The Land Rover Defender

When it comes to British motor manufacturing success then the Land Rover Defender in Dorset has to be top of the list! Land Rover has been building the Defender since 1948; it is a 4 wheel drive off road and utility vehicle. The Defender name only came about in the late 90s, before that it was referred to by its wheelbase inches.

Along with the name the Defender had an all new Diesel engine; the old engine’s main weakness was that it would re-breath its own sump oil. The new engine had an oil separator filter to remove oil from the air in the system. The modification to the new engine meant the Defender could now cruise comfortably at high speeds.

The 2.4 litre diesel engine in the Defender was never meant to be for high speeds or quick acceleration. The 2.4 litre diesel engine has 265lb of torque, plenty of punch to get the Defender out of most sticky situations.

The Defender’s natural habitat is the great outdoors, rugged roads, hills, trenches and mud fields! Over the years the Defender has become at home in these conditions and it is not fazed by any of it. Unfortunately the Defender’s extreme off roading abilities mean that compromises had to be made to its on road characteristics.

On tarmac and normal roads the Defender is bounces around a lot, its cornering abilities are very poor and it struggles at the national speed limit. When it comes to refinement, there is no such thing in the Defender; it is not made for creature comforts. It is loud, windy and just rugged in general. The new diesel engine is quieter than the old engine but nowhere near as quiet as a normal car.

Vauxhall launches Total Loss Avoidance Programme

Have you ever been unfortunate enough to be involved in a road accident, where your car has been deemed “a total loss” by the insurance company? If so the insurance company may have refused to repair your vehicle and instead opt to pay you out the value of your car, which may not always be a favourable option for you.

What is a total loss? A total loss is when an insurance company has paid out the value of the vehicle to its owner rather than repairing it. There are two main “total loss” categories, Cat C and Cat D.


A Cat C loss is when a vehicle was extensively damaged and insurer has decided not to repair. It may be repaired and put back on the road. The damaged car has to pass an inspection to be re-registered as damaged repaired.

A Cat D loss is when a vehicle is damaged and the insurer has decided not to repair it. When fixed can be re-registered as damaged repaired. If you are looking to buy a Vauxhall in Kent make sure you carry out the relevant checks to ensure it has not been declared a “total loss” in the past.

Vauxhall has decided to launch a new scheme to help its owners when there vehicle becomes subject to a “total loss” insurance claim. Total Loss Avoidance Programme (TLAP) will see a discount of up to 50% on crash repair parts. TLAP has been launched in partnership with Vauxhall and its Approved Bodyshop Network to make a contribution of approximately 42,000 GM designated crash parts.

Tony Neff, Vauxhall Accident Repair Channel Manager, said: “The cost of crash repair parts is often too expensive for the insurer to justify getting the vehicle fixed; therefore many vehicles that could be easily repaired are instead being written off, due solely to the cost of parts.”

The first Aluminium chassis car

Audi was the first to market with an Aluminium chassis passenger car. The Audi A8 was marketed as using the Audi Space Frame. Produced since 1997, the A8 replaced the old Audi V8, it is available as front wheel drive or with Audi’s renowned Quattro all wheel drive system. The A8 is available in long wheel and short wheel base.

There have been three generations of the A8 produced; the current model is the 2010 spec car. It still uses the Audi Space Frame aluminium chassis, which has resulted in the Audi A8 being the lightest all-wheel drive car in the full-size luxury segment. The Audi A8 also has the best fuel consumption figures, largely due to its light weight construction.

The Audi A8 comes with five engine choices, three petrol units and two diesel power plants. The 3.0 litre, 4.2 litre and 6.3 litre have 286, 367 and 493 bhp respectively. The 6.3 litre W12 can do 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds and has a max speed of 155mph. The diesel range consists of two engines, a 3.0 litre and a 4.2 litre with 247 and 345 bhp respectively. The 4.2 litre diesel unit with its 345 bhp can do 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds.

As you would expect of a car of this size, the Audi A8 has a very comfortable ride. All Audi A8s come as standard with adjustable air suspension. For a large car the A8 has remarkable low amount of body roll which contributes to a thrilling drive, especially in the S8! The Audi A8 competes with the Mercedes S Class, but if you want to be slightly different I would highly recommend you to buy used Audi A8 in Berkshire.

Nissan Launches a dedicated Careers Website

Nissan has launched a new recruitment campaign and supporting website, to help look for engineers and maintenance technicians to join its Sunderland Plant as well its Nissan dealers in Northern Ireland.

There are around 200 positions available to support record levels of production, the introduction of electric vehicle technology and the development of new models for the Sunderland Plant - the Nissan LEAF, next generation Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Micra.

