Which cars are popular in which area's of the UK, read on to find out.

SUV IS TOP IN LONDON’S POSHEST AREA

• carwow.co.uk reveals Britain’s favourite drives region-by region, based on the cars configured and bought through the site during summer 2015
• carwow users in the north clearly favour the Ford Fiesta, while those in the south prefer the Nissan Qashqai
• London’s favourite car as a whole is the VW Golf, while central London likes the Discovery, Knightsbridge prefers the Range Rover Sport and those in Canary Wharf like the Mercedes C-Class
• Glasgow drivers prefer something a little faster, with the 296bhp VW Golf R the most popular car. The Audi Q5 SUV is favourite in Aberdeen
• The Qashqai is favourite in Sunderland where it is built, the Fiesta is popular near Ford’s Technical Centre in Essex, while the Vauxhall Mokka tops the chart in Luton, where Vauxhall is headquartered

carwow.co.uk – the site for Britain’s new-car buyers – has analysed car configurations and sales on its site to discover that the Ford Fiesta and Nissan Qashqai are the nation’s favourite cars.

But the north-south divide appears to be alive and well, with those in the north preferring the accessible Ford, while those in the south would rather drive the more upmarket Nissan SUV.

Blackburn, Bolton, Carlisle, Derby, Durham, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Preston, Sheffield and more are all cities where the Fiesta tops the charts. Meanwhile, Cambridge, Croydon, Exeter, Guildford, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Reading, Worcester and other southern cities all prefer the Qashqai.

Interestingly, Sunderland – where the Qashqai is built – favours the Nissan, while all the areas that surround it favour the Fiesta. In Essex, where Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre is based, the Fiesta takes the top spot in Romford, Colchester and Southend. In Luton, where Vauxhall is headquartered, the brand’s Mokka SUV is top of the leaderboard.

Detailed maps of London and the areas around Birmingham and Manchester reveal different tastes across cities. Alderley Edge, for example, known as the home of many of Manchester’s Premiership footballers favours the Audi Q5 luxury SUV, while Manchester’s favourite car is the VW Polo. Birmingham’s wealthy Edgbaston area likes the Mercedes C-Class while Birmingham itself prefers the Ford Fiesta.

In London, the VW Golf reigns supreme but in Knightsbridge – home of the world-famous Harrod’s store – the Range Rover Sport luxury SUV comes out on top. On some of the capital’s most congested streets – in Central London – the Land Rover Discovery is favourite. Meanwhile, in Canary Wharf, where many of the nation’s banks are headquartered, the Mercedes C-Class is the most popular car.

Some cities in the UK clearly have more exotic taste in cars, with the top-configured car in Glasgow being the 296bhp four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R. In Aberdeen, meanwhile, it was the Audi Q5 luxury SUV.

James Hind, CEO of carwow, said: “Every month we see just under 100,000 new cars configured on carwow.co.uk, which gives us a real insight to car-buying habits and trends across Britain. It’s great to see the majority of regions in the UK are driving a car with a British connection – the Qashqai is built here, much of the Fiesta was developed here and the Mokka, popular Range Rover and Land Rover models all come from British brands.”

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.”

Ford to tweak EcoSport to make it a better buyers choice - about time too, it is awful.

Ford Motor will offer the EcoSport SUV in Europe without the spare wheel on the outside of the rear tailgate after the SUV's sales got off to a slow start.

The EcoSport has failed to make a big impact in the region’s booming subcompact SUV/crossover segment against sleeker-looking rivals such as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Opel/Vauxhall Mokka.

When the India-built EcoSport launched in Europe last year, Ford said the vehicle’s rear design could not be changed.

Ford now says the EcoSport will be sold in Europe without the exterior spare wheel starting in May. It will be an option offered at no extra cost, a Ford spokesman said. The EcoSport’s rear door will remain side-hinged.

The SUV’s redesign will also include new interior plastics and changes to the suspension. “We want to give it a bit more Fiesta personality,” the spokesman said. The Fiesta subcompact hatchback is Ford’s No. 1 seller in Europe.

IHS Automotive analyst Ian Fletcher said Ford appears to have made a “big misstep” with the EcoSport in Europe, given the potential growth in the segment in the next couple of years.

