Showing posts with label supermini. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supermini. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2015
The all-new Mazda2 has been named Car of the Year by Car Dealer Magazine.
- The all-new Mazda2 has been named Car of the Year by Car Dealer Magazine.
- Motor trade title Car Dealer Magazine recognised the all-new Mazda2 at its annual Car Dealer Power Awards held at Portsmouth’s famous Spinnaker tower.
- Award is decided by votes from UK car dealers.
- 15-strong all-new Mazda2 model line-up priced from £11,995 to 17,395 on-the-road (OTR).
The all-new Mazda2 has been named Car of the Year in the annual Car Dealer Power Awards. The leading motor trade title’s annual awards are decided by votes from UK car dealers, who choose the best manufacturers, models and suppliers they deal with.
“We’ve had dozens of dealers telling us what a star it is,” commented Car Dealer Magazine Editor, Colin Channon. “With lots of standard kit, a spacious interior and impressive performance levels, plus sharp looks inside and out, it’s a wise supermini buy that’s been very well received by dealers and their customers. By quite a clear margin, this year’s Car Dealer Power Car of the Year is the Mazda2.”
The all-new Mazda2 combines Mazda’s unique SKYACTIV technology with its striking KODO: Soul of Motion design philosophy, to bring new levels of technical sophistication, active safety and driving pleasure to the supermini sector.
With a choice of 11 petrol and four diesel variants, the 15-strong all-new Mazda2 line-up stands out thanks to its signature wing front grille, predatory headlamp styling and muscular cab-rearward styling. With a longer wheelbase and smaller overhangs to maximise interior space, the all-new Mazda2’s superior ergonomics and premium interior finishes raise the bar in quality and design in the supermini segment.
Jeremy Thomson, Mazda Motors UK Managing Director said: “I’m delighted that Car Dealer Magazine and the UK’s dealers have recognised the all-new Mazda2 with their Car of the Year title. The all-new Mazda2 is another example of how our SKYACTIV technology and KODO design merge to create stylish, efficient and great to drive cars.
Our dealer network has done a great job with the Mazda2 and we’re looking forward to a busy year with more all-new product launches to come and an extensive upgrade of all our dealerships with exciting new interiors and more eye-catching branding.”
DRIVER POWER - Hyundai's baby i10 wins best Supermini in this years report.
- Hyundai’s best-selling i10 wins ‘Supermini’ category, as voted by Auto Express readers
- i10 recognised for its ‘low running costs’, ‘practicality’ and ‘reliability’
The Hyundai i10 has once again been recognised by consumers for its affordable, yet high-quality offering, leading to its win in the ‘Supermini’ category in the 2015 Auto Express Driver Power Survey.
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-chief of Auto Express, said: “The Hyundai i10’s result in Driver Power 2015 proves it’s a hot favourite with owners.
Not only does it provide them with low running costs, but they also tell us that it’s proving to be reliable and well built, too. There’s no reason why it shouldn't be a consistent performer in our survey for years to come.”
Following the Driver Power survey results, Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, explained: “The i10 is Hyundai’s best-selling model, so to have its key attributes praised by consumers shows us exactly why this car continues to be such a sales success.
Thanks to its stylish looks, reliability, practicality, and, most importantly, affordability, the future looks bright for i10.”
Making the i10 even more attractive to new and existing Hyundai customers, the company has recently added the well-equipped Premium SE model to the range.
Premium SE buyers benefit from: 15” alloy wheels, heated seats and steering wheel, electric tilt and slide sunroof, rear parking sensors, climate control and smart key stop and start.
These top-of-the-range features mean that i10 customers can now enjoy even higher levels of equipment, without the hefty price tag.
DRIVER POWER - Renault debuts ZOE in 5th place in 2015 Survey results.
- ZOE debuts in owner survey in 5th place overall
- ZOE rated 1st for running costs of all 200 entrants
- Ease of driving commended with 2nd place overall finish
- ZOE rated best EV – five places ahead of nearest electric rival
The 100% electric Renault ZOE supermini has been highly commended by owners in the Auto Express Driver Power 2015 survey out today finishing an impressive fifth overall out of 200 vehicles and rated as the best electric vehicle to own.
Finishing five places above its nearest all-electric competitor, with a score of 92.87 per cent, the ZOE was also rated the best vehicle in this year’s survey for low running costs as well as second overall for ease of driving.
ZOE, in its debut survey year, was ranked second, out of 43 vehicles, in the competitive supermini category.
The ZOE also scored well for In-car technology and performance with owners rating the car ninth and fifteenth respectively out of the 200 entrants.
Commenting on the ZOE’s performance in the survey, Ben Fletcher, Renault UK Electric Vehicle Product Manager, said: “The Renault ZOE offers the recognized benefits of all-electric vehicles in an ultra-stylish and highly-affordable package. It’s no wonder that owners are so delighted with their cars.”
Steve Fowler, Auto Express Editor-in-chief said: “Breaking into the Driver Power top five is a significant achievement for the Renault ZOE. Owners of electric cars clearly love their vehicles – and the ZOE, in particular, has a winning formula of low running costs and decent performance, plus it's very easy to drive, too.”
The Auto Express Driver Power survey had its largest response ever in 2015 with 61,113 car owners, up 20 per cent on 2014, completing the comprehensive survey about their vehicle ownership experience.
The Renault ZOE has won numerous awards since going on sale in 2013 including being named What Car? Magazine’s ‘Best Electric Car for under £20,000’ for the last two consecutive years.
ZOE is one of three all-electric Renault models including the innovative Twizy urban vehicle and the Kangoo Z.E. Van.