As one of the founding UK companies in the UK's new Talent Retention Solution (TRS), Nissan will be looking to match a number of its forthcoming job opportunities with skilled engineers facing redundancy from the defence sector.

Current positions advertised by Nissan include Production Engineers, Facility Engineers, QA Engineers, Press Die Maintenance Technicians, Battery Tooling Technicians and Facilities Maintenance Technicians.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK, said: "Nissan is actively recruiting for new engineers and maintenance technicians to join our highly skilled workforce at our Sunderland Plant. These new recruits will play a key role not only in maintaining our record production levels, but in making sure that our Battery Plant and future new models are introduced successfully."

Rachel Williams, 25, a Parts Quality Assurance Engineer, who has worked at Nissan Sunderland Plant since 2007. She commented: "The thing that first attracted me to Nissan was that the company was willing to help new engineers to progress and develop. Currently I'm responsible for approximately 60 suppliers, looking at their processes and products, auditing them, improving the quality assurance of their parts and reacting to concerns we get on the production line. It's a happy place to work. I enjoy coming to work every day, which I'm not sure a lot of people can say. You have a different job to do every day."

Tough used car market

As many industry insiders and experts had predicted, the used car market is facing tough times at the moment. The financial meltdown has left many continuing to tighten their belts. According to Manheim Retail Services, retail sales in May decreased from an average of 12.8 to 12.1.

The number of enquiries for used cars had increased in May compared to April, from 33.3 to 33.6. But, the conversion percentage from test drive to sales fell by 2.3% down to 36%.

John Simpson the MD of Manheim Retail Services said, “Record low interest rates should ordinarily be underpinning a strong retail recovery. But with inflation remaining stubbornly high and economic growth appearing anaemic at best across most ‘big ticket’ sectors, the outlook is challenging. Rather than holding back for the market to pick up, dealers need to innovate, to think creatively about stimulating retail traffic. The virtual showroom should be a major focus with strategies for pushing used car stock to relevant portals.”

Like so many others, John Simpson has warned that the used car market will get much tougher because it gets any easier. He also said that waiting for the economy to change and for buyers to return to the market themselves was simply not an option.

The wholesale market does not fear much better, the decline in values continued in May. The average value dropped by £231, lowering the average value to £7,966. This has affected the prices of a used cars in Leicester as well as the rest of the UK.

Mike Pilkington the managing director of Manheim Remarketing, said: “The message to dealers is clear: well prepared vehicles, with reserves set according to the difficult trading conditions, will attract buyers.”

Kia sets aggressive sales target

Last year KIA sold a respectable 56,000 units; their aim is to sell 70,000 a year in the UK by 2013. Over the next couple of years KIA will introduce new models and revamped old models to help it reach this aggressive target.

The road to this target began with the introduction of the all new KIA Picanto, the new KIA Rio will help move things along in September when it is launched. The top of the range KIA Optima will be refreshed and re-launched by the end of the year.

The managing director of KIA UK, Michael Cole stated he wants to increase the KIA Picanto’s market share in the city car segment from 7.5% to 10% by 2012 . That’s about 15,000 units; this should be helped with the launch of the new 3 door model in the next couple of months.

Read more »

The Skoda Fabia

Remember the Skoda Felicia? it was a outdated, boxy little car. In 1999 Skoda unveiled the Skoda Fabia, it took over from the Felicia as the Czech brand’s supermini.

Even though the Fabia is a Skoda was heavily developed by Volkswagen, the parent group of Skoda. A lot of parts and panels were used from the "parts bin" at VW to help keep costs down. The Fabia had to cost less to buy than the equivalent VW, therefore it also had to cost less to build.

 In 2005 the Skoda Fabia was given a facelift to bring it in line with the brand’s modern design philosophy. Changes included front fog lights and grille, modified rear lights, new steering wheel and revised specification levels.

The Skoda Fabia in Essex comes with quite a few engine options including two 1.2 litre three cylinder petrol engines. More modern engines include the four cylinder 1.2 litre turbo petrol units. The petrol range is topped by the 1.4 litre turbocharged and supercharged petrol engine found in the vRS model. There are four diesel engines to choose from, three of which are 1.6 litre variants with 74, 89 or 104bhp. There is a small 1.2 litre diesel engine that runs on just three cylinders.

Read more »

David Cameron visits Jaguar Land Rover

On the 22nd of July the UK Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Gaydon, Warwickshire. He made the visit to meet apprentices and graduates who have recently joined the company.

During 2011, over one hundred apprentices have joined Jaguar Land Rover's apprentice scheme, kick starting their careers in the fields of manufacturing, engineering and technology with an initial 36 to 42 month training programme, alongside more than 330 graduates.

