The Ignis from Suzuki was a runner up in this years ceremony, just being pipped to the post.

• Urban Category Runner-Up – 2017 World Car of The Year

Suzuki is very pleased to announce that the IGNIS is a Runner-Up in the Urban Car category of the 2017 World Car of The Year. The compact crossover was voted highly by the judges at a ceremony at the New York International Motor Show on April 12^th.

To qualify for the initial judging process, vehicles had to be less than four metres long, suitable in design for everyday use in an urban environment and also on sale across two Continents by the deadline of Spring 2017. 

At just 3.70 metres in length, the IGNIS Mini Crossover easily qualified, it was shortlisted in January and became a finalist with two other new cars in March.

World Car of The Year Juror, Director and Vice-Chair Mike Rutherford comments: "Suzuki has seen off many rival manufacturers from all corners of the globe to become a 2017 World Car finalist. 

As our 70-plus jurors have decided, Suzuki builds some of the finest small cars on the market - thus the IGNIS and Baleno being voted into our Top Five in the world, with IGNIS going on to be a Top three finalist, only narrowly missing out on being crowned World Urban Car winner. This astonishing success is all the more remarkable in view of its extremely low price tag. Here’s a great little crossover vehicle proving the point that a world class car can be very affordable”

The IGNIS was first launched in the Japanese domestic market, unveiled for Europe at the Paris Motor Show last Autumn and went on sale in January 2017. In addition to its stylish exterior design it features excellent visibility, compact dimensions and a spacious cabin with ample luggage space. It continues to be very popular with customers in the UK with sales of more than 3,200 since January.

Available from £10,249, IGNIS is powered by a 90PS 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine and can be specified with ALLGRIP four wheel drive. It also offers optional SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology on the SZ5 model that lowers CO₂ emissions to 97g/km.

IGNIS qualifies for Suzuki’s latest campaign whereby new models registered until the end of June 2017 will receive the equivalent discount of three years Vehicle Excise Duty of £420 off the price of the car at point of sale. There are also numerous low rate PCP finance options available including a £162 per month offer for the SZ3 model with just £162 initial deposit required. This is a 49 month agreement with an optional final payment of £3,982 to keep the car.

USA - Volvo and its new S90 Luxury Sedan are in line for a pair of wins in two Car of the Year awards.

The all-new Volvo S90 luxury sedan is a finalist for 2017 North American Car of the Year and a runner up for 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year.

Volvo Cars is now poised to win a North American ‘of the Year’ award for the second year in a row, having taken top honors for 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year with the XC90 SUV.

In addition, the Volvo S90 was the top luxury car in the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year competition, making it to the final round of judging ahead of all other luxury brands.

Both the S90 and XC90 share the same Scalable Product Architecture platform, Drive-E powertrain, and Intellisafe safety features. The S90 is also the first car to come with semi-autonomous driving technology as standard in Pilot Assist.

“We are extremely proud to see the S90 get such recognition,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Americas and President and CEO, Volvo Car USA. “Our global team of designers and engineers has delivered a car that is really turning heads.”

MG celebrates at the end of season dinner, it's manufacturer win in the 2014 BTCC.

TMW THOUGHTS - In a year that MG won the manufacturer title, Jason Plato became the runner up in the title race, with Sam Tordoff, not that far behind, MG has chosen to ignore the fact it has been so successful in the BTCC, there has been NO TV spots, little to no advertising, no mention of whether they will be back next year or not, as we suspect.

MG seems to not really want to sell cars, and that we cant understand, they are a reasonably new manufacturer in the UK, so surely they should be advertising on TV constantly, to boost sales, take the loss now, to build sales, it seems that people like me, and others have a better idea of what needs to be done, or maybe that's the point, perhaps they don't want to sell that many cars here, which then begs the question why bother at all with the BTCC.

With the mew MG3, they also launched a sporty version for a one make race series, so perhaps that's the way forward, maybe they will push that, as a supplier of cars and parts, rather than spend money on an all out BTCC campaign, I am sure we will find out soon, if they can be bothered that is.

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• MG celebrates winning first manufacturer title in Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
• Trophies formally awarded to champions at prestigious TOCA Night of Champions
• British brand ends Honda’s four year reign as champions
• MG driver Jason Plato runner-up in drivers championship
• MG also celebrating fastest growing manufacturer and 90^th anniversary in 2014

MG celebrated winning its first manufacturer title in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the TOCA Night of Champions, on Saturday 22 November.

The champions of the 2014 BTCC series and supporting races were formally crowned and awarded their trophies at the prestigious Crown Plaza Heythrop Park Hotel in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

MG collected the BTCC manufacturer’s trophy and the MSA award for the winning manufacturer whilst MG driver Jason Plato collected the runner-up driver’s award in one of the most fiercely contested driver’s championships in decades.

The victory was an incredible result for MG, ending the four year dominance of Honda in the Championship after only forming the team in early 2012. With a capacity grid, increasing number of manufacturers, models and top level drivers combined with rising attendance and media coverage, the 2014 season was referred to as the start of a golden era for British touring cars.  

After collecting the trophies on behalf of MG, Sales and Marketing Director Guy Jones said, “Winning the manufacturer title could not have come at a better time as part of the plan to re-establish the MG brand in the UK and global markets.  

MG has returned to its rightful position at the top of British motorsport in the year that sees MG as the fastest growing brand in the UK and when MG celebrates its 90^th anniversary.  I want to thank everyone again who worked so hard to make this a success both on and off the track.  The team here at MG, Ian Harrison and the team at Triple Eight, the drivers Jason Plato, Sam Tordoff and Tesco, Castrol and all our other sponsor partners.” 

