Top ten safest new cars of 2017: What Car? Safety Award long list announced

• Top ten safest new cars of 2017: What Car? Safety Award long list announced

Thatcham Research announces the safest new cars of 2017, and long list of finalists for the What Car? Safety Award, as the independent research centre powers the award for the third year running, as part of its “safer cars, fewer crashes” mission.

This year’s tests have shown that there is more choice than ever in choosing a safe car. As manufacturers continue to raise the safety bar, the UK public are safer on UK roads than ever before.

The list of ten cars taken from the 2016 Euro NCAP ratings, all meet the strict criteria for the award, which includes track-based testing of collision avoidance systems and achieving a top marks in crash tests – all part of the 5 star rating system.

Safety technology fitted to the vehicle must include; AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) fitted as standard and some form of Safety Assist technology beyond NCAP assessment such as lane keeping systems. The cars are then judged on market relevance and value for money. 

All 2017 long list finalists also feature Pedestrian, low speed City and high speed Inter-Urban AEB as standard. A major step forward in safety for mainstream vehicles and in manufacturer commitment to safety, as Euro NCAP testing for pedestrian AEB was only introduced in January 2016.

The 2017 long list includes:

• Alfa Romeo Giulia
• Audi Q2
• Ford Edge
• Hyundai Ioniq
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Peugeot 3008
• Renault Scenic
• Seat Ateca
• Toyota Prius
• VW Tiguan

All vehicles included in the long list are remarkably similar in terms of specification and purchase price, with the Mercedes- Benz E-Class being the only more-expensive executive vehicle of the list. Thatcham Research is committed to driving the adoption of safer cars at all price points, not just higher list price vehicles. The 2016 commended vehicle, the Honda Jazz, was highly praised as the first supermini to offer AEB as standard across all trim lines, at an accessible purchase price.

The long list also includes vehicles which feature innovations which go above and beyond the current Euro NCAP testing, and offer major safety benefits:

• Lane Departure Warning is fitted on most of the top ten as standard, however most manufacturers also offer Lane Keep Assist systems to actively steer you back into lane
• For the first time, Ford have fitted AEB as standard across all trims of a new model – the Ford Edge
• The Peugeot 3008 features Intelligent Speed Adaption system on all trims, as standard. The Speed Limit Recognition and Recommendation system uses a windscreen mounted camera to detect and display the speed limit for the road on which the driver is travelling. In addition to making the driver aware of the speed limit, there is also the option to limit the vehicle to the posted speed limit, taking the stress out of long motorway roadworks
• The Mercedes-Benz E-Class features a unique and highly innovative Junction Assistant system that can prevent side crashes at T-Junctions and intersections
• The Toyota Prius offers Reverse AEB. With 25% of all crashes from parking, this is a system that can save your wallet as well as deaths to small children unseen behind the vehicle whilst manoeuvring

Vehicle segments continue to evolve with two hybrids in the top ten showing the growing popularity of alternative fuel vehicles.The presence of four small SUV’s on the list, also demonstrate the growing market share of cross-overs, and 50 per cent of vehicles in the list, could be described as family wagons.

Thatcham Research Chief Executive, Peter Shaw, said; “These ten vehicles represent some of the safest cars on sale in the UK today, and we are delighted to see that by raising awareness of the important issues surrounding vehicle safety, manufacturers are starting to rise to our challenge of fitting safety as standard across all models, regardless of segment or price.”

Steve Huntingford, editor What Car? says: "Safety is a key consideration for new car buyers, particularly when the car they're choosing is going to be used as family transport. At What Car? we feel it's important to reflect that by presenting a standalone Safety Award, and having Thatcham Research on the judging panel gives that award a unique credibility. Nobody has more experience in this field."

The overall Euro NCAP scores are however lower than last year, driven by tougher tests and the more mainstream nature of the vehicles involved. 2016’s winner, the Volvo XC90 achieved one of the highest scores ever seen in the history of the Euro NCAP test schemes history.

Last years winner, the Volvo XC90 was revealed as the safest car on sale in the UK, with the Honda Jazz and Toyota Avensis commended as runners up.

To see what the judges are looking for, and why the XC90 won last year, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvULpIyab6M

The winner of the What Car? Safety Award 2017 will be announced on 11 January 2017.

Thatcham Research is the independent voice of automotive safety & repair, advising motorists, insurers and vehicle manufacturers to help reduce accident frequency, severity and costs and to realise the vision of ‘Safer cars, fewer crashes’.

As well as its world leading crash and track research, Thatcham Research tests and accredits crash repair parts, vehicle repair technicians, and a number of other products and services within the collision repair industry for insurers, motor manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers.

A founder member of the international Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR), Thatcham Research has also been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004.

The 2017 Subaru Impreza has taken the Japanese Car Of The Year Award.

• The Subaru Impreza polled strongly to pull away from the Toyota Prius to win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan award. 