ZOE can be purchased in two ways, either outright, from £18,443, or from £13,443 with a battery lease from £25 per month (including the Government Plug-In Car Grant) and can charge its batteries in as little as 30 minutes.
A new longer-range version of ZOE, with a new Renault-developed motor, was announced at this year’s Geneva Motor Show which will bring a best-in-class official range of 149 miles when it joins the ZOE line-up in May.
Sales in the UK of Renault’s electric models were up 90 per cent in 2014 to 1,286 vehicles and continued this strong growth in the first three months of 2015 with sales up 148 per cent to 401 vehicles.
Suzuki takes a well deserved second place in the Warranty Direct/What Car? annual reliability survey.
Lowest cost per claim across all manufacturers
The latest Warranty Direct survey has been published by What Car? Magazine and Suzuki’s renowned reputation for reliability has again been reinforced with another strong result for the brand, scoring 48 points in the Reliability Index.
The lower the number, the more reliable the brand, and Suzuki’s was considerably lower than the average score across all manufacturers measured which was 149.
Suzuki were in second place overall across 37 manufacturers this year and joined seven other Japanese manufacturers in the top 10.
The Reliability Index takes into account all factors of a repair including the cost of parts, frequency of failures as well as time off the road. Suzuki cars measured in the survey had an average age of 5.35 years, mileage of 39,200 with time off the road of just 1.93 hours in the event of a warranty claim. There were no nasty surprises in store either as the average repair cost across the Suzuki range was £256 – the lowest of all manufacturers.
In the Supermini / City car segment, Suzuki’s low cost of ownership was highlighted even further with the Alto model at an average of 5.15 years old ranking as one of the cheapest cars to repair at just £118. Alto achieved a Reliability Index score of only 14.00 points with an average time off the road of only 1.2 hours.
Suzuki’s reputation of low cost of ownership continues too with its recently launched Celerio City car now available with new technology Dualjet engine. Dualjet offers even lower CO2 emissions of just 84g/km and 78.4mpg on the EC Combined fuel consumption cycle. The Swift Supermini is also now available with the Dualjet engine with CO2 emissions of 99g/km, combined fuel consumption of 65.7mpg and no annual VED to pay.
New Škoda Fabia R5 to celebrate World Rally Debut in Czech Republic.
- Jan Kopecký to drive the new rally car at the opening round of the Czech Rally Championship
- Hrabánek: “Pleased to be able to test the Fabia R5 at a rally”
- New racing car to see action in the WRC 2, APRC and Czech Rally Championship this season
The brand new ŠKODA Fabia R5 will make its debut on the international rally stage at the home of the manufacturer in the Czech Republic. Reigning Asia-Pacific champion Jan Kopecký (CZ) will be at the wheel of the new racing car on the 50th anniversary of the Rally Šumava Klatovy.
The works team’s green, white and black powerhouse is charged with continuing ŠKODA’s successful 114-year history in motorsport.
“We are delighted to now be able to test our new ŠKODA Fabia R5 at an actual rally, following the successful homologation by the International Automobile Federation FIA. It is obviously particularly symbolic that our first outing will be in the brand’s back yard in the Czech Republic,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek.
The plan for this year is to test the competitiveness of the new rally car around the world, starting with the opening race of the Czech Rally Championship (MČR).
ŠKODA Motorsport will field the high-tech four-wheel drive car in the WRC 2 category at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), as well as in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). However, the focus is first on the car’s debut in ŠKODA’s native Czech Republic.
Appropriately, the cockpit will also be occupied by a Czech duo when the car makes its debut: experienced rally driver and reigning APRC champion Jan Kopecký and his co-driver Pavel Dresler will take control of the car, which is powered by the new 1.6-litre turbo engine, at the Rally Šumava Klatovy.
“We are obviously very proud to be the ones to herald the next chapter in ŠKODA’s rallying success story,” said Kopecký, who won the rally back in 2012.
The 50th anniversary of the event features 12 demanding special stages, consisting of 150.71 kilometres against the clock. Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler will start all six rounds of the Czech Rally Championship in ŠKODA’s new rally car.
Czech Rally Championship (MČR)
| Event Rally Šumava Klatovy Rally Český Krumlov Rally Hustopeče Rally Bohemia Barum Czech Rally Zlín Rally Příbram | Date 24.04.–25.04.2015 22.05.–23.05.2015 19.06.–20.06.2015 10.07.–12.07.2015 28.08.–30.08.2015 02.10.–04.10.2015 |
Did you know …
… the ŠKODA Fabia R5 was officially presented for the first time on 15th April? Around 50 international journalists slipped into the passenger seat at the test track in Bělá pod Bezdězem, about 20 km from the ŠKODA headquarters in Mladá Boleslav. The media experts were put through their paces as Jan Kopecký and Esapekka Lappi took them on a series of wild rides.
… the engine for the ŠKODA Fabia R5 was developed from scratch? The 1.6-litre turbo engine is a big change compared to the 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine used in the Fabia Super 2000.
The development process took advantage of synergies within the Volkswagen Group – after all, Volkswagen has won the World Rally Championship for the past two years and once again holds a commanding lead in the series this year.
… the software in the new cars comes from Magneti Marelli? However, it was adapted by ŠKODA to meet its own requirements.
… there is huge interest in the new rally car among customer teams? Over 100 enquiries have already been received in Mladá Boleslav, with at least 15 ŠKODA Fabia R5 scheduled to be delivered this year.
The numbers for the “Rally Šumava Klatovy”: 2012
ŠKODA’s last win at the Rally Šumava Klatovy came back in 2012. Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler finished at the head of a ŠKODA Motorsport one-two-three in the Fabia Super 2000. Roman Kresta (CZ) and Jaromir Tarabus (CZ) finished second and third.
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