One year on, The Peugeot 308 continues to ooze quality and desirability.

• 2014 has seen the PEUGEOT 308 earn numerous awards, including industry’s top prize - COTY
• Game-changing compact family car is now available with SW body style and class-leading engines
• 308 GT model, due in showrooms in January has enhanced performance and desirability

Exactly 12 months ago, PEUGEOT Dealers were buzzing with excitement at the arrival of the all-new 308. It had already been shortlisted for the prestigious Car of the Year (COTY) award, was stunning to look at, oozed desirability and was officially on sale from 2^nd January 2014.

Fast-forward to today and what a year 2014 has been for PEUGEOT’s new compact family hatchback. Not only did it take the much-coveted COTY trophy, but numerous other awards followed, and the critically acclaimed SW estate is now also in showrooms offering extra practicality.

A year after the arrival of the PEUGEOT 308 sees the next chapter in the developing success story of this impressive car. In January 2015 the range is further enhanced with the GT and GT Line derivatives - the eagerly anticipated performance-oriented flagship models.

It’s in PEUGEOT showrooms across the UK where the most important measure of the 308’s success can be found, with 15,000 cars sold already and a total of 220,000 in other mainly European markets. In 2015 the award-winning 308 goes on sale in China – the world’s largest car market.

Morgan Lecoupeur, Marketing Director at PEUGEOT UK, commented: “It’s been a triumphant year for the PEUGEOT 308, richly deserved by everyone who has been involved. That includes the creative team, the engineers who developed the car and our retailers who share its virtues with our customers.”

The PEUGEOT 308 is built on the innovative Efficient Modular Platform 2 (EMP2), which incorporates a staggering 116 patented technologies. Engineered to make the car lower and wider than before, the hatchback design allows for 420 litres of boot space – the largest in the segment.

At the opposite end of the vehicle is a range of highly advanced and class-leading engines and gearbox choices. The Brand’s acclaimed new PureTech three-cylinder petrol and leading-edge BlueHDi diesels engines ensure the 308 has class-leading economy and lowest emissions right across the range. Depending on the model selected, fuel economy can be as high as 91.1mpg with CO₂ emissions as low as 82g/km (lower than some hybrid cars).

For owners, the PEUGEOT 308 is a versatile and practical compact family car.  One of many highlights is its striking and contemporary PEUGEOT ‘i-Cockpit’ interior, which provides a genuine premium feel. Driver-focused environment is like nothing else in the class, offering one of the most technically advanced touch-screen infotainment systems available.

The 308 hatchback was supported by the arrival of the 308 SW in the spring, offering a balanced and stylish estate body style. The SW boot below the parcel shelf is an impressive 660 litres, which also includes 70 litres of storage under the floor and the ‘Magic Flat’ rear seats, standard on all versions, are both easy and intuitive to use.

October’s Paris Motor Show witnessed the public debut of the performance-oriented 308 GT, which goes on sale in the UK in January. Designed to be even more engaging and exhilarating to drive, power comes from either a 1.6-litre THP 205 Stop&Start petrol engine with a six-speed manual or a 2.0-litre BlueHDi 180 diesel engine. The diesel delivers 180hp, has 400Nm of torque, can accelerate between 50-70mph in 5.5 seconds yet has CO₂ emissions of just 103g/km and economy of 70.6mpg.

Lecoupeur commented: “We won’t be resting on our laurels and with the arrival of the PEUGEOT 308 GT we have the opportunity to bring a new type of driver into the fold and make 2015 just as successful for the accomplished and award-winning 308.”

Qashqai celebrates as the 2,000,000th rolls off the lines in the UK.

• Two million Qashqai production achieved in record time
• Milestone caps a superlative year for the original crossover
• Designed, engineered and made in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs

Less than eight years after inventing the crossover segment, (HEAVEN FORBID THEY DONT MENTION THE FREELANDER, RAV4, VITARA AND DOZENS OF OTHERS) the Nissan Qashqai has once again made automotive history after production passed two million units in record time.

With Nissan’s unrivalled package of quality, styling and technology, the Qashqai has reached its latest manufacturing milestone quicker than any other model in the history of the UK car industry.

Designed, engineered and built in Nissan’s UK facilities for European customers, this latest landmark caps a remarkable 2014 for the Qashqai, with January’s launch of the new generation model sparking a string of accolades including What Car? magazine’s coveted Car of the Year.

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, said: “The Qashqai is helping Nissan to go from strength to strength in Europe. Two million customers can’t be wrong. This is further evidence of their trust in our brand. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and I congratulate all my colleagues in Sunderland for reaching this latest milestone.

