My thoughts on all things motoring, press releases, reviews & techie stuff, from around the world.
Please note that the pictures of vehicles within this blog are used as examples of the specific press releases, on occasions, due to the lack of available official pictures, examples are re-produced.
ANY AND ALL PROFANITIES WILL BE REMOVED AND THE PERSON/S RESPONSIBLE WILL BE BANNED, NO EXCEPTIONS.
Purpose
I will try my best to provide detailed info on various cars and what is like to live with them, I have already produced a few for Jaguar-car-forums, I will do my best to be unbiased, but it will be hard for some cars. I will re-produce press releases and copy from other motoring news.
Aston Martin sports cars appear in film for the first time at St Athan in Wales
New film celebrates marque’s 104-year history with £65M of Aston Martin cars
Work underway on redeveloping site into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility
The Aston Martin Vulcan was the first car to turn a wheel at the site of the British luxury carmaker’s second UK manufacturing plant at St Athan in South Wales recently, signaling the start of the redevelopment of the former MOD site into a state-of-the-art facility.
The appearance of the Aston Martin Vulcan though was just the start of an incredible celebration of Aston Martin’s heritage, which brought together 28 very special Aston Martins with a combined value of £65 million in a film produced to celebrate the transfer of ownership of the three super hangars at St Athan.
The vast, empty hangars offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase Aston Martin’s 104-year history in the only way its drivers knew how. Aston Martin Racing’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) drivers, Darren Turner and Nicki Thiim, along with Aston Martin Chief Engineer Matt Becker, had plenty of room to manoeuvre a stunning selection of Aston Martins. That is, until they got caught by the ‘boss’ Aston Martin President and CEO, Andy Palmer.
Enjoy the glorious sights and sounds of Aston Martins from the A3 to the DBR1, the One-77, numerous Vantages, Rapide S and of course the Aston Martin Vulcan, as they spread their wings at St Athan.
White UK’s favourite new car colour for fourth consecutive year, but demand falls for the first time since 2005 – down -2.1%.
2016 sees highest number of black cars registered in the UK since 2007 – 542,862.
Yellow back in top 10, with 12,431 cars registered – double the figure from five years ago.
White maintained its position as the UK’s most popular new car colour for the fourth year in a row in 2016, according to data published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
More than half a million new car buyers chose the colour last year – a fifth of all registrations – although figures show its popularity is starting to fade with demand falling -2.1%, the first drop since 2005.
White and black are the nation’s two favourite car colours – of the 2.69 million new cars registered in 2016, white (552,329) and black (542,862) took more than 40% market share.
While white maintained its lead in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in England it was overtaken by black as the new car colour of choice.
Nationally, the third and fourth most popular colours were grey and blue, both gaining market share. Meanwhile, yellow cars appeared in the top 10 for the first time since 2013 at the expense of mauve, which dropped to 11th place.
Regionally, black topped the chart in the South East while also overtaking white as the favourite new car colour in East Anglia and the West Midlands.
However, white continued to be most popular across the rest of the country, with buyers in the South West, East Anglia, East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North all following the national trend.
Car colours: Biggest winners and losers in 2016
Going up
Pink may still be a niche colour choice, but last year demand grew 82.7% to 3,527 units.
A 44% rise in demand for Bronze cars saw a record 8,902 people spec the colour in 2016.
Turquoise’s popularity grew fourfold last year, from just 792 registrations in 2015 to 2,718.
Going down
Is brown’s time in the top 10 coming to an end? Demand fell -40.1%, dropping it one place to ninth.
Appetite for beige fell -27.6% to under 10,000 for the first time since 2000 with 8,426 cars registered.
Silver saw the biggest volume decline, falling 22,209, with 273,220 buyers choosing it compared with 843,870 in its heyday back in 2004.
Contract exchanged by Aston Martin and Welsh First Minister
Construction of ‘Phase I’ of Aston Martin’s new St Athan facility commences
Aston Martin SUV to start production in Wales in 2019
Phase 1 of Aston Martin’s new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales received the green light when Aston Martin President and CEO Dr Andy Palmer met Welsh First Minister, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM to finalise the sale of the St Athan site to the British luxury carmaker.
In February 2016, Aston Martin announced that it had chosen St Athan from 20 potential global locations as its second manufacturing facility as part of a £200M investment in new products and facilities.
A recruitment drive this summer began the search for up to 750 new Aston Martin employees who will work at the new facility, a number of whom have already begun their training, building the new DB11 at its Gaydon Headquarters.
Aston Martin President and CEO Dr Andy Palmer commented: “The exchanging of this contract, giving us first access to the St Athan facility, is a milestone in our 103-year history. Work now starts in earnest to turn our plans into reality.
“Since taking the decision to build our first SUV in Wales we have been impressed with the commitment and approach from both the MOD and the Welsh Government in making this project work. We continue to work with the Welsh Government in areas like recruitment to ensure we are able to meet our project timescales.”
With contracts now exchanged, Aston Martin has now commenced work on ‘Phase I’ of the St Athan site which includes the creation of the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices and the employee restaurant. The contract for these works was awarded to local Welsh firm TRJ Contracting beating off competition from a number of larger national companies.
