Vauxhall moves up to fourth overall in the annual J.D. Power dependability Survey for 2016.

• Vauxhall named fourth best manufacturer in JD Power survey for vehicle dependability
• Manufacturer outperformed premium rivals in study of over 13,000 drivers
• Vauxhall Insignia top of class

Vauxhall has performed very strongly in the second annual JD Power survey for vehicle dependability, achieving fourth overall in the manufacturer rankings. Moving up from ninth in last year’s inaugural survey, Vauxhall outperformed all premium rivals including Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar.

Recording a range average of 90 problems per 100 vehicles (pp100), considerably better than the industry average of 113, Vauxhall models also performed well across individual classes. Most notably, the Vauxhall Insignia topped the mid-size class, while the Corsa and Mokka models came third in the small and compact SUV classes respectively.

The Vauxhall Insignia outperformed its closest rival by 16 pp100 vehicles, and was stronger than the class average to the value of a staggering 46 pp100. On average the small category achieved among the best results, with the Vauxhall Corsa ranking third, 15 pp100 ahead of the class average. In the rapidly-growing compact SUV class, the Vauxhall Mokka also achieved third. With a notable score of only 65 problems per 100 vehicles, the Mokka was an impressive 45 pp100 ahead of the class average.

“It is brilliant to see that our cars are performing well for durability after they have left the showroom,” said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “Providing high-quality, reliable vehicles is a priority of ours, and to see models across the range achieve these results and outperform their premium rivals is great.”

Now in its second year, the JD Power survey for vehicle dependability looks at the reliability of new vehicles sold in the UK. The 2016 study looked at 113 models (73 ranked) across 25 manufacturers, gathering data from over 13,000 drivers of MY13-15 vehicles.

And the TOP Gear Magazine Car of the year is....... find out within, along with the entire rundown of all awards.

“You don’t always need to spend big money to have a huge amount of fun”

BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards Issue, celebrating the greatest cars of the year and representing the best of the best.

The Ford Focus RS, has claimed the title of BBC Top Gear Magazine’s Car of the Year, beating off serious competition from the significantly higher priced models, such as Porsche and Ferrari, to be the overall winner for one of the most coveted awards in the motoring industry.

Every year, Top Gear Magazine rates and reviews over 300 new cars. Each award winner is selected by Top Gear's expert motoring journalists – including some help from The Stig - and now the top 18 have been named.

The Focus is the latest in the long line of fast Fords to carry the iconic RS badge and the judges described it as a car that “combines such vivid personality with real practicality and serves it up at such a tempting price”. Naturally, it also picked up a second award in the Hot Hatch category. With a £29,995 price tag, the Ford Focus RS is one of cheapest cars on the list with a top speed of 165mph and hitting 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds. Winning Car of the Year is no stranger to Ford; the Fiesta ST also won the award in 2013.

Charlie Turner, Editor-In-Chief, Top Gear Magazine says “The Focus RS really is the complete package and claims our top award ahead of other category winners costing ten times as much. It delivers accessible performance and entertainment, with looks and practicality thrown in, and proves you don’t always need to spend big money to have a huge amount of fun. When it came to the voting the decision was unanimous - the Focus RS is a hugely worthy winner of the TopGear Car of The Year.”

In the Manufacturer of the Year category, McLaren picked up the award after launching three world beaters in 2015 with the 570S, 675LT and P1 GTR. A triumph for the (relatively) young car company from the UK.

Other notable winners include: Mazda, who picked up the Roadster of the Year Award for the new version of the iconic MX-5; and Urban Warrior of the Year for the CX-3, described as an “urban SUV with a sense of humour”.

Porsche once again demonstrated their performance pedigree; picking up two awards; the Hardcore Car of the Year with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Sports Car of the Year for the Porsche Cayman GT4.

Top Gear magazine has had a complete overhaul, with a fresh look and re-design. There are new sections, layouts and feature formats. Plus, some of the new presenters from the show are featured in the Awards Issue with Chris Evans, Eddie Jordan, Chris Harris and Rory Reid all contributing.

The full results and details are available in the special Awards issue of the magazine on sale Wednesday 23 March 2016.

TopGear Magazine Awards 2016 winners in full:

• Car of the Year 2016 - Ford Focus RS
• Hot Hatch of the Year - Ford Focus RS
• Manufacturer of the Year - McLaren
• Coupe of the Year - BMW M2
• Estate Car of the Year - Mercedes-AMG C63 Estate
• Family Car of the Year - Land Rover Discovery Sport
• Freak of the Year - Ariel Nomad
• Hardcore Car of the Year - Porsche 911 GT3 RS
• Luxury Car of the Year - Rolls-Royce Dawn
• Muscle Car of the Year - Ford Mustang GT350R
• Noise of the Year - Range Rover Sport SVR
• Roadster of the Year - Mazda MX-5
• Saloon of the Year - Jaguar XF
• Sports Car of the Year - Porsche Cayman GT4
• Supercar of the Year - Ferrari 488 GTB
• Urban Warrior of the Year - Mazda CX-3
• Zen Car of the Year - Volvo XC90
• Engine of the Year - Ferrari F12tdf

What new car buyers really want, new survey tells all.