At an award ceremony held inside the Tokyo International Exchange Center on Tokyo Bay, the Subaru Impreza polled 420 votes to triumph over the Toyota Prius by 49 votes and win the 2017 Car of the Year Japan (COTY). 

In a close battle for third, the Audi A4 polled 149 votes and captured the Import Car of the Year trophy, just 4 votes ahead of the strong finishing Volvo XC90.

This win gives Subaru only its second ever COTY trophy and its first in 13 years. In accepting the award, Impreza chief engineer Kazuhiro Abe said, “When we started developing the Impreza over 4 years ago, never did I imagine I’d be standing here today with such a prestigious award. 

This must be what it feels like to win an Olympic gold. The Impreza’s new global platform has great meaning for the company moving forward and will underpin nearly all of our cars over the next decade. 

On behalf of all of my R&D team, I’d like to thank the jurors for their support of this car.”

Japan’s COTY organisation is made up of 59 jurors who each start with 25 votes and must give their most highly rated vehicle 10 votes. Their remaining 15 votes are then spread across their next best 4 cars. 

Each juror must vote for 5 cars out of the final Top 10.

After 20 jurors’ votes had been read out, the difference between the Impreza and Prius was only 9 votes, 138 to 129 votes respectively. So a close finished was expected. 

However, when the 40th juror’s votes were revealed, the Impreza’s lead had jumped to 27 votes. And in the end, the Subaru breezed it in to pick up an easy victory with 420 votes to the Prius’ 371.

The Nissan Serena captured the Innovation Award for its Propilot driver-assist, hands-free sliding door technology and clever seat arrangement, while the Daihatsu Move Canbus won the Small Mobility award for its packaging. 

Given high marks for its performance and handling, the BMW M2 triumphed in the Emotional Award, while the Honda NSX picked up the Car of the Year Japan steering committee’s Special Award for its revolutionary V6 twin-turbo hybrid powertrain.

*For further information, access the Car or the Year Japan website: http://www.jcoty.org

Auto Trader announces the best selling used cars per region and over all for 2015.

• Ford Fiesta named as fastest selling used car of 2015
• Ford Fiesta and Focus models dominated top ten lists for every region last year
• Alternative fuel vehicle features in top 10 annual list for the first time
• Nissan Qashqai sold in London in just 17 days
• Auto Trader i-Control customers enjoyed improved stock turn of over 50%

Auto Trader, the UK’s largest marketplace for new and used cars, has announced the top ten fastest selling used cars of 2015. The data, normally released monthly, shows the fastest selling used vehicles both nationally and by region, providing motor industry commentators and retailers with essential used car sales trend data.

The Ford Fiesta has been named as the UK’s fastest selling used car of 2015, taking an average of just 29 days to sell. The popular hatchback features in every regional top 10 list bar one for last year, and in most cases, multiple times.

The Vauxhall Insignia and Toyota Prius were second and third respectively, both also taking 29 days to sell. 2015 was the first time an alternative fuel vehicle has finished in the annual list, while diesel remains the most popular choice in the UK, fueling six of the top ten.

Ford was the most popular fastest selling marque, with Fiesta and Focus models appearing in every regional top ten list for 2015. The East of England was dominated by the blue oval with Fiesta models taking first, second, third, fifth and eighth position, and Focus models finishing seventh and tenth. Wales also succumbed, with the Fiesta first, second, third and seventh, and the Focus, fourth.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Retailer & Consumer Products Director said: “2015 has been a phenomenal year for Ford, topping both the new and used car lists with its Fiesta model. The versatile and economic hatchback is likely to only increase in popularity as Ford announce plans to make their vehicles even more efficient at the Detroit motor show last week.”

The North East remained Nissan territory as the Note took first and third places, the Juke forth, and the Qashqai fifth. The Qashqai continues to be a popular choice amongst car buyers across the UK, placed sixth in the national top ten, and taking just 17 days to sell to be the fastest selling used car in London.

Vauxhall, not content with a second place finish overall, also saw their popular Corsa model appear in the top ten in nearly all regions, in most cases; more than once.

Rank	Year, make and model	Days to Sell	Price Position	Retail Price
1	2015 Ford Fiesta Hatchback Diesel Manual	29	98.03%	£11,652
2	2012 Vauxhall Insignia Hatchback Petrol Manual	29	98.92%	£7,814
3	2012 Toyota Prius Hatchback Electric Hybrid Automatic	29	99.63%	£16,194
4	2015 Kia Sportage SUV Diesel Manual	30	98.36%	£19,161
5	2012 Mercedes-Benz B Class Hatchback Diesel Automatic	30	98.59%	£14,719
6	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Petrol Automatic	30	98.64%	£13,243
7	2014 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso MPV Diesel Manual	30	99.27%	£15,530
8	2012 Volkswagen Touran MPV Diesel Automatic	30	97.86%	£12,436
9	2014 Vauxhall Mokka Hatchback Petrol Automatic	30	98.52%	£14,843
10	2012 BMW X3 SUV Diesel Automatic	31	99.63%	£24,339

Auto Trader customers who use the i-Control data intelligence tool took, on average, less than half the time to sell stock. The tool supports retailers with, improving their stock turn, optimising margin as well as helping to save time in decision making, by giving retailers an idea of which cars are desirable in their region and are therefore quick to sell. 

i-Control has been designed to allow used car retailers to take advantage of the market’s most lucrative opportunities to sell more cars, by putting retailers in control of all the relevant data on every piece of used car stock; including unique consumer demand/ desirability - and accurate daily retail and trade prices, for optimising margin and stock turn. 

