The countdown continues for the 2015 SEAT Leon Eurocup.

• The second edition of the single-make series will begin on April 25th at Paul Ricard circuit
• First seven rounds will take in renowned European motorsport venues
• 30 drivers from 15 countries will belt-up in the SEAT Leon Cup Racer to form the grid in the very first outing of the 2015 campaign

The SEAT Leon Eurocup 2015 will slip into gear next week with the first round of seven taking place at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on the 25^th- 26^th of April. After the enormous success of the inaugural season last year the Europe-based championship promises to deliver more action and thrills throughout this new edition with the schedule enlarged to seven meetings; one extra compared to 2014.

  

Paul Ricard will host the opener. The spectacular French facility will entertain the SEAT Leon Eurocup for the first time and thirty drivers of fifteen nationalities in the initial fixture will combine to offer some unmissable action for fans of four-wheel racing. The entry list has followed suit in terms of the rising prestige and popularity of the championship and even more participants will line-up at Paul Ricard where another indelible page of history will be written in the annals of the SEAT Leon Eurocup.

During the season, the 27-strong field of racers will traverse the continent to visit other prominent and historic circuits such as Estoril (Portugal), Silverstone (UK), Nürburgring (Germany) and the Red Bull Ring (Austria) that, like Paul Ricard, will entertain the European contest for the first time.

The drivers will again have the formidable SEAT Leon Cup Racer at their disposal and the 330 PS on tap will guarantee superlative performance and exceptional results. Through the first year of the SEAT Leon Eurocup further spoils could be added, such as victories in three of the first four races in the TCR International Series.

Jaime Puig, Director of SEAT Sport, commented: “After the success of the first year of the SEAT Leon Eurocup we are really looking forward to the second season. The championship has turned into something that fans ink into their racing calendar and we are really proud of this after all the hard work put in by everybody involved in creating and staging the SEAT Leon Eurocup. Ahead of us we can anticipate many exciting races and hope, like last year, the crowds will again respond and grow at the circuits we visit. Once you’ve had a taste then you’ll just want to come back for more.”

Mazda does double digit growth in Europe last year, to prove once again, they are an awesome brand.

• Vehicle sales up 19%, led by strong Mazda3, CX-5 sales, market share also rises
• Company expects to maintain success with several new models launching in 2015

Mazda closed out a solid year as one of Europe’s fastest-growing carmakers, increasing unit sales in 2014 by 19% year-on-year to 175,028 and its European market share to 1.3%. The Japanese company also chalked up its eighth-consecutive quarter of growth, up 8.7% for the three months ending in December.

“That is our second year in a row with growth of almost 20 per cent in Europe. We’re seeing strong demand from loyal Mazda customers as well as newcomers to the brand, who have identified Mazda’s cars as being a great choice from both an emotional and rational perspective,” says Mazda Motor Europe’s Vice President Sales Martijn ten Brink. “In other words, they’re great to drive, economical to operate and competitively priced – especially when you consider the generous specifications and high resale values.”

All Mazda’s new-generation models sold well. The Mazda3 spearheaded growth as 2014 sales rose 82% year-on-year to almost 50,000. And at just under 58,000 units, the Mazda CX-5 was the company’s top European seller. As for the individual markets, Portugal, Poland and Spain led the way, up 79%, 77% and 71% respectively for the year. Mazda also managed impressive growth in its two biggest volume markets: German sales increased by 17% to 52,491, and the UK recorded a 21% rise to 37,784³.

Mazda is confident that it can maintain its growth course in 2015, which will see the launch of three all-new models starting with the Mazda2, which goes on sale in the high-volume B segment in March. The Mazda CX-3 will then join the rapidly growing city SUV class in early summer, followed by the eagerly anticipated fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 in the Autumn. The 2015 Mazda CX-5 and 2015 Mazda6 also arrive at dealers this year.

Toyota celebrates hitting the nine million mark for production in Europe.

Toyota is one of Japan’s best-known businesses, but its status as a global manufacturer is witnessed by the fact its vehicle production in Europe has passed nine million units. Local production has flourished to the point where two out of every three Toyota vehicles sold in Europe is built here, too.

From Portugal in the west, to Russia in the east, there are six Toyota vehicle plants and three powertrain factories in Europe. In Britain Toyota Manufacturing UK has been producing cars at Burnaston in Derbyshire and engines at Deeside in North Wales since 1992. The Burnaston operation currently builds all versions of Auris and Avensis, and has the distinction of being Toyota’s first centre for hybrid vehicle production in Europe.

Didier Leroy, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: “We have a long tradition of building locally what we sell locally. Recently we have also expanded our exports outside Europe, based on the competitiveness of our European operations. We are committed to keeping production in Europe by bringing technology like hybrid and management innovations that enable us to keep our manufacturing plants globally competitive.”

Speaking at the recent Paris motor show, Leroy added that Toyota’s European operations are profitable as well, thanks to three consecutive years of growth in Europe and the prospective of a further rise in sales volume this year.

He said: “Looking ahead, we have every reason to remain optimistic. With the recent launch of the new generation Aygo and Yaris, we have the youngest offerings in the compact car market. We are confident they will reinforce our position in the city car and supermini segments and strengthen the foundations of our European manufacturing operations.

Toyota’s European designers have gained increasing autonomy from Japan in the development of new models that are tailored to suit European drivers’ tastes, including new Aygo, Yaris and the C-HR crossover concept revealed in Paris.

Europe is adopting a more significant role as global planning centre to define future generations of cars competing in the core A, B and C segments.

Manufacturing history and production centres

Toyota’s European manufacturing began in 1971 with the opening of the Toyota Caetano plant in Portugal, which initially built Corolla models. Forty-three years later, Toyota has manufacturing centres in seven European countries, the result of more than €8 billion investment.

• Toyota Caetano Portugal: started production in 1971 and currently produces the Dyna light commercial vehicle.
• Toyota Manufacturing UK: opened in 1992, TMUK today builds the Avensis saloon and tourer and Auris hatchback and Touring Sports, including hybrid models. It also produces 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol engines and assembles hybrid engines at Deeside.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey: established in 1994, TMMUK currently builds Verso and Corolla models.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing France: based in Valenciennes in northern France, TMMF is the centre for Yaris production in Europe, including the hybrid.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland: Toyota produces the 1.0-litre petrol engine for Aygo and Yaris at TMMP, together with manual transmissions used in Auris, Avensis, Verso, Corolla and Aygo. The plant opened in 2002.
• Toyota Motor Industries Poland: TMIP is home to production of 2.0 and 2.2-litre diesel engines for Avensis, Auris and RAV4 and the 1.4-litre D-4D unit featured in Yaris, Auris and Corolla. The factory has been in operation since 2005.
• Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech: this joint venture with PSA Peugeot Citroën was set up in Kolin in the Czech Republic in 2005 to build Aygo, alongside the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108.
• Toyota Motor Russia: Toyota’s newest European production centre began operations in St Petersburg in 2007, manufacturing Camry saloons. This year it is set to add stamping and plastics production to its business and it is preparing to manufacture RAV4 from 2016.