Ford have just announced that they have extended their Ka range to accommodate a larger model line-up with more trims and far more equipment.
Prices have increased slightly – with the starting point for the range being an extra £350, but it means that the Ka will now suit more people.
Ford have seen excellent sales from both their Fiesta and Focus and will now be hoping that the Ka enjoys similar success.
WhatCar? have just released their ‘car of the year’ results – revealing the cars that triumphed within various categories.
It was the Peugeot 3008 which claimed the overal title of WhatCar? Car of the Year – the judges liked the ‘crossovers’ clever thinking.
Features such as the full-length glass roof and the ‘cool storage bin’ between the front seats stood out in particular, judges also liked the fact that there was plenty of room inside the vehicle to cater for large families.
It was Nissan who first developed the ‘crossover’ idea with their stylish and sophisticated ‘Qashqai’ – but it seems as though Peugeot have taken the idea and manuafctured a vehicle that ticks all the right boxes…
Peugeot are set to unveil their new concept car in Geneva in the next few months and it’s worth the wait!
The SR1 conveys Peugeot’s unique branding and ‘design language’ for the upcoming year.
The SR1 concept car is based on the 407 convertible and has a folding canvas roof – it is also really economical. Its hybrid powertrain delivers more than 300bhp but still manages to keep emissions below 120g/km.
This concept car is not intended for production as the materials it is built from would make it too expensive to manufacture – its main purpose is to show how future Peugeots may look – a Peugeot source called it a ‘design manifesto’.
Check out the new Peugeot concept car – do you think the styling is the way forward for Peugeot?
Can you see the likes of the Peugeot 107 adopting these design cues???
new peugeot 107 slough
2009 was, in general, a bad year for the automotive sector. However, the beginning of 2010 has bought about all the stats from the previous year, enabling us to find out all the winners and losers.
So far, we’ve learnt that Land Rover had an extremely good year as sales were up by a very impressive 93% on 2008. Sales grew particularly fast during the last four months of 2009 as the cold weather and poor driving conditions prompted motorists into buying a reliable 4×4.
Specific models that have enjoyed success include the Range Rover Sport where sales grew by 116% and the Discovery 4 which saw sales increase by 115%.
Time will tell if the positive results continue for Land Rover during 2010…
A website that was set up to warn motorists against the dangers of potholes have put out a new warning as the snowy weather continues to trouble Britain.
Potholes can do far more damage to your vehicle than you may think…
The cold temperatures cause the water sitting in the potholes to freeze over and therefore they become virtually invisible to drivers – making them far more of a risk.
So – whilst your busy thinking about the icy conditions and treacherous snow – you now have another factor to watch out for!
According to the article throughout 2010 UK motorists will pay around #1million a day in pothole-related car damage as the average repair bill is a whopping 250pounds….
During January in particular the ‘pothole-problem’ is likey to get far worse. Cold temperatures cause the road water to freeze – and it’s when the water thaws that the road surface cracks and thus gives motorists annoying problems!
The main damage potholes cause is to vehicle’s suspension –particularly axle failure.
Some local authorities will pay for the damage to be fixed if you make a claim – so you need to be ready:
…so remember – look out for hidden potholes!
In the latest range of safety test results released by Euro NCAP the new Mazda3 is the latest car to receive the full five-star rating.
This means that it performed superbly in all of the tests carried out. The tests look at various features of the cars including its ‘pedestrian protection’, ‘child protection’, ‘whiplash protection’, its ’seatbelt system’ and many more.
The Mazda3 is only the second Mazda model to receive the full 5-stars under the new European NCAP Evaluation system – the other is the Mazda6.
Every winter the price of a used convertible decreases as the demand lowers, however it seems as though this year the price decrease has been bigger than expected. 
Audi convertibles have lowered by 10.7 percent, so if you’re after a A4 convertible now is the time to look out for one. Both Peugeot and Renault have seen a bigger decrease than Audi with Peugeot convertible prices falling by 11.5 % and Renault convertibles falling by a significant 15.1%.
Now doubt the prices will pick up during Spring as the ‘convertible season’ hots up again, but if you’re smart you’ll start your hunt now as you’re bound to find yourself a bargain!
According to What Car? the price of a new Ford is set to increase yet again. 
This is the fourth price increase from Ford in 2009 alone. In fact it’s estimated that the price of a Focus has risen by £2000 this year which is a huge increase in such a short space of time.
Prices are set to increase by 2.7% next month and Ford are blaming it on the weak value of the pound.
The VAT price increase in January will make prices increase even further as well – so if you’re looking to buy a new Ford it’s probably better to get in there sooner rather than later.
Many said that car manufacturers would increase prices to compensate for Scrappage Scheme loss by increasing vehicle prices and it seems to be true in this case!
Fiat have just unveiled their latest commercial vehicle, the Fiat Doblo. 
The new Fiat Doblo will be on sale in the UK from early next year in both van and budget people carrier form.
The Doblo van is going to be a rival for the likes of the Citroen Berlingo and the Renault Kangoo – and Fiat are already claiming that it has plenty of space inside – even with the seats up!
There will be a choice of four engines to choose from and the environmentally aware will be pleased to hear that Stop Start comes as standard. Stop Start is a piece of innovative technology that turns a car’s engine off whilst it is still, i.e. at the traffic lights, thus preserving you some fuel. Stop Start is fast featuring on many vehicles.
According to figures just released Ford have just sold their 30,000th scrappage vehicle – the vehicle in question, the good old Ford Transit!
Ford have now sold 1,100 commercial vehicles through the scrappage scheme which has been a fantastic success for them.
Ford lead the scrappage sales in the UK with Vauxhall following closely behind.
The Ford Fiesta in particular has been particularly popular during the scheme – and sales of the Fiesta recently topped the 100,000 mark (both scrappage and non-scrappage sales).
