Bentley expands further into London with one of it's Boutique Studio's, with the aim to sell goods as well as cars.

• Bentley expands presence in UK capital, with new boutique studio
• An interactive brand experience, with focus on personalisation
• Bentley Inspirator assesses and recommends personal preferences
• Bentley vehicles and branded goods available to browse

Bentley today announces the opening of a new luxury personalisation studio in Westfield London, one of the capital’s premier shopping destinations.

Bentley Studio London is located in The Village, Westfield’s home to leading fashion designers and luxury brands, and offers Bentley customers and fans alike a glimpse behind the walls of the British luxury car brand’s iconic factory in Crewe, Cheshire.

Visitors will be immersed in seasonal displays to highlight Bentley’s renowned craftsmanship.  Traditional materials such as wood and leather sit alongside cutting-edge facial recoginition technology to help customers specify their perfect car, illustrating the breadth of customisation options available.

Sarah Simpson, Regional Director UK, comments: “Configuring a Bentley is an intensely personal experience; like fine tailoring and couture fashion, it is a reflection of your personality and taste, so a location next to other luxury brands in the Westfield Village is a natural fit for the Bentley brand.

“Bentley Studio London is an immersive and highly-interactive brand experience, bringing the craftsmanship of our factory in Crewe and vast array of options available to a new luxury consumer group.”

Bentley’s innovative Inspirator app is installed within the studio to allow fans the opportunity to engage with the brand.  Using the latest in emotional recognition technology, users are guided through an immersive film that is shaped, directed and inspired by your facial and emotional reactions. Based on your measures of engagement – captured by your device’s camera – a bespoke Bentayga or Mulsanne is recommended for you from the vast selection of exterior paint colours, wheels, leather hides and wood veneer.

The latest Continental GT, Flying Spur, Bentayga and Mulsanne models are available for individuals wishing to view or test drive a car, and exquisite branded goods items from the Bentley Collection are displayed for perusal or purchase.

My two Vauxhall Astra's have got through 400 tyres in the last eight months.

Top F1 driver coach, Rob Wilson, isn’t the most sympathetic driver you’ll meet. Since Vauxhall loaned him two ex-press Astras last April in which to train some of the world’s leading race drivers, the cars have covered the equivalent of five Le Mans 24-Hour races, all completely flat-out at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire.

Rob Wilson is possibly one of the most important players in Formula One that you’ve never heard of, and is instrumental in carving split seconds from the lap times of at least 12 drivers who’ve been on the grid in 2015. Their skills are honed in two standard production Astras – a 1.6 CDTi 136PS diesel Sports Tourer and a 1.6T 200PS petrol GTC.

‘The Vauxhalls will do everything that an F1 car does dynamically, just at a far lower speed,’ said Rob. This allows me to explain the physics behind what the car is doing on the track in real time.’

But as Rob swapped his beloved Astras for three models from the all-new generation range, it wasn’t without some regret. ‘The Astras have been as tough as old boots. Between them, they’ve covered over 16,000 track miles at Bruntingthorpe in the hands of successive F1, GP2, WRC, DTM and Indycar drivers, and they haven’t missed a beat. They’ve chewed through 400 tyres and 40 sets of brake pads, but despite nearly 100,000 gearshifts and 43,000 severe braking manoeuvres, the cars are as nice to drive as they were on Day One.

‘I often have a driver’s race engineer in the back seat and everyone has commented how comfortable the cars are, and how predictable and stable their handling is. The cars have an unbelievably hard time out on our track, so I need to know that they’re not going to break. I have tried other makes of car, but they’ve always suffered some kind of breakdown. I’m really looking forward to spending next year in the new Astras.’

Rob is taking delivery of three new Astras this month – all SRi models, two 1.6 CDTi 136PSs and one 1.4T 150PS – and has already sampled one on track, taking a full three seconds off his best lap time in the outgoing car. ‘You can feel the benefits that up to 200kgs of weight-loss has brought straight away,’ said Rob. ‘My drivers are going to enjoy their training even more in 2016.’

So what have Rob’s Astras had to endure this year?

• 16,000 track miles at full race speed
• 7,250 laps of Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground
• 2,250 corners on the limit
• 43,000 hard-braking areas driven through
• 95,000 manual gearshifts
• 400 replacement tyres
• 30 sets of front brake pads
• 10 sets of rear brake pads
• 10 front brake discs

Vauxhall brings back it's own scrappage scheme, to give buyers of older cars a cash boost.

• £2,000 Scrappage Allowance available across most Vauxhall passenger cars
• Cars of any age and from any manufacturer are eligible
• Option of combining scrappage with Vauxhall’s other great finance offers

Vauxhall has re-launched its Scrappage Allowance scheme, which means customers can take advantage of a £2,000 (including VAT) scrappage trade-in against most new passenger cars in its range.