‘Phase II’ will commence in April 2017 when Aston Martin will gain access to the three Ministry of Defence ‘Super Hangars’ that will house the new manufacturing facility.
First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones said: “We are delighted that Aston Martin has chosen to locate its new manufacturing facility here in Wales. The move is fantastic news for the Vale of Glamorgan and surrounding areas, and will provide a real boost to the local economy, resulting in thousands of high quality jobs both within Aston Martin and the wider supply chain.
“We have worked closely with Aston Martin throughout this process and I am proud that our joint hard work and co-operation will result in some 750 of our skilled workers building the Aston Martins of the future.”
Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP, said:“Aston Martin choosing Wales sends a clear message to leading global companies around the world that Wales is open for business.
"We have created the ideal conditions for economic growth, which helped attract this unique and innovative car manufacturer to South Wales. Today's announcement reflects the excellent infrastructure, a world class talent pool and businesses that have the confidence to expand in Wales.”
Two dealers from MG’s national franchise network have been recognised for their service and sales excellence at the prestigious Car Dealer Magazine Awards.
Taking place at The Brewery in London on 28 November, the highly-acclaimed event is the highlight of the used car calendar.
Brecon Motors, which has been serving the motorists of Wales since the early 1900s, received nominations for the Service & Repair Outlet and Used Car Sales Team categories. Adding to the celebrations, John Stuart & Warrington MG received a nomination for the Used Car Award 2016 (dealership with more than 100 cars).
All three categories are set to be hotly contested, with leading car dealerships from across the UK vying to take home the sought-after titles.
Jonathan Williams, Managing Director at Brecon Motors, commented: “It’s a real privilege to be nominated for two categories in the Car Dealer Awards. As a showcase of the UK’s best used car dealerships, we’re thrilled to have received these nominations as a representative of the MG brand.”
James Drinkwater, General Manager at John Stuart & Warrington MG, commented: “As a family-owned business, we pride ourselves on delivering expert advice, a friendly welcome and the best possible customer service from start to finish. Being recognised in the Car Dealer Awards is not only testament to our hard work, but also the dedication and commitment of each member of staff.”
Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales & Marketing at MG Motor UK, added: “Having two dealers nominated in the Car Dealer Awards is a huge achievement. Both Brecon Motors and John Stuart & Warrington MG should be incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Everyone here at Longbridge will have their fingers crossed on 28 November!”
To learn more about the Car Dealer Magazine awards, and the full list of categories, visit the official website here. To discover more about MG Motor UK’s latest models and finance offerings,
British parents spend nine weeks of their lives ferrying kids to and from school gates
Over a third cite it as the most stressful time of the day
ŠKODA sought out UK’s “most extreme school run”
The Jones family from Pontrhydfendigaid, Wales, was selected as the winner – they regularly have to overcome floods and fallen trees just to get to school
A brand new ŠKODA Kodiaq – on its first foray on British roads – was sent in to lend a hand
British parents spend almost nine weeks* of their lives ferrying kids to and from the school gates, according to new research** from ŠKODA. And for many – over a third (36%) of UK mums and dads – the ‘school run’ is the most stressful parental duty that they undertake.
However, whilst traffic (64%) is the most common obstacle facing people on their daily commute, spare a thought for those living in the most remote parts of the UK.
According to ŠKODA’s study, in the furthest flung places such as the Scottish Highlands and Welsh Valleys, delays to school runs caused by hazards such as flooding rise by as much as 18% against the national average (56% vs 38%).
Livestock on the roads also causes issues. In the county of Sutherland in the far north of Scotland, and in the mid Wales county of Ceredigion, an average of one in ten parents regularly has to stop to bypass rogue sheep and cattle – almost twice as often as any other rural location.
On the back of these figures, ŠKODA sought out the country’s ‘most extreme school run’ – a nationwide search for the family facing the toughest terrain and obstacles – to put its brand new large SUV, the Kodiaq, through its paces in the UK for the first time.
Step forward the Joneses, a farming family based in Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion, Wales.
Nestled amongst stunning picture-postcard scenery, the Jones’ land even features its own waterfall. However, despite beautiful appearances, their location also offers up problematic driving obstacles than cause the family delays of anywhere between ten minutes and two hours.
Dad William often has to use his chainsaw to help remove fallen trees, whilst ice and floods also present regular challenges – with a broken-down lorry blocking the road for two solid days last year. The Jones’ cottage, Cwmmoiro, sits within its own micro-climate, meaning it can be snowing at home when it is raining at the children’s school.
Mum Sarah Jones explained: “Every day when we wake up we don’t know what we’re going to come up against on our school run, which is part of the fun of living up here really. We could take our horse Willow, but a 4x4 makes things so much easier.”
Prior to its secretive arrival in Wales from the Czech Republic, the seven-seater ŠKODA Kodiaq had completed over a million miles of testing in some of the most extreme climates around the world. In what was a typically wet and windy day in Pontrhydfendigaid, that testing was the perfect preparation. The Joneses got to experience the Kodiaq’s outstanding 4x4 functionality, cutting across the valley via a slippery off-road route that features lots of mud and water crossings.
