The PSA Group 1.2 litre Puretech takes Engine Of The Year for the third year running.

During the 18th International Engine of the Year Awards held in Stuttgart, an international jury of journalists awarded the prize of ‘2017 Engine of the Year’ to the PureTech 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine in the 1L to 1.4L category.

An industrial and commercial success

For the third year in the row, the ‘2017 Engine of the Year’ prize confirms the commercial success of this accomplished petrol engine, which is available in 110 and 130hp (PureTech 110 S&S and PureTech 130 S&S). 

The facts:

• With over 850,000 units already produced in the industrial facilities of the Française de Mécanique manufacturing site in Douvrin (France) and in Xiang Yang (China) since its launch in 2014, this engine will also be manufactured at the Trémery plant (France) at the end of 2017 in order to meet the increase of the demand and double the production capacity for this engine in France. Annual production will exceed 1 million units by 2019.
• The PureTech 1.2-litre engine, in 110 and 130hp versions is fully deployed on over 90 vehicles applications in 70 countries. In 2017, it contributed to the commercial success of PSA group’s new products that included the all-new Peugeot 3008 SUV – European Car of the Year 2017 and the new Citroën C3.
• On the European market, the PureTech 1.2L 3-cylinder modular family represents a third of PSA Group’s total petrol and Diesel engines.

A greater performance and environmentally-friendly power unit

Recognised for its all-round driving performance, even at the lowest rpm, the PureTech 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo continues to evolve and will benefit from significant improvements before the end of 2017, with enhancements in efficiency, performance and fuel consumption (up to 4%):

• introduction of a petrol particulate filter to reduce emissions particles by more than 75% in anticipation of future 2020 regulation standards in Europe and China;
• optimisation of efficiency, due to the combustion cycle evolution and a 250bar fuel injection pressure;
• reduction in mechanical friction and introduction of a new turbocharger;
• making the engine more compact to optimise body aerodynamics (SCx gains).

Commenting on the award, Christian Chapelle, Vice-President, Powertrain and Chassis Engineering, PSA Group, said: "Receiving this award confirms the exceptional quality and performance of our petrol engines. We are continuing to optimise our internal combustion engines to make them more efficient and ever more environmentally friendly, thereby better addressing the challenges of energy transition."

Business Van Awards - Volkswagen takes a triple win at this years awards.

• Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles scoops three awards at 2017 Business Van Awards
• Transporter named overall Business Van of the Year for 2017
• Transporter awarded ‘Best Large Trades Van’
• Kombi wins ‘Best Crew Van’ third year in a row

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has scored its second hat-trick in two days, having claimed a further three trophies at the 2017 Business Van Awards earlier today. The Transporter was named ‘Best Large Trades Van’, the Transporter Kombi took the honours for ‘Best Crew Van’ for the third year running, and the Transporter was named overall Business Van of the Year.

The Transporter is renowned for its reliability, excellent build quality and efficient engines, all of which were factors in the judges’ decisions. The Business Van judges were also impressed with its size and notable load capacity, making it the ideal vehicle to claim the accolades.  

Equally as impressive was the Transporter Kombi, awarded ‘Best Crew Van’ for the third year in a row. Business Van judges noted its fresh design, host of engineering and safety features and all-new infotainment system key.

The sixth generation Transporter is available as a panel van, kombi, shuttle or Caravelle, as well as with chassis cab and dropside variants. It also comes with a comprehensive list of safety equipment, including Driver Alert and Automatic Post Collision Braking Systems.

Ralph Morton, editorial director of Business Vans, said: “The Transporter once again has shown itself to be a consistently formidable vehicle and proved to be the ideal choice for tradesmen to use across the country to progress their businesses.”

He continued: “The Transporter Kombi also remains an essential vehicle for small business and trade needs. Doubling as a dual-use vehicle, it is utilised as a working van during the day, but can accommodate the family at the weekend due to its extra seating practicality with sliding rear windows, leaving owners in the comfortable position of not needing an additional vehicle.

