The next MG dealership opens in Warrington Cheshire, they are coming and sales are growing.

MG Motor’s newest dealer has not only filled a key gap in the north, it has also landed in the home of a popular drama series.

After a break of around ten years, John Stuart Motor Company has brought MG back to Warrington, Cheshire. Director James Drinkwater and his team primarily started out selling used cars, until they decided it was time they added some new cars to the mix – and more importantly, a franchise.

The cars had barely been in before three were sold from the northern dealership, which is also home to the BBC series ‘Ordinary Lies’.

James Drinkwater said: “It was a natural progression for us to take on a franchise and we all felt that MG was the perfect fit. The cars are built really well, are fantastic value and give customers the chance to inject some individuality.”

To celebrate the return of MG to Warrington, John Stuart Motor Company is holding a launch event across the weekend of Friday 3^rd, Saturday 4^th and Sunday 5^th June. There will be a number of exciting things going on, including the attendance of both MG Triple Eight racing drivers; Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton. There will also be a competition on the Friday night, at the pre-race Q&A event, to win tickets to that weekend’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round at Oulton Park.

James added: “We’re really looking forward to the launch and welcoming old and new faces to the dealership. It’s an exciting time for us and MG, particularly with the launch of the new model only just around the corner.”

Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing, said: “This was a really important area for us to fill, so we’re thrilled to welcome John Stuart Motor Company on board. The launch event they’re holding is a fantastic way to put them on the map and let customers know, in the surrounding area, that MG is back in Warrington with the latest models.”

A special pre-war Fiat 500 Topolino with a fascinating history will be auctioned by Classic Car Auctions (CCA).

A special pre-war Fiat 500 Topolino with a fascinating history will be auctioned by Classic Car Auctions (CCA) on Saturday 19^th March at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre.

This particular example, with silver paintwork and a blue leather interior, was ordered new by one of the wealthiest men in the world at the time, the second Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, way back on 14th September 1939. It was registered to the Westminster ancestral country estate, Eaton Hall, in Cheshire.

Now for sale seven decades after it was bought by its first owner, this Topolino will be offered at auction with an estimate of between £12,000 and £15,000.

The Topolino, which translates as ‘Little Mouse’, was one of the smallest cars in the world at the time of its production, and was the predecessor to the iconic Nuova 500 of the 1950s and 60s, as well as today’s popular model.

The Duke ordered his car with a 569L straight four side valve engine, with a manual gear box and in right-hand drive. Amazingly, the car has covered a total of just 1,593 miles in 77 years.

During World War II, the Topolino was transferred to the Duke’s Dublin estate while Eaton Hall was used as a hospital, as well as a temporary facility for the Britannia Royal Naval College. It was then shipped to back to Eaton Hall after the war. Upon the Duke's death in 1953, the car was transferred to the Dowager Duchess and remained part of the family until 1986 when the current vendor came across it.

“This is a remarkable little car with a fascinating past”, comments Guy Lees-Milne, general manager of Classic Car Auction. “Not only does it have ducal provenance, it has an extremely low mileage for a car of its age, making it a very rare find indeed.”

Having been with its current owner for 30 years, this special little car has benefitted from a lengthy and careful restoration, including a rebuild of the engine and a new leather interior.

“It’s amazing that one of the world’s wealthiest men would order such a modest little vehicle and a car of the people,” continues Guy Lees-Milne. “With its amazing story, and just two owners from new, we’re bound to have plenty of interest in its sale.”

The All-New Vauxhall Astra Tourer, Lighter, Cheaper, better equipped and on sale from next March.

• New Astra Tourer in showrooms in March priced from £16,585 OTR
• Up to £1,870 less expensive than the outgoing model
• Class-leading powertrains achieve up to 85.6mpg and as low as 86g/km

Vauxhall’s all-new Astra Sports Tourer will be in showrooms in March priced from £16,585 on-the-road.

The new Sports Tourer, built at Vauxhall’s manufacturing plant in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, follows hot on the heels of the highly-acclaimed five-door model and is up to £1,870 less expensive than the outgoing ST with a simplified range. 

The new Astra Sports Tourer range includes Design, Tech Line, SRi and Elite, with Nav versions of the SRi and Elite trims also available.

Range highlights include the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Turbo Start/Stop ecoFLEX model priced from £17,285 on-the-road. With an Easytronic five-speed automatic transmission, the same model achieves a class-leading 96g/km CO₂ emissions. 

The range-topping 1.6-litre (200PS) is available in SRi trim priced from £21,710 on-the-road. The diesel offering includes the 1.6-litre ‘Whisper Diesel’ (110PS) Start/Stop ecoFLEX model (prices start at £18,785 on-the-road) that achieves 85.6mpg and class-leading CO₂ emissions of 86g/km.

All pricing, fuel economy and emission figures are provisional and subject to change. Each trim level features a high level of standard specification:

DESIGN

£16,585-£20,790**

Standard features include:

Exterior

• 16-inch alloy wheels*
• Rear spoiler
• Chrome-effect upper window trim
• Black roof rails

Interior

• Comfort front seats
• Steering column adjustable for reach and rake
• Steering wheel mounted audio controls

Infotainment

• R4.0 IntelliLink system (IntelliLink smartphone projection, seven-inch colour touch-screen, AM/FM/DAB digital radio, Bluetooth audio streaming, Bluetooth mobile phone portal, USB and aux-in audio connection)

Convenience

• Air conditioning
• Cruise control with speed limiter
• Automatic lighting control
• Multi-function trip computer
• Electrically operated front and rear windows
• Electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors
• Remote control central locking

Safety

• Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Antilock Braking System (ABS)
• Hill start assist
• Driver’s and front passenger’s airbags
• Front seat side-impact airbags
• Full-size curtain airbags
• Tyre pressure monitoring system
• ISOFIX child seat restraint system for outer rear seats
• Seatbelt pre-tensioners for front and outer rear seats
• Height-adjustable front and rear seat head restraints
• Electronic engine deadlock immobiliser
• Door-to-door illumination
• LED daytime running lights

* = Please note: Standard 16-inch alloy wheels for Design and Tech Line models will not be available until Spring 2016. Therefore until then both models will be supplied with 16-inch structure wheels.

