The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter wins the FN50 Award for the second successive year and three times since 2011.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has once again received the coveted FN50 award for the most reliable van, collecting the award for the second consecutive year, and the third year in total since 2011 (2011, 2015 and 2016).

The top-place ranking was announced at the annual FN50 event hosted at the Park Plaza in Westminster Bridge last night, attended by over 900 industry professionals.

The FN50 is an independent market perspective audit ranking the largest 50 leasing companies across the UK, carried out in August and September of 2016.

Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, said: “Sprinter keeps on adding to its awards haul, even though it is far from the newest van on the block. In fact, in Europe it has defined an entire class of van – known as the Sprinter segment!

“The FN50 award for most reliable van proves that the tough, durable, dependable workhorse which is a firm favourite for fleets, actually does what it says it’s going to do.

“And if our vans do breakdown, we offer MobiloVan free of charge to our customers, which enables UK and Europe -wide free roadside assistance by Mercedes-Benz trained technicians carrying Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts, to get the vehicle back on the road as quickly as possible.”

Stephen Briers, Editor-in-Chief, Fleet News, added: “Our reliability survey asks FN50 companies to rank their light commercial vehicles in order of best performing in terms of breakdowns and warranty claims. The clear winner, for the second-year in a row, was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The Sprinter is also the reigning Commercial Fleet commercial vehicle of the year, proving it really is the class act among large panel vans.”

Yvan Muller, one of the worlds most impressive drivers has announced his retirement from the WTCC at the seasons end.

Four-time World Champion Yvan Muller, who has been an official Citroën driver since midway through 2013, has announced that this season will be his last in the FIA WTCC. Currently lying joint second in the overall standings, the driver of Citroën C-Elysée WTCC No. 68 will be looking to hold on to that position in the last two meetings of the season in Shanghai and Qatar.

Over a professional career spanning more than thirty years, Yvan Muller has built one of the most impressive records in French motor sport, with four FIA World Touring Car Championship titles in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2013. 

He holds every WTCC record going, with 29 pole positions, 48 race wins, 125 podium finishes, 38 fastest laps and 2,826 points scored in 244 starts.

After starting out in karting (finishing as World Championship runner-up in 1985 and European Champion in 1986), he naturally progressed to single-seater racing, winning the British Formula 2 Championship in 1992. 

With no F1 openings, the man from Alsace turned to touring car racing in 1994. French Champion in 1995, he then competed in the Italian, German and British championships, picking up the BTCC title in 2003, before making the switch to the FIA WTCC in 2006.

He also made his name as the best driver on ice, with ten Andros Trophy crowns and several victories in the Chamonix 24-hour race. His wealth of experience across the world includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans, V8 Supercars in Australia, the Dakar Rally and a few rounds of the WRC.

Surprising as it may seem, Yvan Muller had never worked with a French manufacturer before he joined Citroën Racing. 

In July 2013, when the development of the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC and the organisation of the FIA WTCC team got under way, he provided the benefit of his immense experience and helped lay the foundations for the success that would later be achieved.

Yvan proved a vital member of the new set up, claiming four pole positions and four race wins in 2014, enough to secure him second place in the World Championship, behind José María López and ahead of Sébastien Loeb. He finished second in the driver standings again in 2015, with three pole positions and six race wins to his name.

Yvan has had more than his fair share of bad luck this year, but he is nevertheless currently sitting in second place in the overall standings, level on points with Tiago Monteiro. 

Having announced that his FIA WTCC career will end after this season, the holder of every record in the competition is determined to go out on a high by securing a championship one-two for Citroën Racing.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

Yvan Muller: “I am not sure that age is the main factor when it comes to ending a career. It’s more a matter of desire and motivation. With all the testing, the simulator sessions, the physical training and the travel to the race venues, a season of professional motor racing requires a level of personal commitment that I am no longer prepared to put in. 

At the same time, I am at a time of my life where I want to do something else and I am happy to be able to make that decision after eleven seasons of FIA WTCC. 

I’ve had some great experiences over my career. These three seasons with Citroën Racing have been particularly special, even though I never managed to be World Champion with this team. But I will always be proud of having helped to build our racing programme and develop the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC. 