To qualify for the scheme, customers must have owned their trade-in vehicle for a minimum of 90 days. There is no upper age limit for cars and any manufacturer’s vehicle will be accepted.

Customers can combine scrappage with Vauxhall’s other great offers including Flexible Finance, Flexible PCP and a free insurance offer. For example, young drivers could take advantage of £99 insurance (18 to 20 year olds) for one year’s insurance on both ADAM SLAM and Corsa Limited Edition, while those aged 21 and over could get one year’s free insurance.

This means that a 21-year old customer participating in scrappage, could receive £1,190 finance deposit contribution and pay just £193 per month over 36 months for a Corsa three-door 1.2-litre Limited Edition, which includes one year’s free insurance and one year’s free OnStar and 4G Wi-Fi*.

“Vauxhall’s Scrappage Allowance scheme makes buying a new car even more affordable,” said Leon Caruso, Vauxhall's Retail Sales Director. “Even customers who think that their current car is only worth a few pounds can now turn it into a £2,000 contribution towards the cost of a new Vauxhall – and that’s over and above any other deals they negotiate with the retailer, including free insurance on ADAM SLAM and Corsa Limited Edition.”

As part of the scheme, vehicles must be traded-in and scrapped to be eligible for the allowance.  All surrendered vehicles will be handled by Vauxhall’s official contracted end of life vehicle partner Autogreen through their online platform 

www.rewardingrecycling.co.uk. 

The offer is available across Vauxhall’s passenger car range excluding VIVA, Corsa Sting and Sting R and ADAM JAM. The Scrappage Allowance scheme is available at participating Vauxhall retailers. Terms and conditions apply.

*On selected models only. OnStar is a comprehensive package, which includes a high-speed 4G Wi-Fi mobile network, emergency response notification and stolen vehicle recovery technology.

All-New vauxhall Astra to debut at the 2015 Frankfurt International Auto Show.

Vauxhall’s all-new Brit-built Astra will premiere at the 2015 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt on September 15^th, 2015 at 09:00 at Stand D09 in Hall 8.0. 

Built at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire, the new Astra is up to 200kg lighter than the outgoing model and thanks to its clever design it is smaller on the outside and bigger inside.

The powertrain portfolio features petrol and diesel units ranging from 100PS to 200PS, including an all-new 1.4-litre (145PS) ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo, a four-cylinder unit from the same family as the one-litre, three-cylinder engine seen in Corsa, ADAM and VIVA.

Equipped with OnStar, the first all-new Vauxhall to feature this technology; this includes high-speed 4G LTE mobile network, emergency response notification and stolen vehicle recovery technology. 

It is also one of the first vehicles from a mainstream manufacturer to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, available through a new version of the IntelliLink infotainment system.

"The all-new Brit-built Astra raises the bar in terms of quality, design and connectivity," said Tim Tozer, Vauxhall's Chairman and Managing Director. "Lighter than ever before, with new powertrains and cutting-edge technology including OnStar, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technology, the new Astra looks set to shake up the C-segment when it arrives in showrooms this autumn."

SPAIN - The new Opel Astra to come equipped with the new Whisper 1.4 Turbo ECOTEC diesel engine.

• Petrol engine with four-cylinder, all-aluminum.
• Immediate response: dynamic throttle response and high performance.
• Advanced technology: direct fuel injection and turbocharging to achieve greater efficiency

Opel show in Frankfurt Motor Show the new engine 1.4 Turbo ECOTEC direct injection for the first time in the new Opel Astra. The compressed turbo four-cylinder with direct fuel injection core engine will be available with two power levels 125 hp / 92 kW to 150 hp / 110 kW.

This combination linked to this new aluminum engine with the recently introduced 1.0 Turbo ECOTEC direct injection and known ADAM and the Opel Corsa. In fact, the new 1.4-liter four-cylinder can be considered the older brother of three cylinders and a liter. 

Both engines belong to the family of small gasoline engines; a group of mechanical three- and four-cylinder 1.6-liter displacements below.

New reference: quiet four-cylinder engine as a whisper

It has paid great attention during the development of the 1.4-liter Turbo engine with high performance and dynamic response, while content is fuel consumption. 

The engine delivers maximum torque soon up to 245 Nm. The maximum is available between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, an area surprisingly large. The conditions are perfect to combine driving fun with fuel efficiency.

According to preliminary data, the powerful turbo engine equipped with Start / Stop technology has a consumption of only 4.9 liters of gasoline per 100 km in combined cycle (114 g CO ₂ per km). 

Therefore, the 1.4-liter Turbo can compete in performance even with two-liter engines and replace. Engineers have paid great attention to the sound level and the performance against vibrations during the development of the new engine, as is already done in developing the engine of one liter and three cylinders. 