Sarah Jones concluded: “We were hugely impressed with the Kodiaq and our journey to school was the smoothest we’ve ever experienced. It tackled flooded areas and hills with ease and we enjoyed the headroom and nice little extras such as the heated seats. The seven seats would definitely come in handy for collecting our children’s school mates and when they’re not being used, we can pop our dogs in the back. The kids really want us to buy one now!”
The fourth string in Volkswagen’s impressive rallying bow
Old-timer gets ready to share the stages with today’s WRC pocket-rockets
Class winning crowd-pleaser returns to contest WRGB National Rally
Catch Bertie in action with advance tickets on sale from as little as £20, kids go FREE
While Volkswagen Motorsport’s triumvirate of pace-setting Polo WRCs will be gunning for outright glory on this month’s Dayinsure Wales Rally GB (27-30 October), spare a thought for the fourth VW on the star-studded entry list. Lining up alongside Sébastien Ogier and all the sport’s other top guns is plucky Bob Beales in his 58-year-old ‘Bertie’ Beetle!
Mind you the venerable orange Bug is no ordinary rally car – like many approaching pensionable age, it boasts quite a colourful history.
Bertie was born back in 1958 and early in his life was owned by a Hereford taxi company where he suffered a skirmish with a bus and somehow a more damaging roll.
The repaired car was then rally-prepared by the legendary VW specialist Bill Bengry in the early sixties before being acquired by Beales a few years later. “I was a lucky boy to get my hands on the car and it’s been a dream ever since,” says Bob who competed extensively in rallies, autotests and even autocross before putting Bertie into storage.
In more recent years, though, the Beetle has enjoyed a new lease of life competing in many historic events including the Monte Carlo Rally in 1990.
Marking the 25th anniversary of that adventure, Beales entered last year’s Network Q WRGB National Rally and – despite the best efforts of storm Abigail – won his class, a feat he’s now trying to emulate in 2016.
“Competing in Wales Rally GB last year was a brilliant experience,” he enthuses. “It was very hard on the old car and the weather made it all the tougher – there was lots of aquaplaning. But that’s what makes it such a great event – it’s a monumental challenge.”
Beales admits he takes great interest in the successes of the VW factory team and is ultra impressed with their all-conquering Polo R WRCs. He says: “The technology in those cars is just brilliant, although I’m not sure if I’m man enough to give one a go. That said, I actually passed one of the Polos on last November’s event when Jari-Matti Latvala got stuck in a ditch – that would have made a great photo!
“I reminded Jari-Matti about it when I saw him at Goodwood earlier this year, and he remembered seeing Bertie going past – it’s one of those cars you just can’t forget!”
Tickets on sale
Tickets to follow Bertie’s fortunes on this month’s Dayinsure Wales Rally GB are now on sale. Advance adult admission starts at just £20 for the family-friendly RallyFest at Cholmondeley Castle, with day tickets available for £25 and the full four-day World Rally Pass priced at £99. All tickets include free parking and an event programme priced at £9. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted FREE – a real half-term treat for families. The latest event and ticket information can be found on the official www.walesrallygb.com website and the official Rally Planner is now available online, providing fans with all the details required to plan their visit.
Ford’s Bridgend Engine Plant (BEP) in Wales has built its 20-millionth engine, 37 years after the first engine was built in September 1979.
Linda Cash, vice president of Manufacturing, Ford of Europe joined Bridgend Engine Plant manager, Ian Pearson, in marking the achievement saying: “Bridgend has a proud record of high-quality engine production and I’m delighted to celebrate this significant milestone with the team that builds them.
“Today the plant builds a range of high-tech EcoBoost products, and we continue to invest in Bridgend, with the plant confirmed to build the next generation of fuel-efficient petrol engines.”
Ford Bridgend currently supplies petrol engines, including EcoBoost products which provide ultra-low emissions, excellent fuel economy, refinement and performance, for a range of Ford vehicles. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost is available in the Ford Focus, Ford Kuga, Ford Mondeo, and Ford S-MAX models. The multi-award winning Ford Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, also built in Bridgend. The plant also supplies six and eight-cylinder engines for premium customers.
An all-new family of technologically-advanced, fuel-efficient petrol engines has been confirmed to be built in Bridgend. With an initial investment of £100 million, production is planned to start in late 2018.
The Bridgend Engine Plant has benefitted from more than £1.8 billion of investment since it opened in 1980. It builds six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines for customers and, together with Ford four-cylinder engines, total production is currently 3,400 engines a day, or one every 24 seconds off the busiest line.
The first engine produced in Bridgend was a CVH petrol engine for the third generation Ford Escort.
Bridgend’s success has been encouraged through a partnership with the Welsh Government who have committed to maximising the potential of Ford’s own investment. The Welsh Government supports the plant with an annual grant for training of £50,000.
Ford Bridgend total production now exceeds 20 million engines and its products power the Ford Fiesta, B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX, Kuga and Mondeo models.
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