Mr David Cameron took this opportunity to announce a £25 million fund to support the creation of additional apprenticeship places which will help businesses provide enhanced opportunities to inspire the next generation of talented UK engineers.

Prime Minister David Cameron said, "Jaguar Land Rover is a brilliant example of a business that is investing in skills for the future. It is time to re-industrialise the UK so that means more hi-tech jobs - that's what's happening here at Jaguar Land Rover."

Dr Ralf Speth of Jaguar Land Rover who is the Chief Executive Officer, said: "It's great to see Government continuing to support apprenticeships with this initiative. We are dedicated to the training and development of our employees and our award-winning apprentice scheme has been developing a generation of engineers for many years. We work very closely with schools and academic institutions across the UK to help inspire and create the next generation of engineers and technologists. It is these apprentices - and graduates - who will ultimately help drive and shape the future of our business."

While at the plant David Cameron was also provided with the opportunity to view the new Jaguar XJ in West London and Land Rover products such as the Range_e, the plug-in hybrid offering 85mpg and CO2 emissions of 89g/km.

Range Rover Evoque goes into production

The Land Rover Range Rover Evoque becomes reality, the ground breaking Range Rover has gone into production. The Evoque has gone into production at Land Rover’s Halewood manufacturing plant in Liverpool.

The start of production was much celebrated the Jaguar Land Rover CEO and a number of JLR executive officers, union representatives and employees all celebrated production of the Range Rover Evoque starting. The first vehicle to come off the line will be donated to the British Motor Industry Heritage trust before it hits Evoque dealers in West London.

Read more »

Consumers trust dealer recommendations

It is not unusual for car consumers to take their manufacturer dealer’s recommendation very strongly. No one knows our car like the people who specialise in making, selling and servicing them, therefore we tend to take the word of our dealers and go with what they recommend.

This theory has recently been ratified by a YouGov Omnibus survey which was conducted in March 2011. According to the survey 60% of motorists visiting franchised workshops consider their car manufacturer's recommendation as one of their first criteria when selecting oil.

To take advantage of this, Suzuki has teamed up with Castrol to recommend only Castrol oil products to their customers at all Suzuki dealers. As part of the partnership, Suzuki will produce a range of co-branded point of sale materials for the recommendation.

James Richardson, General Manager of Service for Suzuki GB said, "Suzuki is committed to helping its dealers’ in improving the service they deliver to customers. to helping its dealers’ in improving the service they deliver to customers," commented James Richardson, General Manager - Service, Suzuki GB. "Castrol Professional lubricants are technically advanced and will resonate as a strong brand with our customers."

Nigel Head, Castrol Franchised Workshop and OEM Marketing Manager - UK & Ireland, explains: "We've worked incredibly hard with Suzuki to gain their sole and exclusive recommendation and to tailor a business development programme to meet their needs. We look forward to working with Suzuki and its network in achieving our goals of delivering first class service - and lubricants - to their customers."

3 sales records in June for SEAT

June was a bumper month for SEAT the Spanish car maker, who is part of the VW Group. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggest that in June SEAT sold a total of 3,072 vehicles. This has resulted in SEAT taking a 1.68% market share, which is an increase of 30% compared to the same period last year. It was also a record month of sales for SEAT.

The second achievement is the all time record in the market share for the second quarter of 2011, at 1.70%. SEAT's third record is the 1.80% share of the new car market for the first six months of the year. Compared to 2010, sales for the month rose to 32%, whilst the automotive market general experienced a drop of 6%. One of the factors helping achieve these positive figures can be the number of SEAT special offers in Essex.

For SEAT the best selling model was the SEAT Ibiza, in SC, 5dr and ST specs, more than 10,000 units were sold. The SEAT Leon five door hatchback came in second with over 5000 sales. The third best seller for SEAT is the SEAT Exeo saloon and estate, followed by the SEAT Altea and Altea XL, with year to date sales of over 1400 cars.

SEAT UK Head of Operations, Richard Harrison, said: "These numbers really do speak for themselves, and show that our growth plan is fully on track. Our dealer network has experienced record levels of interest and sales across the entire range of stylish new SEATs, and it’s clear that the expanded modern range of cars we offer is connecting with buyers like never before."

The Renault FRENDZY

Renault has unveiled its latest fully electric concept vehicle, it is different from the others in that it can be used both as a commercial and family car. It is a very unique looking vehicle, the passenger side features no glazing or centre pillar, rather a conventional door and a sliding side door with an incorporated 37 inch widescreen display which can be used for advertising and messaging. The driver's side does feature windows, but still no centre pillar. The doors open centrally, to enable ease of access for the family.