The engine block has been built keeping in mind the reduction of resonance, the oil pan is divided into two parts, the integration of the stock in the exhaust manifold is insulated, it has designed a cover of absorbing noise distribution. 

They have been decoupled injection valves and distribution chain has been cut to have a low concentricity.

"Our new turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with direct injection and core attributes responds to powerful, efficient and quiet. Made entirely of aluminum, in addition to being environmentally friendly, sets new standards in ride comfort, "says Christian Müller, vice president of GM Powertrain Europe.

For its construction, the new 1.4 ECOTEC turbo engine with direct injection adds less weight to the vehicle.Only aluminum engine block weighs 10 kilos less than the forged steel of the current 1.4-liter turbo being the perfect choice for the new Opel Astra and efficient. 

It is precisely in terms of efficiency where the new 1.4-liter turbo shows its technological advances. To make the engine as light as possible, the crankshaft is hollow, the oil pump is low friction and works with two levels of flow as needed. 

All the motor is designed to operate with low viscosity oils 5W-30. All these measures ensure high efficiency in fuel consumption.

While three-cylinder engines are the typical representatives Opel engines (smaller, lighter and more efficient) reduced engine, Opel engineers speak of "engine optimized" when, for example, speak of the perfect balance between efficiency high and low load the new 1.4-liter turbo four-cylinder.

Translated by Google - Apologies for any errors caused.

SPAIN/WORLDWIDE - OPEL SALES JUNE - Growth in many segments continues for the German marque.

• In June sales increased 9% in Europe and 25% in Spain.
• In the first quarter have increased by 3% in Europe, exceeding 18% in Spain.
• Increase registrations in 20 European countries.

Opel maintained its good performance in the European market: according to preliminary figures from June, new car registrations have increased by more than 9,800 units for the month of June last year - an increase of 9% , a total of 118,600 units. The market share recorded in this past month was 6.35%. 

The result of Opel in the first six months of this year is also positive. Between January and June 2015, the German manufacturer has sold 582 300 vehicles, representing an increase of 3%, or 18,400 units more than in the same period of 2014. With these figures has achieved a market share of 5 9% slightly better than in the first half of last year.

In Spain, during the month of June, Opel has enrolled a total of 10,201 units, querepresenta an increase of 25.2% over the same month of 2014. These sales represented a market share of 7.93% market share Total Spanish (passenger cars and commercial vehicles) and Opel has risen to fourth in the ranking of sales. 

In the car market, Opel sales were of 9,701 units, which represents a share of 8.7% and an increase of 23.1% compared to June last year. For models, the Zafira has been boosted to the first position in its segment, while the Meriva keeps the second position and the compact SUV Mokka reaches the quarter with an increase of 340% higher sales.

"The increase in volume in more than 20 European markets in the first six months of this year shows that our customers like models. The new Opel KARL, which already have more than 30,000 orders, the personal service of connectivity and OnStar assistance and the new Opel Astra will give us new impetus for further growth, "said Peter Christian Küspert, VP of Sales and Aftermarket Group Opel.

In the first half of 2015, Opel has registered sales increases in more than 20 European markets, including Germany (+ 2%), the UK (+ 4%), France (+ 7%), Spain (+ 18%), Italy (+ 17%), Portugal (+ 21%), Poland (+ 20%) and Turkey (+ 36%). The German brand has also increased its market share in more than 13 markets.Countries where more has increased its participation have been in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia Poland.

During the month of June, Opel has been the best-selling brand in the passenger car market in Hungary, with a market share of 11.3%. It has also achieved the second position in Austria (7.57%) and the Netherlands (8.1%). In addition, the British subsidiary Vauxhall was the second best-selling brand in England during this month (11.66% share) and in the first half of this year (10.35%).

In Spain, during the first six months of this year, Opel has enrolled a total of 47 057 units, representing an increase of 18% from the first half of 2014 and a market share of 7.31%. The brand remains in third all passenger car sales with 44,247 registrations place and a market share of 8.0%. The Insignia and Meriva models occupy second place in their respective segments, while the Zafira and Corsa reach the third position and reached the fifth Mokka, having increased its sales by 180% over the previous year.

Also in Europe the Mokka is registering very good figures, with sales have increased by more than 20,000 units, or 28%, while Corsa registrations grew by more than 18,000 units, or 12% and ADAM, which It is growing by more than 2,500 units or 9%.

Likewise, Opel is achieving very good results in the market for light commercial vehicles during the first half of the year. Registrations are up 25% to 51,000 units in Europe. The market share has increased by 0.56 percentage points and now stands at 4.03%. The three ranges of commercial vehicles have experienced an increase in volume in the head Movano (+ 34%), followed by Vivaro (+ 27%) and the Combo (+ 15%).