• carwow conducts UK-wide survey ahead of September registrations to discover new-car buyers’ top 10 most important considerations
• Performance and brand fall outside the top 5, while design and style fall outside the top 10
• Colour features in the top 3, alongside price and fuel economy

carwow the UK’s largest new-car buying platform has conducted a national survey to discover the top 10 most important considerations of new car buyers. 

carwow data shows that August is the busiest research month for car buyers in the UK, ahead of new registrations in September. The survey, of UK-based Google users, shows that the top 10 most important considerations are:

1.   Price

2.   Fuel economy

3.   Colour

4.   Insurance grouping and cost

5.   Safety

6.   Performance

7.   Manufacturer

8.   Size

9.   Quality

10. Engine size

James Hind, carwow CEO, said: “carwow is a business built on putting buyers first, by empowering customers with all the information they need before they buy a car. This is why we conducted the survey – to make sure we are providing the buyers with exactly what they want.  We were most surprised to discover that performance, brand and design fall someway down the list of top considerations. 

He added: “Colour, on the other hand, which barely gets a mention in traditional car reviews, is actually the third most important thing for new-car buyers. This is the kind of information used to make carwow as absolutely up to date and relevant for our customers, particularly in this most busy period for new car buyers.”

Following the new survey results, carwow will launch a New-Car Buyers’ Car of the Year awards. Based on the top 10 buyer considerations revealed in this survey, the new awards will counter the traditional assessments based on performance and design, to become a true buyer-empowered list of the cars that really deliver what new-car buyers want. More details will be announced later in the year.

With carwow, buying a new car is as easy and hassle-free as it should be – car dealers compete over buyers, offering consumers the car they configure at a great price. And because carwow only works with the best-rated dealers in Britain, the customer experience comes with satisfaction guaranteed. 

With more than £300m in car sales through the platform so far, and buyers making savings totalling over £40m, (on average £3,600 per car), both car retailers and consumers are benefitting from the carwow revolution.

British Sports Car maker introduces new models & is able to run for 2000 miles on one tank of fuel.

• Two new models unveiled – the Iceni Magna & Iceni Venturer

Trident, the British sports car brand, today announced the global availability of its flagship Iceni sports car, the world’s fastest & most fuel efficient diesel sports car.

With a top speed in excess of over 190mph and the ability to run for 2000 miles on a single tank of mineral or bio-diesel, the Iceni uses torque multiplication technology to achieve this unique combination of speed, power & fuel efficiency.

Two new models to the Iceni range are also unveiled today, the Iceni Magna (fastback) & Iceni Venturer (estate). All three models boast the same impressive spec, each with its own distinctive design. In addition, the cars can store a minimum of two suitcases, as well as two holdalls, making a 2000-mile road trip a reality.

Phil Bevan, designer & founder of Trident said, “The Trident cars deliver incredible speed & performance combined with outstanding fuel efficiency, achieved through our unique torque multiplication technology.”

It is widely believed that horsepower delivers power, speed & fuel efficiency, but it is in fact torque that matters. Using this technology in a road car increases fuel efficiency by up to 20%. Trident has patented a unique way of utilising torque multiplication to improve performance and efficiency, which has been incorporated into all their sports cars.

The British designed Trident sports cars boast a distinctive look, with clean curves and the unusual sculpted rear. The cars also incorporate over thirty-nine bespoke, designed & manufactured components, including independent control of each car seat and oculight roof.  In addition, every Iceni can be built to specific customer spec, ensuring a truly unique driving experience.

Daniel Monaghan, co-founder of Trident said, “We have worked extremely hard to reach this point & the whole Trident team is thrilled to be bringing the world’s most fuel-efficient diesel sports cars to market.”

The three Iceni sports cars are available to buy globally with prices starting from £96,000. With limited availability and a pre-launch waiting list, the three models are already in high demand across the globe.

Vauxhall celebrates being number one brand in Scotland in 2013.

• Vauxhall is Scotland’s number one car maker for sixth year running
• Over 27,000 Vauxhalls sold in Scotland in 2013
• Corsa is Scotland’s best-selling car for sixth consecutive year

Hitting rivals for six, Vauxhall was the biggest-selling manufacturer in Scotland last year, for the sixth year running, with 27,739 cars sold.

It was also the joy of six for the Corsa supermini, Scotland’s top-selling car for the sixth consecutive year. The ever-popular Astra was Scotland’s number five with 6,545 vehicles sold. Innovative programmes such as Vauxhall Flexible Finance and Lifetime Warranty helped drive sales.

“We are delighted to again be Scotland’s biggest-selling car manufacturer with the region’s best-selling car, the Corsa, for the sixth year running,” said Gordon Hannen, Vauxhall’s Regional Operations Manager for Scotland.

“It’s the perfect way to round off Vauxhall’s 110th year of building and selling vehicles in the UK.  The Corsa also celebrated its 20th Birthday last year and after two decades as a top-seller it shows no sign of going out of fashion with Scottish buyers.

“Vauxhall’s excellent performance in Scotland is a huge part of our overall UK success story with sales and market share both up last year.

“It’s exciting times for Vauxhall with three new models launched in 2013 and more to follow this year.

“We’re also in the middle of a raft of new engine launches, which will continue for the next two years, making our products more refined, efficient and desirable for customers. One way or another, it’s clear that Vauxhall will be a force to be reckoned with in 2014.”