally a lag involved in sales measurements of this kind as they are based on new vehicle registrations, not orders, and with some factory orders taking upwards of 16 weeks a number of these sales would have been order before the Eurozone crisis reached its current levels.

The Ford Fiesta was the top selling car in October with the Fiesta and Focus leading the sales charts for 2011 to date.  As well as topping the retail charts, the Ford Transit is also the top selling commercial vehicle of 2011 so far, with a 25% market share.  All this spells good news for Ford who recently announced.

Commenting on these latest sales figures Managing Director of Ford of Britain, Mark Ovenden, said “Against intense competition our best-ever vehicle range is helping to strengthen Ford’s continued UK market leadership. Particularly pleasing is the success of our most recently launched models such as Focus and C-MAX”.

Ford, and the industry as a whole, will be hoping that the latest crisis doesn’t have an adverse effect on new car sales leading into the first quarter of 2012.

Continue reading »]]> Saab have released the pricing of their new 9-5 model, the first to be produced under new owners Spyker Cars.  Production has started and orders are being taken, with the 9-5 to be available for delivery this summer.

Saab claim the new 9-5 is the most technically advanced car the Swedish manufacturer has ever produced.  Some of the hi-tech offerings are to include: iPod/MP3 integration, DAB radio, keyless entry, adaptive headlights and adaptive parking assistance.

Two specification levels will be available.  The entry level Saab 9-5 Vector SE comes with bluetooth phone integration, USB sockets with iPod/MP3 integration, leather/textile comfort seats, heated front seats, park assist, dual zone climate control, 17″ alloy wheels and automatic rain sensor windscreen wipers.

The higher specification Saab 9-5 Aero comes with the following features in addition to the standard Vector SE features: 19″ alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, headlight washers, dual electric seats, twin exposed tailpipes, leather sport seats and sport chassis.

Prices start from £26,495 for the 2.0TiD 160PS Vector SE and rise to £37,995 for the 2.8T 300PS Aero.

Look here for great new Saab deals

Continue reading »]]> As of 1st April drivers looking for good new car deals will have to take into account the Government’s new ‘showroom tax’.  Under this initiative any new car registered on or after 1st April will be liable for an additional one-off tax based on its carbon dioxide emissions.  The aim of the showroom tax, announced in the 2008 Budget, is to encourage new car buyers to choose cars that have a low CO2 emissions rating.

New car buyers will have to pay the showroom tax on any vehicle with CO2 emmissions of 166g/km or higher, based on a incremental scale.  A new car buyer registering a car for the first time after 1st April 2010 could pay up to a total of £950 in the first year for road tax and showroom tax combined, followed by £435 in the second year.

Buyers of cars in Band A, such as the Ford Fiesta Econetic, will have no showroom tax and no road tax to pay in 2010.

VED Band	CO2 Emissions (g/km)	Showroom Tax	Road Tax 2010	First Year Total
A	up to 100	£0	£0	£0
B	101-110	£0	£20	£20
C	111-120	£0	£30	£30
D	121-130	£0	£90	£90
E	131-140	£0	£110	£110
F	141-150	£0	£125	£125
G	151-165	£0	£155	£155
H	166-175	£70	£180	£250
I	176-185	£100	£200	£300
J	186-200	£190	£235	£425
K	201-225	£305	£245	£550
L	226-255	£325	£425	£750
M	over 255	£515	£435	£950

Chancellor Alastair Darling said in 2008 “‘It is right that if people choose to buy a more-polluting car that they should pay more in the first year to reflect the environmental cost. The changes will provide a real incentive to manufacturers and motorists.”

The showroom tax, if applicable, is automatically added to the first years road tax so there is nothing else to do on your part to ensure it is paid.

With the scrappage scheme also coming to an end, which has bolstered new car sales, the introduction of the showroom tax adds further uncertainty to the new car industry.  Only time will tell if the desired effect of encouraging drivers into lower polluting cars will be achieved.

Continue reading »]]> With the new BMW 5 Series saloon due to go on sale in showrooms tomorrow, BMW have released the first photos of the estate version of the 5 Series which will go on sale in the UK on September 18th.  Initially there will be four engine options available, two diesel and two petrol, and a choice 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic gearboxes.

BMW 5 Series Estate

At £30,380 and with a combined-cycle fuel economy of 54.3mpg, the cheapest and most economical in the range is the 520d.  It is also expected to be the biggest seller in the range.

The 535i is the fastest in the 5 Series Touring range with a top speed limited to 155mph and will go on sale at £39,650.

As an optional extra on the 5 Series Estate customers can add Park Assist, which uses sensors to scan the road for a suitable parking space and once one is found the driver only needs to operate the accelerator and brake pedals with the Park Assist system handling the steering.

Look here for great new BMW 5 Series Estate Deals