** = Provisional data.

TECH LINE*

£17,285-£21,490**

Features over Design:

Interior

• Leather-covered steering wheel
• Adjustable front armrest
• Six premium speakers

Infotainment

• Navi 900 IntelliLink system with fully integrated European sat nav system and eight-inch colour touch-screen

* = Please note: Standard 16-inch alloy wheels for Design and Tech Line models will not be available until Spring 2016. Therefore until then both models will be supplied with 16-inch structure wheels.

SRi

£19,885-£24,090**

Features over Design:

Exterior

• 17-inch 5 twin-spoke alloy wheels
• Front fog lights
• Silver-effect roof rails

Interior

• Leather-covered steering wheel
• Sports-style front seats
• Adjustable front armrest
• Storage pockets on front seat backs
• Six premium speakers

Convenience

• Rain-sensitive windscreen wipers
• Automatic lighting with tunnel detection
• Automatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror
• Sport switch (not available on 1.4i 100PS models)

Safety

• Vauxhall OnStar your personal connectivity and service assistant
• Driving Assistance Pack One featuring intelligent forward camera system: lane departure warning with lane assist, traffic sign recognition, following distance indicator, forward collision alert with automatic city emergency braking
• Remote control alarm system (optional at extra cost on 1.4i 100PS models)

SRi Nav models additionally feature

• Navi 900 IntelliLink system with fully-integrated European sat nav system and eight-inch colour touch-screen

Elite

£20,605-£24,810**

Features over Design:

Exterior

• 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels
• Front fog lights
• Silver-effect roof rails

Interior

• Heated leather-covered steering wheel
• Leather seat trim
• Ergonomic sports front seats, featuring: extendable seat cushions and seat tilt adjustment, four-way electrical lumbar adjustment
• Heated front and outer rear seats
• Adjustable front armrest
• Storage pockets on front seat backs
• Six premium speakers
• Front sill plates
• Two rear USB charging points

Convenience

• Electronic dual-zone climate control
• Rain-sensitive windscreen wipers
• Automatic lighting control with tunnel detection
• Automatic anti-dazzle rear-view mirror
• Electrically folding door mirrors
• Electric parking brake

Safety

• Vauxhall OnStar your personal connectivity and service assistant
• Remote control alarm system

Elite Nav models additionally feature

• Navi 900 IntelliLink system and fully integrated European sat nav

How did Vauxhall make the Union Jack out of 128 New Astra's, well, watch the video.

128 new Vauxhall Astras choreographed to create Union Jack 

Patriotic display marks 36 years of the British best-seller

Flag display welcomes new seventh generation model

Vauxhall has revealed how they built the Astra Union Jack flag through a film launched recently. 

To celebrate the launch of the all-new seventh generation Vauxhall Astra, workers at the Ellesmere Port manufacturing plant – home of the Astra for over 36 years – choreographed 128 new models to create the image of the Union Jack flag. 

Construction of the display was captured using a state-of-the-art drone giving a birds-eye view of the build. 

Commenting on the launch at Ellesmere Port, Business Minister Anna Soubry said: “This is a proud day for Vauxhall and its workforce at Ellesmere Port. Manufacturing the seventh generation Astra onsite secures 2,000 jobs into the next decade, boosts productivity and further demonstrates the company’s ongoing commitment to the UK.”

Vauxhall’s seventh generation Astra is the eleventh major model-line to be built at Ellesmere Port and guarantees 2,000 jobs at the Cheshire plant over the next decade.  The plant secured a long-term contract in 2012 and a £140 million investment which further demonstrates the brand’s continued commitment to manufacturing the iconic car in Britain. 

The image, orchestrated in under 24-hours, pays tribute to over 36 years of manufacturing the Brit-built best-seller, which has seen over five million cars roll off the Ellesmere Port production line. 

Three million have been sold in the UK alone – with 50,000 in the past 12 months and 2 million exported to 25 European markets. It is estimated that at full production in 2016, the plant will build approximately 680 Astras per day with further growth in subsequent years.

The British success story extends beyond the Astra itself – as for over 50 years, Ellesmere Port has been the manufacturing home of every compact class Vauxhall in the UK. 

With nearly 25 per cent of parts sourced locally from UK suppliers, the plant is a significant contributor the local economy and the continued investment at the facility is set to boost UK manufacturing, utilities, construction, transportation and storage companies by at least £70 million.

New Brit-built Vauxhall Astra – In Numbers:

• One in four Britons has either owned or driven an Astra 
• 25% of a Vauxhall Astra is produced from British sourced materials 
• It takes approximately 24 hours to build an Astra, from sheet steel to the finished article – this is expected to reduce to just 22 hours as production grows
• 3 million Astras have been sold over the past 36 years - 50,000 in the past 12 months
• 5 million vehicles have been manufactured at Ellesmere Port, with 2 million exported to 25 European markets
• £140m investment in the Ellesmere Port factory
• The Ellesmere Port plant will build approximately 680 cars per day and 120,000 per year