The MINI Hatch has taken, for the fourteenth time, Supermini Of The Year award from BusinessCar magazine.

• MINI Hatch takes home the prize for the fourteenth year running
• Awards voted for by BusinessCar magazine readers

Readers of BusinessCar magazine have voted the MINI Hatch as Premium Supermini Car of the Year 2016. This marks the fourteenth consecutive year that the MINI Hatch has won the coveted award.

Excellent performance alongside low running costs and CO₂ emissions, coupled with strong residual values are just some of the qualities of the MINI 3-door Hatch which have continued to win over BusinessCar magazine readers for nearly a decade and a half.

New to the range in 2014, MINI 5-door Hatch has been a runaway success since launch. As well as sporting two extra rear doors, MINI 5-door has improved legroom, a practical third rear seat and larger boot.

Commenting on the award, James Morrison, Corporate Development Manager at MINI UK, said: “We are delighted to win the award for Premium Supermini of the Year for the fourteenth year in a row. The corporate market is extremely relevant for MINI and has grown even more so with the addition of the MINI 5-door Hatch in 2014.

“We’re therefore very proud to receive this award as voted for year after year by drivers and readers of BusinessCar magazine, as it is testament to the importance we are continuing to place on this segment.”

Editor of BusinessCar magazine, Paul Barker said: “This is an incredible fourteenth BusinessCar Award for the Mini hatch, a car that continues to offer incredible residual values, premium branding, a top-notch driving experience and the charm and cheeky looks that Mini is renowned for.

“The continued success is well deserved in the face of ever-increasing competition, but it’s still no surprise to see that our readers have once again chosen the Mini as BusinessCar’s Premium Supermini of the Year.”

PSA continues with it's commitment to strengthen ties with top post graduates and universities around the globe.

As part of its Open Innovation strategy and in line with its commitment to staying on the leading edge of automotive research, PSA Peugeot Citroën is strengthening its ties with top post-graduate schools and universities by creating an OpenLab in Africa.

On 25 January, PSA Peugeot Citroën entered into an agreement with five Moroccan universities, two US universities with campuses in Morocco, one locally-based Ecole Centrale engineering school, and a technology transfer centre at the International University of Rabat. 

The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Morocco's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the French Ambassador to Morocco.

The new OpenLab, dubbed "Sustainable Mobility for Africa", will engage in a four-year research programme to explore sustainable mobility systems with three core focuses: the electric vehicle of the future, renewable energy and the logistics of the future. The programme will leverage PSA Peugeot Citroën's scientific and professional expertise, the expertise of the partner universities and a number of technological platforms which will be made available to researchers in Morocco.

In this way, after deploying its Science Technologies Exploratory Lean Laboratory (StelLab) organisation in Europe, Asia and Latin America, PSA Peugeot Citroën is strengthening its network to nurture close relationships with future scientific hubs.

The OpenLab "Sustainable Mobility for Africa" programme brings together the following partners:

• International University of Rabat
• Mohammed V University
• Ibn Tofail University (Kenitra)
• Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakech)
• Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez (INSA EuroMediterranean)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (GeorgiaTech)
• Mississipoi State University
• Ecole Centrale Casablanca
• Institut Lafayette

Open Innovation at PSA Peugeot Citroën       

PSA Peugeot Citroën has adopted an Open Innovation strategy which entails building and managing relationships with a variety of ecosystems — from individuals and business to the academic world and institutions.

As part of its relationship with the academic ecosystem, the Group launched the StelLab network of OpenLabs and academic chairs in 2010.

StelLab is designed to strengthen PSA's scientific partnerships with publicly-funded laboratories involved in leading-edge research.

The OpenLab network operates worldwide to respond more effectively to the societal, environmental and economic challenges associated with the "car of the future", benefiting from the shared human and experimental resources of PSA Peugeot Citroën and its partner laboratories.

Nissan celebrates the Qashqai winning the Crossover Of The Year award from Business Car Magazine.

One of the UK’s leading publications for company car drivers and operators – has named the Nissan Qashqai its Crossover of the Year.

The British-built model took the title – the nation’s fifth best-selling car – took the title in the face of increased competition in the crossover segment.

The award, announced this morning, is particularly significant as it was decided by an expert panel of readers recruited from across the fleet industry.

They chose the Qashqai as their winner for its outstanding all-round appeal, singling out the model’s strong residual values, running costs, practicality, efficiency and quality for special mention.

Editor, Paul Barker, made the announcement by saying “The model that established the increasingly important crossover sector is still at its forefront despite increasing competition.

“In fact, it continues to go from strength-to-strength, which is all the more impressive given the level of success it has achieved over the last few years.”

The award came just weeks after the Qashqai was named Best Small SUV in the What Car? magazine awards for the third year running. The model was also named by What Car? as the ‘Best Buy’ between £15,000 and £25,000.

Barry Beeston, Corporate Sales Director at Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to see the Qashqai – a model which has proved a massive hit with company car drivers and fleet operators – honoured in this way.

“Awards like these that are voted for by real fleet drivers and operators are particularly special as it means the decision makers who have added the Qashqai to their fleet and the people who drive it every day are happy.”

The Skoda Estate becomes the UK's best selling business Estate & the SE Business Greenline III has a BiK of 16%

• The model now has 25% of the true fleet estate segment
• Octavia Estate enjoys year-on-year market share increase of 53%
• SE Business Greenline III version comes with BiK of 16%

The ŠKODA Octavia Estate is the UK’s most popular estate car in the fleet market, according to new data. The multi award-winning model now occupies 25% of the estate segment, and grew its market share by 53% year-on-year. The figures are taken from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ analysis* of fleet sales during 2015.

