TMW - It's that time of the month again, December and full year sales in the United Kingdom.

JAGUAR

DEC 2017 2009 Sales - DEC 2016 2520 Sales - -20.28%
YTD 2017 35544 Sales - YTD 2016 34822 Sales - +2.07%

LAND ROVER 
DEC 2017 4186 Sales - DEC 2016 4967 Sales - -15.72%
YTD 2017 82653 Sales - YTD 2016 79534 Sales - +3.92%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (COMBINED)

DEC 2017 6195 Sales - DEC 2016 7487 Sales - -20.80%
YTD 2017 118197 Sales - YTD 2016 114356 Sales - +3.36%

AUDI 
DEC 2017 10671 Sales - DEC 2016 11319 Sales --5.72%
YTD 2017 174982 Sales - YTD 2016 177304 Sales - -1.31%

BMW 
DEC 2017 13471 Sales - DEC 2016 15066 Sales - -10.59%
YTD 2017 175101 Sales - YTD 2016 182593 Sales - -4.10%

INFINITI 
DEC 2017 59 Sales - DEC 2016 78 Sales - -24.36%
YTD 2017 3515 Sales - YTD 2016 2891 Sales - +21.58%

LEXUS 
DEC 2017 772 Sales - DEC 2016 750 Sales - +2.93%
YTD 2017 12670 Sales - YTD 2016 13915 Sales - -8.95%

MERCEDES-BENZ 
DEC 2017 10427 Sales - DEC 2016 10220 Sales - +2.03%
YTD 2017 180970 Sales - YTD 2016 169828 Sales - +6.56%

INCREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH-YTD

ABARTH +11.98%

ALFA ROMEO +2.38%
ASTON MARTIN +62.36%
HYUNDAI +1.06%
KIA +4.32%
MASERATI +18.54%
MCLAREN +3050.00%
MG +5.94%
PORSCHE +7.28%
SEAT +18.28%
SUZUKI +5.70%
TOYOTA +5.42%
VOLKSWAGEN +0.69%

DECREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH

BENTLEY -10.01%
CITROEN -18.31%

DACIA -5.09%
DS AUTOMOBILES -42.87%

FIAT -26.59%
FORD -9.71%
HONDA -8.81%
JEEP -54.72%
LOTUS -17.70%

MAZDA -16.13%
MINI -1.19%

MITSUBISHI -11.76%
NISSAN -0.90%
PEUGEOT -16.55%
RENAULT -18.79%
SKODA -0.76%

SMART -14.12%

SSANGYONG -19.22%
SUBARU -25.83%
VAUXHALL -22.24%
VOLVO -1.19%

Well, we have gotten to the end of 2017 and the sales for the year are as expected, DOWN, and down by some serious numbers, Vauxhall, has lost its #2 spot in the sales chart which it has had for so many years, Ford remains number 1, but for how much longer, their sales are slipping, so no amount of new metal, segment leaders, and commercial sales are helping Uncle Henry, and as for Vauxhall, now they are in PSA hands, they are heading the same way, with all of PSA brands dropping sales like a stone, Vauxhall has joined Citroen, Peugeot and DS Auto, in publishing sales significantly lower than the year before.

MG continue to buck the trend, with the all new ZS, which we will be reviewing here later this month, they have increased the warranty on the MG3, along with the already extended warranty on the ZS, this year at the London Motor Show, we should be getting  the new MG6 and the facelifted MG3, both of which will help grow sales further, they could have just flooded the market with cars and models, but they have taken their time, and released each one, and expanded that model, which as far as i am concerned is the right way to go about it, get each model sorted and then move onto the next one, we could however do with a more sporty engine in the MG3, and that would give it the "boy racer" appeal it is lacking.

Volvo has taken a downturn which considering they have so many new or almost new models, the XC-90, XC-60, S90 and V90 are all "new Volvo" along with the soon to be launched XC-40, S40 and V40, the first for the 40 series, is an expanded range of models, but this year should see Volvo head back to growth in the UK.

Brexit, that stupid word that does nothing but cause grief, will be finally dealt wither a saving grace or a death ring, but saying that, if the Eurozone does impact a tax on cars imported from the UK to Europe, we will then do similar, with cars arriving from the Eurozone to the UK, so a no win situation, why couldnt we just stay within the Eurozone

TMW - It's that time of the month again, July's sales in the United Kingdom.

