Time to drop the top

We’re in the middle of February now the nights are getting shorter and the days are getting longer, we’re not scraping frost off every morning and most of us are getting home before the street lamps come on. While many will be thinking of booking their summer holidays I’m thinking about an Audi convertible for sale I saw.

With the limited number of summer days we get I’m determined to make the most of the sun this summer and that includes buying myself a nice convertible, I’ve got my eyes on a used Audi A4 convertible. Due to the number of miles I do a year it will have to be the 2.0 litre diesel model, and I prefer the sporty look of the S Line so it will have to be a 2.0 litre S Line diesel. I’m not picky but it has to be in black with full leather interior.

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Ford Focus On Its Way to the UK

The much-talked-about Ford Focus is on its way to the UK, it was announced last week. The model, which has been the subject of a number of cross-platform social media campaigns over the last six months, is now being brought in to Ford showrooms across the country in preparation for next month’s sales launch.

Shipments, which began earlier in the month, are currently averaging about 1,000 vehicles a day and are expected to increase towards the end of the month. All Focus cars being imported are five-door models and will be in dealerships just in time to sport the new registration plate coming out in March.

As expected, there is already a high demand for the new Ford Focus. After Auto Trader revealed that the original and second-generation Focuses are the most discussed cars in the UK, it is no surprise that there is growing anticipation for the release of the third generation model. The European Vice President of Ford’s Marketing, Sales and Service department, Roelant de Waard said,

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Car Manufacturer of the Year

BMW Group have been named 'Manufacturer of the Year' for the third year in a row by the BusinessCar magazine in recognition of BMW's diverse product portfolio and class-leading running costs. BMW UK which includes BMW Aberdeen has also scooped six other awards from one of the country's leading fleet publications.

The new BMW 5 Series was awarded the title 'Business Car of the Year' for its combination of superior quality build, driving dynamics and class-leading economy. While the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics was scooped 'Green Car of the Year' award.

Sales Director BMW Group UK, Sean Green, said: "To win the big three from BusinessCar is a huge honour, as there are no other awards which can claim that they truly represent the views of the industry in quite the same way. The corporate customer is very important to BMW and with models such as the award winning 320d EfficientDynamics and new BMW 5 Series, we are dedicated to staying ahead of our rivals and exceeding customer expectations."

After great success in 2010, the BMW X5 was again named 'Large 4x4 of the year', the BMW 3 Series took 'Upper Medium Car of the Year' for the second year in a row and the new BMW 5 Series was named 'Executive Car of the Year'. Fleet user Mini was crowned 'Supermini of the Year' for the ninth year in a row.

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Dagenham - Ford UK Home

Dagenham in Essex, many Ford models were built here when the plant used to produce cars, now the plant produces just engines and body panels as well as other components for new cars. When you think of Ford in the UK you tend to associate Dagenham with its history, many even say that the home of Ford in the UK is in Essex.

Quite fittingly then, the first new Global Focus to go on display in the UK will be at the Lakeside shopping centre in Thurrock, Essex - a few miles down the A13 from Dagenham. The candy yellow Ford Focus will be on display for four days starting from the 17^th of February. Lakeside shoppers will be able to poke around the new Focus a whole two weeks before the car goes on sale on the 1^st of March.

The shopping centre in Lakeside receives about 7,500 visits every day so, the new Focus will really be in the public eye before it goes on sale to the general public. Jon Wellsman, Ford Britain sales director said, "UK motorists are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Ford Focus, replacing the model which was top selling car for 10 years. Essex is the Ford brand's spiritual home, so putting our newest car on display to Lakeside shoppers will please our local Ford fans."

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McLaren MP4-12C Enters Production

The new supercar, the McLaren MP4-12C has begun production at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The new McLaren was debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed where it was received with much enthusiasm and excitement. The firms Formula 1 drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton (both F1 Champions) took the car for a spin at the festival and gave it their thumbs up. The car was also presented to prospective customers and media across the globe in 2010.

McLaren Automotive which is a separate entity to McLaren F1 plans to build 1,000 of this new McLaren in Birmingham in 2011. Most of the 1,000 units will be built in the new £40 million McLaren Production Centre but, that building is not due for completion until May. Therefore, the first production models will be built at the existing MTC facility.

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VW electric Jetta Coupe

In the summer of last year Volkswagen announced that the new VW Jetta will be hitting UK streets by the spring of this year. The Jetta will be priced from about £18,000, and although it is still based on a Golf it now shares only a handful of components, VW claim that this model is the most independent Jetta to date.

The automotive industry, motoring journalist and analysts were expecting VW to unveil the new Jetta, what they didn’t anticipate though was the unveiling of an electric coupe version of the Jetta. Having seen the pictures the coupe has a similar stance to the Audi A5 coupe; it looks good, sporty and modern. But, UK buyers may not have the choice of purchasing one as it fits the same gap in the market as the Scirocco, so this electric coupe is rumoured to be only for the USA.

The new VW Jetta electric coupe has been described as a good looking machine with sleek lines and very smart headlights. The assertive stance is helped by a sweeping coupe style roofline and a low-slung, sporty profile. Aerodynamic tweaks such as a covered grille and rear spoiler help to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.

Under the bonnet of the electric coupe lay a big hint as to the way VW intend to take their engine technologies. The coupe has a 174bhp, 1.4-litre TSI engine boosted by a 25bhp electric motor. Mated to VW’s efficient seven-speed DSG gearbox, it does 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds, and can hit 141mph. The new Volkswagen Jetta in Newbury is yet another refreshed model in VW’s line up, and just like its predecessors the new Jetta is expected to do well worldwide.

Mazda’s safety bubble

The new Mazda5 was unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show; it is a compact MPV in its third generation of production. The new Mazda5 is packed with safety features, it comes as standard with six airbags – front, side and curtain airbags. 

The new Mazda in Yorkshire is also packed with driver aids to help prevents accidents from taking place in the first instance. The 5 comes as standard with large 300mm ventilated disc brakes in the front and 302mm rear brakes, four-channel ABS, electric brake-force distribution (EBD), brake assist, traction control (TCS) and DSC; and an Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) that warns the cars behind of a sudden braking manoeuvre by automatically flashing the hazard lights rapidly.

There are some other clever safety features in the Mazda5, I really like the idea of Mazda's Brake Override System, which always prioritises the brake pedal over the accelerator pedal should both be engaged at the same time, allowing the car to be brought to a safe stop. The Mazda5 also comes with a park-assist system with four sensors in the rear bumper that continuously measure the distance to any object when parking in reverse gear.

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