The continuing popularity of the Octavia Estate is testament to the compelling offer it presents to company car drivers and their employers.

For example, the SE Business 1.6 TDI Greenline III version is available with P11D of just £21,370 and BiK of 16%. This means that it costs employees as little as £57** per month.

Not only that, but each vehicle comes with an impressive array of technology and accessories. In every ŠKODA SE Business model, 16” alloys, an Amundsen touch-screen sat nav and Bluetooth connectivity come as standard.

Furthermore, the Octavia Estate Greenline III provides impressive fuel efficiency of 80.7mpg on the combined cycle, 110PS, 90g/km of CO₂ emissions, and a class-leading 1,740 litres of boot space with the seats down.

Patrick McGillycuddy, Head of Fleet for ŠKODA UK, commented: “There is no doubt that the Octavia Estate has been a revelation in the fleet market. It has the dual benefit of offering fleet managers the compelling financial figures they like to see, whilst also giving user-choosers an impressive assortment of kit to make every day driving more enjoyable.”

The Octavia Estate’s success coincides with a strong year of fleet sales for ŠKODA UK. In 2015, the brand announced a year-on-year spike in sales among corporate and SME clients of 22%.

The new Mercedes-Benz SLC convertible gets a new look, new name and more power.

• Priced from £30,495 OTR
• New SLC name to replace SLK 20 years after its first launch
• Available in two trim lines: Sport and AMG Line
• Range-topping Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 features new 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine

The new Mercedes-Benz SLC is now available to order, and will be priced from £30,495 for the entry-level SLC 200 Sport.

The SLC is available with a choice of four engines. The petrol line-up features a 2.0-litre motor which produces 184hp (SLC 200) or 245hp (SLC 300). The SLC 200 is available as standard with a six-speed manual gearbox (150 g/km of CO₂) or the optional 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission (137 g/km), while the SLC 300 comes with the 9G-TRONIC gearbox as standard (138 g/km).

The most fuel-efficient model in the range is the SLC 250 d which comes with a 2.1-litre diesel engine (204 hp), with CO₂ emissions of just 114 g/km.

The SLC is available in two model lines: Sport and AMG Line. Standard equipment includes: re-designed halogen headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights; new sports exhaust system (standard with 9G-TRONIC on SLC 200 and SLC 300); sports pedals; LED tail lights; Active Brake Assist; Attention Assist; Active Bonnet; chrome-plated twin exhaust system; remote boot lid release; and Headlamp Assist.

Sport models come with 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels (18-inch five-twin spoke alloy wheels are optionally available for £995), while AMG Line offers 18-inch AMG multi-spoke alloys.

Inside, a light carbon-grain trim comes as standard on the SLC 200, SLC 300 and SLC 250d, while the SLC 43 is available with dark carbon-grain trim.

SLC is optionally available with LED Intelligent Light System with Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus for £1,150. For the best possible visibility on country roads and motorways, plus when cornering and on bends, the low-beam mode of the LED Intelligent Light System automatically adapts to the weather, lighting and driving conditions. In addition to its striking appearance, the LED Intelligent Light System offers more safety at night thanks to situation-based light distribution, combined with a light colour similar to daylight. The brightness of the brake lights also varies depending on the light conditions – to avoid dazzling other road users.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus recognises other road users with their lights on and adjusts the headlamps to the new traffic situation with no input from the driver.

At £765 customers can opt for the Keyless Go package, which now includes an automatic boot separator. If it is in the upright position, the boot separator will automatically lower when the driver lowers the roof – eliminating the need for the driver to manually close the separator.

The new Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 comes with a 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine and offers performance of 367 hp plus peak torque of 520 Nm: allowing it to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds. Its top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. The SLC 43 comes standard with the 9G-TRONIC gearbox, enabling it to offer emissions of just 178 g/km – almost 20 g/km less than the previous SLK 55 AMG. Additionally, the SLC 43 is priced at £46,355, compared to £55,350 for the SLK 55 AMG.

The Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 is available with a host of standard equipment including AMG Performance steering wheel in nappa leather and DINAMICA combined with red contrast stitching; AIRSCARF neck-level heating; PARKTRONIC including parking guidance; LED Intelligent Light System and Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus; analogue clock featuring an IWC design; Garmin^® MAP PILOT with Live Traffic Information; AMG sports suspension; AMG sports exhaust system; AMG Handling Package; and AMG high-performance braking system with red–painted brake calipers.

Engine	Model Line	Transmission	CO2	Road Fund Licence (£)	Rec. OTR price (£)	P11d price (£)	BIK tax rate 2016/17
SLC 200 1,991 cc, 4-cylinder 184hp (135kW)	Sport	6-speed manual	150	£145.00	£30,495.00	£30,295.00	27
		9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	137	£130.00	£31,980.00	£31,795.00	24
	AMG Line	6-speed manual	150	£145.00	£34,495.00	£34,295.00	27
		9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	137	£130.00	£35,980.00	£35,795.00	24
SLC 300 1,991 cc, 4-cylinder 245hp (180kW)	AMG Line	9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	138	£130.00	£39,385.00	£39,200.00	24
SLC 250 d 2,143 cc, 4-cylinder 204hp (150kW)	Sport	9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	114	£0.00	£32,995.00	£32,940.00	22
	AMG Line	9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	114	£0.00	£36,995.00	£36,940.00	22
SLC 43 2,987 cc, 6-cylinder 258hp (190kW)	-	9G-TRONIC 9-speed automatic	178	£350.00	£46,355.00	£45,950.00	32