Ford sold 11,257 EcoSports in Europe through November after launching the model in April, according to figures from JATO Dynamics.

The segment leader, the Renault Captur, had sales of 149,701 during the same period. The Peugeot 2008, the No. 2 seller, had sales of 125,002 while Opel sold 114,658 Mokkas.

IHS forecasts that European sales of subcompact SUVs will grow to more than 900,000 by 2017 from 500,000 last year, boosted by new arrivals such as the Fiat 500X, which IHS predicts will sell over 70,000 units to put it fifth behind the Captur, 2008, Nissan Juke and Mokka.

IHS forecasts that Ford will sell 20,239 EcoSports in Europe this year, instead of its original prediction of 36,000 sales.

Ford designed the EcoSport to suit customers’ tastes in its main markets of India and Brazil where buyers prefer rugged-looking vehicles. Late last year Ford started production of the EcoSport in Russia to take advantage of the country’s growing SUV market.

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Nick Gibbs

TMW - The 2014 Small SUV/Crossover Of The Year Award goes to...............

SMALL SUV/CROSSOVER - The biggest growth market, with all manufaturers building these models

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE - The Evoque was a massive gamble for Land Rover, and it has paid off handsomely, based on the underpinnings of the Freelander 2, the Evoque was a styling exercise, when all that came before it were square, boxy and utilitarian, the Evoque proved you could have the off road ability with good looks, and since the model arrived, the RR and RR Sport have both become more curvaceous.

DISCOVERY SPORT - The new Freelander, but don't say that to Land Rover, they will get one on... LOL... the new DS, is exactly that, but at a vastly inflated price, with lots of parts bin trim, and fixtures, the DS is more like a rehash rather than an all new model, and that price, they are really taking the piss with that.

NISSAN QASHQAI - The Nissan CashCow, as most people call  it, for obvious reasons, has given Nissan a massive boost in profits and sales, all round the globe, its just been tweaked, and further enhanced, it is a great car, more suited to on road, I wouldn't want to take it off road, unless i had a Land Rover to drag me out.

JEEP CHEROKEE - Jeep is having a major renaissance of late, with huge sales jumps, all over the globe, the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, are in part responsible for this, ignore the funny looks, and you will have a great car, even though you do get the standard typical utilitarian US interior, hopefully under FIAT control, the Chrysler Group brands will have some much needed upgrades in interior quality and style.

VAUXHALL MOKKA - Vauxhall has added a Small SUV, and it is not half bad, the 1.4 auto is a great version, but you do get the standard Vauxhall interior, which has about two million buttons and dials, it can be off putting, but once you get past that, and some hard scratchy plastics, in SE trim, you can get a decent discount, shame Vauxhall has dumped the lifetime warranty, it was a deal clincher for a lot of people.

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When you talk about Sports Utility vehicles or Crossovers, you generally have to bring up Land Rover, and its luxury sibling, Range Rover, so it is no surprise that there are two models from the brand that has forgotten more about going off road than other actually know, the first being the Range Rover Evoque (RRE), the Evoque was originally going to be a land Rover model, bringing the LR range into the new millennium, but it got such huge reviews that it was pushed upwards to become a RR, and as we know the rest is history, massive sales, massive profits and stunning looks, keep this car selling, and selling really well, in fact it is the best selling car they they have ever had.

It then brings us nicely to the next LR product, the all-new, Discovery Sport, the DS is a replacement for the Freelander 2, which has been an unmitigated hit for LR, and still is, we found, when looking over the DS, at great length at Paris, that they car has lost the plot, it shares a number of components with the Jag XE, and Freelander 2, yet the cost has sky rocketed, about a year ago, you could get a Freelander 2 for about £24k, one year later the cheapest is nearly £33k, that is one HUGE jump, and not worth it, the 5+2 seating, might seem like a good idea, but it is a gimmick, once the +2 seats have been raised, there is virtually no room at all for, well, anything, definitely not luggage, or a pet, or a weekly shop, so what is the point of it.

