Volkswagen has resisted the temptation to offer special sales incentives with the all-electric Golf and instead will sell it like any other car. That means there will be no battery-hire scheme like that offered by Renault with its electric models, and no system of credits giving owners access to combustion-enginedContinue Reading

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The strong ‘X’ shape graphic on the front of the new Toyota Aygo and Yaris are a sign of a bolder approach to design for the Japanese company which will become evident in larger models in the future. Fabio Capano of Toyota Europe product communications said: “You will find thatContinue Reading

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Volkswagen has revealed all-new versions of the Passat, described by CEO Dr Martin Winterkorn as “Europe’s most successful company car,” ahead of their first public airing at the Paris Motor Show this autumn. The two cars will go on sale in the UK simultaneously on October 7, with deliveries beginningContinue Reading

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Redefining Vauxhall as a brand is the number one task for new chairman Tim Tozer who took over the post in February. “The job is to work out what the brand is and define it properly. At the moment the brand message is not very well articulated and has beenContinue Reading

Just five years ago the future was looking bleak for Vauxhall’s light commercial vehicle plant in Luton. So soon after the closure of the car factory next door, there were concerns that the van facility would suffer a similar fate. Vauxhall’s parent General Motors was plunged into Chapter 11 bankruptcyContinue Reading

Jeep is emerging from a nightmare of falling sales and dealers fleeing the brand to post nine months of consecutive growth, said UK boss Steve Zanlunghi. Sales this year are up 70 per cent and the brand posted its best first quarter performance for 10 years, said Zanlunghi, managing director,Continue Reading

Peugeot has revealed comprehensively updated versions of its flagship 508 saloon and estate (SW), with the changes deliberately targeted at its two main markets – Europe and China. The new models, which again include the option of an all-wheel-drive Hybrid4 diesel-electric powertrain, are set to go on sale in EuropeContinue Reading

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BMW’s M division is now focusing on taking weight out of its cars rather than putting more power into them as a way of delivering its familiar high performance. “We want to be in a different league for power-to-weight,” says Carsten Pries, the head of M product management, “but weContinue Reading

SEAT is on course to achieve double the normal rate of hot hatch sales with the new Leon Cupra. Typically, hot hatchbacks command a 3% share of the mix of the cars they are based on, but early orders suggest the Cupra will take 6%. “In a full year thatContinue Reading

Dacia has the potential to continue its remarkable rise under Renault ownership over the past 15 years, says CEO Nicolas Maure. “We have some more capacity in Morocco – maybe as much as 150,000 a year – and also in the rest of the world: India, Brazil and Russia,” saysContinue Reading

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Alpina, a company whose name is synonymous with that of BMW, is gearing up to celebrate its half-century in 2015. Among the ideas under consideration to mark the occasion are special new Alpina models and the appearance at selected events of some of the most successful BMW Alpina competition cars.Continue Reading

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McLaren might be one of the biggest names in Formula One but there is a big job to do in getting the company’s road cars on the shopping list of supercar buyers. Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer of McLaren Automotive, said: “We are not in the same league as FerrariContinue Reading

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Audi has revived one of the most illustrious names from its rich motorsport history for its latest high-performance road cars. The S1 Sport Quattro was Audi’s World Rally Championship contender in the fearsome era of Group B in the mid-1980s. In the hands of Walter Röhrl, Stig Blomqvist, Hannu MikkolaContinue Reading

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Peugeot is expecting a big sales boost in the UK from two new small turbocharged petrol engines which, the company claims, will also start to reduce its traditional reliance on diesels. The new PureTech petrol engines – 1.2-litre three-cylinder direct-injection units developing either 110 or 130bhp, with diesel-like torque figuresContinue Reading

It’s possibly the ultimate accessory for the Audi owner about town – a fold-away electric mini-scooter, branded with the German company’s name and logo, which can be tucked away in a corner of the boot until needed. But any UK Audi-philes who have the idea of buying one will haveContinue Reading

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As a new generation MINI is launched, designer Anders Warming said that despite its expanding dimensions and burgeoning model line-up, the car will always remain close to Sir Alec Issigonis’s original 1959 concept. He said: “Whatever we do with MINI we always take a look back and study what IssigonisContinue Reading