JAGUAR
MAY 2017 2639 Sales - MAY 2016 2200 Sales - -16.64%
YTD 2017 22590 Sales - YTD 2016 19236 Sales - +17.44%

LAND ROVER 
MAY 2017 5265 Sales - MAY 2016 4882 Sales - +7.82%
YTD 2017 50940 Sales - YTD 2016 47441 Sales - +7.38%

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (COMBINED)
MAY 2017 7904 Sales - MAY 2016 7082 Sales - +11.60%
YTD 2017 73530 Sales - YTD 2016 66677 Sales - +10.28%

AUDI 
MAY 2017 12896 Sales - MAY 2016 11582 Sales -+11.35%
YTD 2017 102615 Sales - YTD 2016 101103 Sales - +1.50%

BMW 
MAY 2017 9083 Sales - MAY 2016 9699 Sales - -6.35%
YTD 2017 101721 Sales - YTD 2016 101309 Sales - +0.41%

INFINITI 
MAY 2017 340 Sales - MAY 2016 399 Sales - +14.79%
YTD 2017 2472 Sales - YTD 2016 1964 Sales - +25.87%

LEXUS
MAY 2017 843 Sales - MAY 2016 774 Sales - +8.91%
YTD 2017 7285 Sales - YTD 2016 8190 Sales - -11.05%

MERCEDES-BENZ 
MAY 2017 11617 Sales - MAY 2016 11650 Sales - -0.28%
YTD 2017 110174 Sales - YTD 2016 100253 Sales - +9.90%

INCREASES BY BRAND BY MONTH-YTD

ABARTH +17.53%
ASTON MARTIN +108.20%
DACIA +6.857%
HYUNDAI +3.91%
KIA +7.52%
LOTUS +36.88%
MASERATI +26.81%
MCLAREN +0.00%
MG +4.41%
MINI +2.72%
NISSAN +7.17%
PORSCHE +17.11%
SEAT +21.14%
SKODA +3.19%
SMART +2.12%
SUZUKI +7.79%
TOYOTA +5.02%
VOLVO +6.34%

DECREASES BY BRAND BY MONTHALFA ROMEO -3.60%
BENTLEY -5.22%
CITROEN -21.47%
DS AUTOMOBILES -46.75%
FIAT -16.83%
FORD -4.23%
HONDA -8.99%
JEEP -51.88%
MAZDA -13.88%
MITSUBISHI -15.17%
PEUGEOT -15.05%
RENAULT -8.14%
SSANGYONG -6.98%
SUBARU -20.85%
VAUXHALL -18.77%
VOLKSWAGEN -1.20%

Well, its now four months on the trot and sales are still dropping like a stone, and thats not just it, since last month the UK Government has decided that that from 2040 cars will no longer be allowed for sales with petrol or diesel engines, and thats just bloody stupid, how is this going to work, what about the classic cars, what about the jobs within the motor industry, the small independant garages, petrol stations and so on and so on, the pathetic decision has been made without the thought process behind it.

Yes there are hybrids and electric cars, like the ZOE, Prius and Leaf, and semi-hybrids that rely on petrol/diesel back up engines, and what about the cars that will be virtually unsaleable, like hyper cars, McLarens, Rolls Royce and Bentley's, Ferrari and Lamborghini's, without the back up of massive car brands behind them, what future will they have, Lambo and Bentley has the VW Group, Rolls Royce has BMW, Ferrari, might be able to tap into Fiat Chrysler, but what about McLaren, Aston has the might of Mercedes behind it now, but that leaves many brands than have NO Electric or hybrids in their range.

What about some of the brands that currently have NO cars that will fall into the 2040, well, MG, they are in China, will the Chinese brands fall into place and produce the cars that are needed to be made to become eligible to be sold in the UK, i think that 23 years is a long time, but not long enough in the motoring world.

The current sales in the UK have dive-bombed, with Vauxhall sales showing massive drops in sales, now that they are a part of the PSA Group, it is now the Euro #2 company for sales not only are Vauxhall sales dropping, DS Automobiles are down by over 50%, Citroen are down 21% and Peugeot are down 15% along with Vauxhall's 18% drop, was it really the best idea in the world to combine the five brands together.

What about The other big brands in the UK, Ford, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, well Ford dropped, the others grew, in fact the German brands have shown a steady sales incline throughout the year, Suzuki is another brand that has seen sales grow significantly, they have launched the Baleno, Ignis and New Swift, and with the Swift Sport coming later in the year sales will continue to grow.

Volvo Is another brand that has seen sales grow throughout the year, mainly the steady launch of new models, first we had the XC-90, then the V90 and S90 and next was the XC60, which leaves the S and V 60 and the V/S/XC-40 range of cars.

Fiat sales continue to drop, Jeep is down by over 50% but Maserati is up by about 27, Lotus grows as does Aston Martin, Dacia not only  gets nominated as one of the most reliable brands it is also growing in sales for the year to date, so, thats about it for this month, expect some great launches throughout the rest of the year and thats for reading the blog.