So, i am pleased to move on to the next nomination, the massively successful Nissan Qashqai, the original replaced the Almera hatchback, and was a gamble for Nissan, as there was no replacement for the Almera, in its class, but they got it right, and at the right time, just as small SUV's and Crossovers started to sell well, it was a master stroke, the MK I was reliable, cheap and sold like hot cakes, the next gen carried on where the last one left off, and continues to sell well, but it is staid, not that exciting to look at, and is becoming a little expensive, but could it win amongst the rest of the competition.

Our American cousins have their own Land Rover, and that's Jeep, arguably the brand that started the 4x4 movement with the Willy's Jeep back in the 1940's, the look of that is still around today in the Wrangler, but that's where the good looks end, especially with the Cherokee, it is far from the prettiest of cars around, and is also one of the ugly cars of the year nominations, since FIAT has gained control of Chrysler Group LLC, it can be argued that they have added some better interiors to the cars, as US products are not known for there luxury interiors, bland, black and plastic are three words that can usually be used, so hopefully FIAT can add a touch of class to the looks of all future products as well as better interiors, as they do know what they are doing.

Then it brings us to the last car, the Vauxhall/Opel Mokka, for a small SUV/Crossover, it really is quite large, in fact it is a bit of a jump to get in, the car is well screwed together, and with a new range of engines, and more to come, the Mokka is definitely a car that should be considered when looking for a new car in this class, the interior does have some hard plastics, and there are rather a lot of buttons, like the Meriva, but once you work out what does what, most of them never need to be used again. 

The bright orange screen in the centre of the console and dash binnacle, needs to be looked at, its looking a little dated, but is adequate, and does everything you ask of it, the 1.4 auto is our pick of the range, it is quick, quiet and reasonably economical. There is loads of boot space and rear access and space is also quite good, is it good enough to win though ?

THE 2014 SMALL SUV/CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Goes to..........................

Yes the Mokka is good enough, in our eyes at least, the car is really a a good car thats not that well known, and that needs to be addressed, yes they are advertising its socks off, with a weird advert, and you do see plenty on the roads, but nowhere enough, it is a great place to be inside, with comfortable seats, and plenty of glass to see all around, in SE trim, the top of the range, it comes with loads of toys, the 1.4 Auto is our choice of best in range, it is quite, comfortable, cheap and offers a great deal of car for the money, haggle hard and you can get decent discounts, worries about reliability should not be a concern, the withdrawal of the lifetime warrenty is also a negative point, but over all, this is a great package.

Jon Mower

TMW

Booming small SUV market set to increase with the addition of new models.

Europe's booming small SUV segment is giving a much-needed boost to beleaguered mass-market brands such as Renault, Peugeot and Opel.

The success of models such as the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Opel/Vauxhall Mokka also is attracting more automakers to the sector as western European sales of small SUVs are forecast to more than double to nearly 1 million by 2020, according researchers at IHS Automotive.

"These cars have hit the zeitgeist of the European market," IHS analyst Tim Urquhart told Automotive News Europe.

Renault sold 87,396 Capturs in the first half of this year, according to figures from JATO Dynamics. That exceeds the 2014 full-year European sales IHS predicted for the Captur last February. It also tops Renault's wildest expectations for the small SUV. "We are surprised. It was much more than we were expecting at the beginning," a company spokesman told Automotive News Europe.

The small SUV, which starts at 16,100 euros in France, is now Renault's No. 2-selling model in Europe after the Clio subcompact. It also accounted for the vast majority of Renault's 14 percent sales growth in Europe during the first half.

To keep up with Captur demand, Renault had to increase output at its factory in Valladolid, Spain, the spokesman said, without giving specific figures. Earlier this year Deutsche Bank reported that installed capacity at the plant for the car had been boosted to 250,000 from 150,000.

Rival Peugeot had to make a similar adjustment after its 2008 small SUV proved more popular than expected. In April, Peugeot announced it would increase capacity by 25 percent to 860 vehicles a day at its Mulhouse, France, factory to fulfill 120,000 orders for the car. The 2008 was second to the Captur during the first half with 73,452 sales (see chart) and is now the brand’s third-biggest seller after the 208 subcompact and the 308 compact. In the first half the 2008 played the biggest role of any Peugeot model in the carmaker’s 7 percent sales gain in Europe, according to JATO figures. The Mokka also made a huge contribution toward Opel’s 8 percent first-half sales rise in the first half.