I have also met some great people who are passionate about their job and have a fierce competitive spirit. Driving has been part of my daily life for so long that I can’t see myself stopping racing entirely. 

But I am going to spend more time with my family and developing my team, Yvan Muller Racing. Before that, though, I am going to put everything I’ve got into meeting the team’s goals.”

Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal: “The whole Citroën Racing team is proud to have Yvan Muller in its ranks. Every time we get involved in a competition, we look to recruit the best drivers. 

That is why we invited Yvan to join us from the start of our involvement in FIA WTCC. We will not forget his contribution. Coming in from rally driving, we had everything to learn, and he has always been more than happy to offer the team the benefit of all his experience. 

He is a great competitor and a great guy, who has always put Citroën’s interests first. It is to Yvan’s credit that, after three seasons with us, he has decided to end his career at a point when he is still capable of winning pole positions, races and titles. 

He will always be part of the Citroën Racing family and we wish him all the best for the next stage of his life, which we will follow with interest.”

USA RECALL #14 - Buick is realling it's 2011 Regal model for wires that can possibly chafe on the seat frame.

RECALL Subject : Front Seat Wiring Harness May Cause Fire

Report Receipt Date: JUL 07, 2016 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V517000 

Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , SEATS 

Potential Number of Units Affected: 42,984  

Manufacturer: General Motors LLC

SUMMARY:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011 Buick Regal vehicles manufactured November 3, 2009, to March 25, 2011, equipped with 8-way power adjustable front seats. The power seat wiring harness may contact the seat frame, causing the wires to chafe.

CONSEQUENCE:

Chafed harness wires may cause a short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

REMEDY:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the wiring harness, and repair any chafed wires as necessary, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable. Interim notices were mailed to owners on August 18, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 30710.

NOTES:

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

After nearly 5 Million sold the 4th gen Renault Scenic, Compact MPV, gets unveiled at Geneva on the 1st March.

• Award-winning Renault Scénic compact MPV introduced in 1996
• Nearly five million sold in 20-year production run
• Success story set to continue with unveiling of fourth-generation model at 2016 Geneva Motor Show
• New model draws inspiration and influences from 2011 R-Space concept car

Renault’s game-changing Scénic is celebrating 20 years of providing millions of families with innovative, forward-thinking transport. It continues to be the benchmark in the competitive compact MPV sector that it created back in 1996.

Since its introduction, the Scénic has become synonymous with family motoring at its very best, selling over five million examples that have engaged all occupants in a travel experience built on freedom and discovery to be enjoyed together.

Set to be unveiled on 1st March 2016 at the Geneva Motor Show, the fourth-generation Renault Scénic will continue the legacy of its predecessors, taking inspiration from the dynamic R-Space concept car unveiled in 2011 and fusing the requirements of modern family use with sensuous, sporty styling and a functional design.

Perfectly illustrating Renault’s pioneering approach to motoring and vehicle design, the Scénic was conceptualised as early as 1988 by then Design Director, Patrick Le Quément. In 1991 the idea of a small, family MPV was moved forward with the unveiling of the Scénic concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show ¬– its name being short for ‘Safety Concept Embodied in a New Innovative Car’. Five years later the Scénic was officially launched and with its introduction came the establishment of a brand new sector of vehicle –the compact MPV – and a host of technological advances that would feature in future Renault production vehicles.

Ingeniously designed and even developed with the help of Renault employees’ children in order to highlight optimum storage space for items inside, the new Scénic had vast appeal to families who required a ‘car for living’ that combined space, versatility, safety and an element of fun for all its occupants. Such was the success of the Scénic that other manufacturers quickly followed suit and the compact MPV soon became a key vehicle sector, proving so when the softly-styled Renault was voted European Car of the Year in 1997.

Continuing to strike a successful balance between an estate car and people carrier, the Scénic was redesigned in 2003 – the second-generation model building on the success of the original with even more user-friendliness and innovative design coupled with the availability of five or seven seats. Again, the Scénic was at the forefront of its sector, making travel more leisurely for parents and children alike and, in particular, scoring five stars in EuroNCAP tests to make it the safest vehicle in its category.