TMW - Probably the most expensive Chinese Takeaway you will own, and the best !!

The MG3 is one of those cars thats now been "facelifted", there is not really any changes to the exterior to really say anything about, the interior is the same, little change there either, but the main change is the engine, they have made that more environmentally friendly a little more Oomph and a start stop system to give the car more miles per gallon, but more on that later.

The car really looks the part, for a supermini to look sporty and roomy is a given these days, but to have a name associated with sportiness, as well as room and capability is a great combination, the lines of the exterior flow well, from the lights at the front along the side to the rear and the oversized long lighting signature.

The Silver MG badge at the front with the silver strip below gives it a better look, the silver line really does give the car an air of class, that the previous model failed to have, the remainder of the exterior is a very nice car to look at, and better than some other brands cars that are available.

The interior is a great place to be, the glass area is vast, you can see out around the windows very well, with no real blockage, the seating position once you get the seat in teh right place is near to perfection as can be, all the switchgear is very near and handy, and the top box which slides open for you to add your iPod or Sat Nav too, can close to protect them from anyone that decides to break in and slide it up and take whatever is within.

Talking of the engine, the 1.5 litre DOHC VTI-TECH is the only engine available for now, and it runs 106ps, not the best power in the world, but the gearing does make for a a spirited drive in the car, regardless of models, currently the car has for models, the 3Time, 3Form, 3Form, Sport and 3Style+, a play on words but it gives you a distinct idea of what is available to buy.

The cars fuel consumption is alleged to produce :-

• Urban 37.7mpg
• Extra Urban 57.6mpg
• Combined 48.7mpg

We did mainly motorway driving with a couple of local driving trips, and achieved 49.5mpg, the co2 level is a rather large 136g/km, now thats way above cars with bigger engines, bigger body styles and more power, but given that the next MG3 might, only might, deal with this we can forgive this on this occasion, top speed, well, thats also nothing to write home about, at 108 mph.

The 108 mph top speed will keep up well with motorway speeds, and the gearing also means that the car does really really well around town, and to be honest it does frighten you a little with how quick that the car pulls away and gets you around local roads.

Having this speed means that you need to have a car that is easy to drive and comfortable, and with this car you get both, the seats are not the most supportive in the world, but they do keep you planted and with a degree of comfort that makes you complete a long journey in reasonable comfort with a certain degree of equipment.

The car comes with just a few toys, this helps keep the cost of the car low, the start price for the MG3 is £8,695, which for a car of this size, power and equipment is brilliant, the model we had:-

• Front LED Daytime Running Lights
• Hill Hold Assist
• Ultra Low Insurance Rating - 4E
• DAB Audio System (not Entry Model)
• Six Airbags
• Electronic Stability Control Corner Brake Control
• Traction Control
• Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel With Red Stitching
• Air Conditioning
• Cruise Control
• 16" Alloy Wheels
• Electric Windows

The boot space is not the biggest in the world, but it houses a good weekly shopping without any issues, , put the seats back and forth is also not an issue, there is also huge amount of space in the rear for very tall passengers, you can take five adults in the car, but four would be better with significant comfort and space, there are lots of cubby spaces for drinks and other items that you would feel like taking with you on a journey.

The glove box isn't very big, and is chunk is taken up with the MG3 hand books, but like i have said previously you have the top box with the sliding flap to put some smaller items.

The car is very quiet, left to idle you would not know that the engine was running, it is that quiet, driving it and you know that it is a sporty car, it grips the road and corners extremely well, like a train on tracks it is that good, combine that to the large glass area, you have a brilliant car.

The brand is growing at a slow but sure way, there is currently 77 dealers in the country, and this is growing, the MG3 is the best seller, and obviously the GS SUV the other car they sell, the sales will swell in quarter four of this year with the addition of the XS, a slightly smaller Crossover, to take the fight to the Nissan Juke class, the brand is based from Longbridge, the old MG-Rover plant, but no production is made and is not likely to be either.

The brand also does not sell cars in Europe, but this will change in the next 18 months or so, and more models will be added to the range over the next 5-6 years, including a much needed and wanted sports car, for this is what MG is basically known for.

CONCLUSION

Well, would i own one of these cars, if i was in the market for one, yes definitely, it does everything you want from a car, and more, the next generation mainly stays the same with new lighting and bumper at the front and new tailgate at the rear, it is reasonably comfortable and economical, has a distinct lack of toys, but you can upgrade the car to one of the other models, and then choose one of the One Million personalisation options available, so you could have a car that no one else in the UK owns.

If you can put up with the depreciation, high CO2 and lack of toys, and just want a car to get you from A to B, then this is for you, without any doubt, it truly is a great car and deserves to sell far more than it does.