“The Qashqai is one of 12 new models we have launched in the past 12 months in Europe, which has given Nissan the strongest and most cohesive line-up in our history.”

The two millionth Qashqai to roll off the production line was a magnetic red model in the new n-tec grade which is destined for a UK customer. Introduced last month, the new grade includes unique new styling features as well as Nissan Safety Shield technologies like Forward Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Assist.

Nissan has invested £534 million in the design, development and production of Qashqai in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs in the UK car industry. Of the two million Qashqais made in Sunderland since December 2006, 85% (1,706,633) have been exported to 132 international markets, from the Congo to Qatar.

UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, said: “Nissan is one of the driving forces behind the UK’s world-renowned automotive industry. They currently employ more than 11,000 people across the UK and have invested more than £500m in the innovation, design and production of this car, directly supporting the local and national economies. The UK automotive industry is thriving. Last year, we increased our production to more than 1.5 million cars in the UK – that’s a car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds. 

“Through the UK government’s industrial strategy we are backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength. We are providing the right environment to give businesses the confidence to invest and create high-skilled jobs.” 

Qashqai is made alongside the all-electric LEAF on Line 1 at Nissan Sunderland Plant, which has been on round-the-clock, three-shift production since 2010 in order to meet customer demand, with a car currently rolling off the production line every 62 seconds, or 58 per hour.

As well as What Car? magazine’s Car of the Year, awards for Qashqai in 2014 include Tow Car’s 'Car of the Year', ebay customers' 'New Car of the Year' and the Prize for Quality from prestigious Spanish business magazine Ejecutivos.

Fundamental to the Qashqai’s development were Nissan's European Design Centre in Paddington and European Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The popularity of Qashqai has also helped Nissan to reach record market share in the UK, with sales and marketing operations based in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. More than 11,500 people are employed in total at these sites and in UK dealerships, supporting a further 26,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.

Total global production of the Qashqai now tops 2.5 million, with the first generation Qashqai also made by Nissan in China and Japan. From 2015 the new Qashqai will also be manufactured in Nissan’s plant in St. Petersburg for domestic sales in Russia.

The Qashqai is now closing in on the Micra as the highest volume car in the history of Nissan Sunderland Plant, with 2,368,704 Micras made in Sunderland over an 18-year period from 1992 to 2010.

The rediculouly fast Caterham 500R has ceased production, a real end of an era.

• Best of a breed of extreme, lightweight British sportscars ceases production

The order book for one of Caterham’s most extreme variants of the legendary Seven sportscar, the Superlight R500, has closed.

Production of the final R500 – number 174 – finished at Dartford on 7^th July and is destined for Caterham’s distributor in Peru, South America.

After accumulating blanket five-star reviews following its launch in 2008, the 2.0-litre, 263bhp firecracker, which is capable of reaching 60mph in just 2.88 seconds, later starred on Top Gear TV’s test track by setting a time of 1:17.9 – nearly half a second faster than the Bugatti Veyron – while also scooping its Car of the Year award in the same year.

Despite the extreme nature of its performance and character, the R500 remains one of Caterham’s most popular models ever, attracting buyers from around the world. Its place in the garages of several celebrity customers confirmed its legendary status.

As well as attracting recognition for its handling and performance, the Superlight R500 was replicated by model maker, Matchbox, and was produced as a remote control car by Marks & Spencer. It was also recreated for several computer games so that younger enthusiasts could experience the two-seater sportscar in the well-known white and orange striped livery, made famous by Top Gear’s The Stig.      

Caterham Group CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “If Caterham wasn’t already firmly on the map as one of the world’s best-known British sportscar makers, the R500 certainly helped us to cement that position.

“It was a landmark model for us in many respects; its performance on the road and track was matched by the impact it had on our brand. It brought new technologies to the Seven range and was the first production Caterham to adopt a sequential gearbox.

“To some extent, it represented the start of a new era in which Caterham stepped into the 21^st century, but it perfectly encapsulated Colin Chapman’s original ethos and harnessed our determination to provide accessible fun like no other.”

The largest export markets for the R500 were Japan and Italy, followed by France and then Germany. In total, nearly 50 per cent of vehicles found homes overseas.    

Until 2013, when the supercharged Seven 620 R was launched, the R500 remained the fastest and most focussed Seven ever produced. The newer model provides an additional 47bhp as well as a multitude of other technical and aesthetic enhancements over the older model.