Better margins

The popularity of the cars has allowed the French brands to play to their small-car strengths and rebuild market shares after sales of their compact and midsize models were undercut by increased competition from premium automakers. “Renault and Peugeot have always been known for manufacturing stylish characterful small cars and these models fit in very well with their self-image,” Urquhart said.

The cars’ combination of budget subcompact underpinnings and relatively high equipment and trim mix also has helped improve profit margins, the analyst said. The Renault spokesman said a little more than 60 percent of buyers in France are choosing the Captur’s second most expensive trim line, which increases the small SUV’s starting price to 19,700 euros. Many customers also are paying extra for personalized options such as two-tone paint and 17-inch alloy wheels, he added, without giving figures. The lure of strong sales and better margins means that the small SUV segment will get a big increase in competitors as Fiat, Honda, Jeep and Hyundai prepare to join the sector.

Fiat unveiled the 500X at the Paris auto show last week ahead of its 2015 launch. European sales of the 500X are forecast to be around 60,000 in 2016, which would be its first full year of sales, according to IHS. The firm predicts the 500X’s sister model, the Jeep Renegade, will account for about 25,000 sales in 2015.

Meanwhile, sales of Honda’s HR-V are forecast to peak at 30,000. Hyundai’s offering for the segment, which is likely to be called the ix25, will top 50,000 units after its launch next year, according to IHS. The firm also expects models from Volkswagen and Mazda to enter the segment before the end of the decade.

Peugeot increased production capacity for the 2008 by 25% to 860 units a day to keep up with strong demand for Europe’s No. 2-selling small SUV.

Younger buyers

A Honda spokesperson said its small SUV “should appeal to a slightly younger demographic than our flagship CR-V.” IHS’ Urquhart said that would tally with the segment, where younger buyers are seduced more by sharp exterior designs and high-tech interior features than the badge. “Styling is the No. 1 decision-making factor,” he said. He added that Ford’s decision to enter the European segment with the India-built EcoSport, which was specifically designed to cope with Brazil’s rough roads, might hurt the automaker. “If you want to sell in Europe, you need to design here. A world car is not necessarily what you need” to attract the masses in the region, he said.

Early demand, however, has been strong for the tech-oriented EcoSport, which already ranked No. 10 in the segment during the first half despite only being available in Europe for a couple of months. Ford of Europe sales head Roelant de Waard told Automotive News Europe that the company foresees strong sales for the EcoSport if demand for small SUVs starts to extend beyond France. “If that market spreads over Europe then we will have a big opportunity,” he said.

A look at 2013 European sales shows that about half of all sales of the Captur (39,628) and 2008 (28,004) came from France, according to IHS. Nationalism also plays a big role among small SUV buyers elsewhere in Europe. Customers in Germany bought 19,599 of the 70,986 Mokkas sold last year in Europe. By comparison, Renault sold just 7,514 Capturs in Germany and 6,589 in the UK.

UK buyers prefer the Nissan Juke, which is made in Sunderland, northeast England. Customer there purchased 37,488 of the 106,434 Jukes sold last year in Europe. Based on those trends IHS predicts Italy will account for the bulk of Fiat 500X sales. The firm estimates that Italy will account for 22,000 of the 57,000 western European sales of the 500X in 2016.

‘Innovative product’

While premium brands are successfully expanding into the compact segment, fewer have dropped down into the subcompact segment. One exception is Audi, which offers the A1 hatchback and plans to add the Q1 subcompact SUV in 2016.

Despite the added competition, IHS predicts that the new models will expand the segment without squeezing existing players. And while the volume brands’ subcompact and compact hatchbacks will lose sales to their small SUV siblings, analysts consider the models to be a step in the right direction for mass-market players. “They appeal to buyers who are more careful about spending money coming out of a crisis but still want road presence and the high-up position of the SUV,” Urquhart said. “It shows more mainstream makers are able to come up with innovative product that gets people into showrooms.”

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