The current third-generation model arrived in March 2009, continuing the formula of its predecessors but now with more emphasis on elegance and travelling comfort and convenience. The latest Scénic and larger Grand Scénic provided the perfect opportunity for those who crave versatility but who do not wish to compromise on style or motoring pleasure. Once again, it reaffirmed its class-leading status with such highlights asbest-in-class knee room in the second row, the most generous third row in the compact MPV segment, the biggest storage volume around the cabin of up to 92 litres, and another maximum five-star score in EuroNCAP crash tests.

Now, with the official unveiling of the fourth-generation model just days away, the success of the ever-popular Scénic is set to continue for many more years.

ITALY - The best is back - The new Nissan Juke-R 2.0.

• Nissan updates its most extreme crossover, the Juke-R supercar
• Based on the impressive performance of the GT-R that is hiding under his body, Juke-R 2.0 has the power of 600 horses
• The launch on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Nissan Juke

When the first edition of Juke R debuted in 2011, he became crazy fans supercar under the dress hid compact crossover, in fact, the engine and the chassis of the legendary Nissan GT-R, the flagship sports brand. Now, four years later, the Juke-R is evolving to a new stage, with more power and a style even more aggressive.

The amount of "testosterone" Juke R 2.0 has increased thanks to the power of 600 hp from the engine of the GT-RNismo hiding under the guise crossover, and a design even more bad, tough, extreme, but also aesthetically more beautiful, since the car is developed on the bodywork of the latest version of Juke, that of 2014.

Juke -R is also the highest expression of the concept car crossover, invented by Nissan in 2007 with the launch of Qashqai, first market model to merge the lines of a saloon with those of an SUV and create a new category of vehicles, resulting in a trend to which all the competition has had to chase Nissan.

Juke will accomplish in short its fifth anniversary and Juke-R 2.0 comes just in time to celebrate the birthday of the most irreverent crossover in Europe. 

With over 600,000 units sold in the European market since its launch in 2010, Juke contribuisce the continued leadership of Nissan's crossover area, with the king of the category, Qashqai, and the adventurous new X-Trail.

Technical features Juke-R 2.0

Juke-R 2.0 is based on the new model Juke, launched in 2014, with significant changes in design and specifications, with a new form of the headlights, with LED lights and bulbs to renew the appearance and new door mirrors that incorporate indicators direction of the LED. 

The update of 2014, has also resulted in a significant renovation of the front, which now adopts the grid Nissan V-motion design element that characterizes the entire range of the latest brand. 

Another strong point of the Juke, the program customization with a wide choice of different colors for special external and internal, so that every customer can "sew on" their Juke.

SPECIFIC JUKE-R 2.0:

Bodywork

• Front bumper , completely revised in both design and functional level. The size of the air intakes in the front bumper has doubled to meet the increased demand for cooling of the engine, which now has 600 horsepower.  The bumper is made ​​from 100% carbon fiber.
• Rear bumper , made ​​of 100% carbon fiber, incorporates a diffuser exposed carbon. The bumper will have new discharges made ​​of carbon processed at high temperatures
• Rear wings , are now constituted by a single piece of carbon fiber with a carbon finish to view
• Fenders  front , steel
• Mudguard front  and rear are made ​​in one piece of carbon mixed with the bumper and the designs of door sill
• Side skirts  optimized in design and made ​​of carbon fiber
• Optical unit  redesigned front and rear lamps
• The bonnet integrates the cooling ducts of the motor in carbon. These have been repositioned, with respect to the previous Juke-R, to further improve the cooling of the engine and turbo
• Juke -R 2.0 mounts the wheels of the GT-R design newest
• The color is matte black

Interior

• No change, only the roof is black 

Engine

• The engine of the GT-R has been boosted to 600 horsepower - the same as the last GT-R, the Version NISMO

Electronics

• Headlights, taillights and daytime running lights (DRL) require updating wiring looms the original car with the latest technology lighting Nissan.

Translation by Google - Apologies for any errors caused.