“The BTCC programme has raised awareness of the brand with high-profile TV, online and press coverage that is not only followed in the UK but also across the world. The MG6 GT race car was designed to closely resemble the road car and combined with a very successful mobile showroom next to the track, we maximised the opportunity for BTCC fans to see and touch the latest MG6 and MG3 products.”

MG literally raced to the grid in 2012 where the MG6 GTs turned their wheels in anger for the first time in the opening race and yet the team was winning races from that initial weekend. The goal was to win the manufacturer’s championship but to do this meant defeating the established and highly successful Honda team, reigning champions for the past four years.  It is therefore a great achievement and credit to all at Triple Eight to achieve this in just three seasons.

MG is currently the fastest growing automotive brand in the UK with sales up 556 percent year to date (SMMT data) due to the outstanding value of the British designed products and the major expansion of the national dealer network.  

The MG3 supermini offers top of the range specifications including DAB audio and Bluetooth, finished off with diamond cut alloy wheels all for under £10,000. With a range of over one million exterior and interior personalisation options and group 4E insurance, it is designed to attract a whole new younger generation to the brand, in addition to appealing to loyal MG fans. 

The MG6 is already a favourite with MG owners for its drivability, affordability and exceptionally high levels of standard equipment and was also voted by owners to be the Best Handling and sixth overall Best Car to Own in the 2014 Auto Express Driver Power Awards. The appeal of the MG6 product range has been further increased with the addition of the new 350Nm, 129g CO₂ performance diesel and new business lease rates starting from just £149 per month plus VAT.

MG is also celebrating the 90^th anniversary of the brand in 2014 with exclusive 90^th Limited edition models of both MG6 and MG3 now available.

Honda celebrates winning twice at the Green Apple awards.

The Honda Civic was awarded two Green Apple accolades at the Green Organisation awards 2014, with the Civic claiming Gold in the smaller family car section and the overall Green Apple champion runner up for 2014.

Now in its fourth year, the annual awards are held at the House of Commons with the winners of the automotive Green Apple awards selected by the 28 members of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers.

Having won the prestigious gold award in the smaller family car section, being described as ‘a superb all-rounder’, the 1.6 diesel Honda Civic won the honourable silver place as the overall champion for 2014 and was praised as a car that continues to surprise drivers with its real world fuel economy, using less fuel than hybrids, while still providing enough performance to keep most drivers happy.

The 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine was the first engine from Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology series to be launched in Europe and is exclusively built at Honda’s manufacturing facility in Swindon.

The engine made its introduction in the Civic and offers a class-leading combination of power (120 PS) and torque (300 Nm @ 2000 rpm) with CO₂ emissions of just 94 g/km, giving an impressive balance between fuel economy and performance.

Rather than develop a specific, eco-focused derivative, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC is an extension of the existing Civic line-up, ensuring the variant doesn’t sacrifice any of the driving dynamics associated with the Honda badge.

Phillip Crossman, Managing Director at Honda UK, said: “Being recognised by both the Midland Group of Motoring Writers and the Green Organisation as a class leader, not just in one category but overall, is a fantastic badge of honour for the Honda Civic and we are delighted to have come away with two awards.”

Renault celebrates double delight at the Green Apple Awards.

• Kangoo Z.E. electric van and Clio both pick up awards
• Green Apple Awards now in their fourth year
• 2014 is third year that Renault has won Green Apple Awards

Renault has won two environmental awards at the 2014 Green Apple Awards at a ceremony held at the Houses of Parliament in London this week. 

The Renault Kangoo Z.E electric van was awarded the Green Apple Automotive Industry Bronze Award whilst the Renault Clio was named Runner Up in the Small Family Cars category.

These two accolades build on Renault’s success in previous Green Apple Awards. Last year, the Renault ZOE electric car took the Overall Winner prize as well as being named Best Small Family Car and in 2012 Renault was applauded with two awards for its commitment to zero emissions motoring.

Commenting on awarding the Kangoo Z.E. van the Automotive Industry Bronze Winner prize, a spokesperson for The Green Organisation said: “The Renault Kangoo Z.E. Van was the market’s first all-electric light commercial vehicle. This purpose-built van has zero tailpipe emissions, is cheap to run and easy to charge. It has instant torque, making it rather quick – but at the same time very quiet and smooth to drive.”

The awards are organised by the Midlands-based The Green Organisation and were judged by members of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers.

Midland Group chairman Ian Donaldson said: "When The Green Organisation asked us for our current green champions we wanted to go further than some other awards and look beyond the official figures and rank our favourites in the real world, taking into account how they performed in our hands."

Explaining the award for the Clio, one Midlands Group of Motoring Writers judge said: “Good looks combine with an extremely frugal and fun to drive diesel engine to put the Clio near the top of anyone’s list.”

The Renault Kangoo Van Z.E. is the world’s first 100%-electric van produced directly by a mass-market vehicle manufacturer. It provides zero tailpipe emissions and silent motoring that is ideal for commercial use within urban environments. The 44kW electric motor and 22kWh lithium-ion battery provide 226Nm of torque, available from rest, which allows for smooth, linear acceleration. 

The official range of 105 miles means that the vast majority of van users’ daily driving can be done on one charge. Kangoo Van Z.E. is available in four versions – Kangoo Van Z.E., Kangoo Van Maxi Z.E. (2 seats), Kangoo Maxi Crew Van Cab, and Kangoo Van Z.E. Maxi Crew Van (5 seats) – and is priced from £12,995 (+ VAT, after Plug in Van Grant) complete with a four-year/100,000-mile warranty and four years’ roadside assistance.

The Clio hatchback, now in its fourth generation, is available with a range of petrol and diesel engines which emit CO₂ emissions of as low as 83g/km and with fuel consumption as low as 88.3 mpg. Prices start from £10,995 and include four years/100,000-miles warranty and four years’ roadside assistance.