The rear passenger cabin is further unconventional, there is a bench seat and a touch sensitive pad which slides out from the back of the driver's seat to watch films or play games. The interior features an extensive use of wood, linking between practical "work" and "family" modes, echoing the world of camping.

In "work" mode, the rear view mirrors sit upright and the interior lighting is green; "family" mode sees the mirrors swivel to horizontal position and orange lighting for the interior. Magnetic fixings in the paid load area allow the load to be secured to the floor, modular stowage systems provide practical storage.

Read more »

Jaguar XK and England Cricketers

As a British car enthusiast I have never been so excited to see a new high performance British built car. The Jaguar XK has really got me excited, and it seems it’s got the English cricket team excited too. Test cricketers Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Steve Finn and Eoin Morgan got behind the wheel of the new Jaguar XK to compete head to head in a series of automotive challenges which were designed to test their skills as professional sportsman.

Jaguar is the official vehicle supplier to the English cricket team. The Jaguar XK event was organised by Jaguar and it took place at the Jaguar testing track in Gaydon, West Midlands. The challenges included slalom, breaking at speed and timed manoeuvres testing the player's hand-eye co-ordination, spatial awareness and peripheral vision.

Professional drivers were at the event awarding points to the professional cricketers, at the end of the day the driver with the lowest points was presented with Jaguar 'L' plates for the journey home.

England Test Captain, Andrew Strauss said: "Today's been great fun and it's good for the guys to take time out and feel relaxed ahead of the India Test. It's been a long time since I took my driving test and it definitely wasn't in a Jaguar XK! It's an amazing car to drive, it looks great and handles really well, just a shame our driving skills couldn't match the performance of the car.

The Managing Director of Jaguar UK – Geoff Cousins said, "It was an entertaining afternoon watching Andrew, Jonathan, Steve and Eoin in a test of a different kind. Performance is at the heart of the Jaguar brand and today's challenges allowed the cricketers to experience it firsthand in the Jaguar XK range.”

What is the best used car?

Ever wondered what’s the best used car to buy? Well, motoring magazine Auto Express have tried and tested used cars in various sizes and come up with a list of ten cars which they reckon are the best cars to get within each category.

Their overall favourite is the BMW 3-series as a whole but they highlight the 320d for it’s incredible fuel; economy and models younger than 2007 as they all have low carbon emission figures. The BMW 3-series usually also have good service history.

But it’s Ford that comes out on top in 3 of the car sizes tested as the magazine claims Ford has the best used family car, the best used small family car and the best used MPV.

The best used family car is the trusted and popular Ford Mondeo. You can get a used Ford Mondeo for as little as £7,000 and if you go for one which is only 3 years old you will get one which is covered by the company’s used approved scheme which includes warranty and breakdown cover. If you’re more interested in a new Ford Mondeo, Slough in Berkshire is one place you will find a dealership.

The best used small family car according to Auto Express is the Ford Focus. It comes in a wide range of engines which means there’s something for everyone. You can get a 2004 model for under £4,000. One of the better choices in this category would be the 1.6-litre TDCi which has a fuel economy of 62.7 mpg and only emits 118g/km of CO2.

The best used MPV is the Ford S-Max and the model to get is the 1.8-litre diesel engine. It has a fuel economy of 45.6 mpg and emission figures of 164g/km.

So if you’re in the market for a new family car, according to this motoring magazine, you can’t go wrong if you pick a Ford or a BMW. Why not head down to your local car dealer and see what they have on offer?

Small family cars with low emissions

More and more people want to turn green and invest in a more fuel efficient vehicle next time they’re in the market for a new car. Most car manufacturers are now seeing the benefit of investing in green technology which translates into more choice for the consumer and also more options in all price ranges.

In the popular small family car category there are around a dozen or so options that delivers more or less the same low carbon emissions. With carbon emission figures at 99g/km it means the cars are below the threshold for paying road tax and London Congestion Charge.

One such vehicle is the Seat Leon 1.6 CR TDI Ecomotive which in addition to CO2 emission of 99g/km delivers 74.3 mpg with combined driving which equates to 8.4 pence per mile. If you want to test out a new or used Seat Leon, London should have plenty on offer.

Another low emission and fuel efficient vehicle is the popular Volkswagen Golf where the 1.6 TDI BlueMotion model delivers the same mpg as the Seat Leon. Similar low emission models are also offered by manufacturers such as Skoda, Audi and Volvo.

But the two least polluting and most economical small cars out there are the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Fluence – and both are electrical cars. The cost of running for both the Nissan Leaf and the Renault Fluence is 2.5 pence per mile as both vehicles use 15 kWh/100km.

Although the Nissan Leaf has received great reviews, owning an electric car isn’t for everybody so one of the lower emission diesel cars might be a more viable option for most.