Since i-Control was introduced 18 months ago, the average monthly stock turn of those who actively use the tool was just 29 days, compared to an average of 67 days for those who do not.

“The reduction in stock turn for retailers using i-Control is an extremely positive result,"said Karolina Edwards-Smajda. “The i-Control tool has proven itself incredibly popular with Auto Trader customers, with many now relying on the data analysis system to source locally desirable stock and price it to the live market which in turn, has helped them to turn their forecourt twice as fast as the rest of the market.”

USA - Chevrolet announces pricing and specs for the 2016 MY Volt Hybrid vehicle.

The Chevrolet Volt is poised to continue to bring new owners to the electric plug-in family. Pricing will be as low as $26,495 after the full federal tax credit of $7,500. (Federal tax credit can range from $0 up to $7,500.) In California, the vehicle’s largest market, residents of the state will be able to purchase the all-new Volt for as low as $24,995 after state and federal incentives.

The 2016 model will start at $33,995 MSRP, including an $825 destination fee (excluding tax, title, license and dealer fees). This is almost $1,200 less than the current-generation Volt.

“The next-generation Chevrolet Volt delivers more technology, the ability to drive further between gas fill-ups and now with even more value to our customers. It’s what our loyal Volt owners told us they wanted,” said Steve Majoros, director, Chevrolet Marketing. “We are confident we will continue to attract new customers to Volt with the vehicle’s product improvements and attractive price.”

The Volt continues to be a success with the brand, with nearly 70 percent of Volt owners trading in a non-GM product or adding to their household fleet in 2014, the highest of any Chevy nameplate. The number one trade-in for the Volt is the Toyota Prius. To date, more than 75,000 first-generation Volt owners have driven hundreds of millions of EV miles.

Volt owners who charge regularly can expect to drive an estimated 1,000 miles or more between fill-ups, based on GM testing. The 2016 Volt will provide owners with impressive fuel economy of a GM-estimated 102 MPGe (electric) and 41 combined mpg on gasoline power.

The new Volt will offer a GM-estimated 50 miles of all-electric driving range on a single charge, a 31-percent improvement over the first-generation Volt. This means new Volt owners should anticipate that approximately 90 percent of trips in a new Volt will be driven all-electrically.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 115 countries and selling around 4.8 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value.

Auto Trader announces the UK's best selling second hand cars for March 2015.

Auto Trader, the UK’s largest digital marketplace for buying and selling new and used vehicles, has today revealed a list of the fastest selling used cars in March. Heading the top ten was the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso which took an average of 15 days to sell. That’s nearly a month and a half quicker than the industry average, which stands at 55 days.

Top ten fastest selling cars – March 2015

Rank	Make/Model	Variant	Average Days to Sell	Average Price Position
1	Citroen Grand C4 Picasso	2014 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso MPV Diesel Manual	15	100.3%
2	Ford C-Max	2012 Ford C-Max MPV Diesel Automatic	17	98.9%
3	Ford Focus	2014 Ford Focus Estate Petrol Manual	18	97.9%
4	Audi TT	2012 Audi TT Coupe Petrol Manual	20	99.1%
5	Nissan Qashqai	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Petrol Automatic	20	98.6%
6	Vauxhall GTC	2014 Vauxhall GTC Coupe Diesel Manual	21	94.7%
7	Vauxhall Mokka	2014 Vauxhall Mokka Hatchback Diesel Automatic	22	98.5%
8	Renault Grand Scenic	2012 Renault Grand Scenic MPV Diesel Manual	23	99.8%
9	Ford Mondeo	2014 Ford Mondeo Hatchback Diesel Manual	23	99.2%
10	Toyota Prius	2012 Toyota Prius Hatchback Electric Hybrid Automatic	24	100.7%

The data also reinforces the close correlation between pricing-to-market and speed-of-sale. On average each of the top ten fastest selling cars was 98.8% aligned with Auto Trader’s recommended retail price, based on valuations data underpinned by actual retail prices.

“The top ten is interesting for a number of reasons, not least because it provides clear evidence that pricing to market boosts speed of sale,” said Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Trade Solutions Director. “Optimal pricing and careful stock management using products like Auto Trader i-Control can really help dealers, by cutting average days to sell and thereby boosting profits.”