“The Transporter won our first Business Van of the Year Award in 2014, and the new sixth-generation version continues in the same vein. For those in the trades and small businesses, the Transporter really is an iconic van.”

Head of fleet at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Chris Black, collected the awards for the brand and said: “This is a fantastic result which builds on what has been another fantastic year for the Transporter. Backed up by our Working With You promise and fleet aftersales support, we’re really proud of the van and all it has to offer.”

USA - Strategic Vision has named four FCA US LLC vehicles to its “Most Loved Vehicles in America”

• Dodge Charger and Durango "most loved" in their respective segments for third consecutive year
• Dodge Challenger captures Specialty Coupe segment
• Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited wins Entry SUV segment in 2016 "Most Loved Vehicles in America" survey by Strategic Vision

Strategic Vision has named four FCA US LLC vehicles to its “Most Loved Vehicles in America” list:

• Dodge Challenger (Specialty coupe)
• Dodge Charger (Full-size car) – third consecutive year
• Dodge Durango (Mid-size SUV) – third consecutive year
• Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (Entry SUV)

“Challenger, Charger, Durango and Wrangler Unlimited are four vehicles that symbolize what drives customer love,” said Christopher Chaney, senior vice president – Strategic Vision. “As segment leaders, they are creating the strongest emotional experiences and giving owners the individuality and pride of top-performing new vehicles.”

Strategic Vision’s research shows that true advocacy and brand loyalty begin not when buyers are simply “satisfied,” but when they truly love their experience. With this in mind, Strategic Vision has created the Customer Love Index (CLI). This metric continues the company’s rich tradition of cutting-edge research, and reveals in their most recent automotive research which vehicles are doing the best at creating love, and shows why they can be more successful than their competition.

Based on Strategic Vision's quantitative New Vehicle Experience Study (NVES) of more than 44,000 owners, the CLI results represent the Most Loved Vehicles in their segments as rated by new vehicle buyers

AUTO EXPRESS AWARDS - MINI takes two titles this year, the convertible award and Best premium Small Car title.

• MINI Hatch is ‘Best Premium Small Car’ for third consecutive year
• Newly introduced MINI Convertible is ‘Best Convertible’ 2016
• MINI Hatch and MINI Convertible provide “benchmark in terms of style, quality, desirability and driving thrills, while being great value for money” – Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief at Auto Express

Auto Express magazine has awarded MINI two sought-after honours at the publication’s annual New Car Awards. MINI Hatch was awarded ‘Best Premium Small Car’ for the third consecutive year, retaining its position at the front of the competitive pack. Also enjoying its moment in the spotlight, the new MINI Convertible was awarded with the publication’s ‘Best Convertible’ title.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief, Auto Express said: “MINI Hatch remains our favourite premium small car two years after it claimed our overall Car of the Year trophy. 

It provides the benchmark in terms of style, quality, desirability and driving thrills, while being great value for money. And now it's been joined by the MINI Convertible as a winner, too, a car that shares all of the MINI's winning attributes with an added dose of fun.”

Starting at £14,075, the MINI 3-door Hatch is packed with style and technology and has been a runaway success since its introduction in 2014 – the same year that Auto Express named MINI Hatch ‘Car of the Year’. MINI 5-door Hatch, introduced later in 2014, offers the same great style and driving dynamics at its 3-door sibling, but with an extra dose of everyday usability – a 72mm longer wheelbase creates more cabin space and a larger boot.

Introduced in March 2016, the new MINI Convertible is more dynamic, stylish, practical and refined than ever before. Priced from £18,475, it features a fully electric roof that’s quieter and more refined, boot volume has been increased by 25 per cent and there is now more space for rear seat passengers. Exceptionally high levels of standard equipment differentiate MINI Convertible from its competitors - MINI Visual Boost Radio, MINI Connected, Bluetooth, Rear Parking Distance Control and Rear Reversing Camera are standard across the range.

With 29,415 examples of the previous MINI Convertible models sold from 2011-2015, it is the best-selling convertible vehicle in the UK

AUTO EXPRESS AWARDS - The Citreon Picasso takes teh best MPV Title for the third year on the bounce.

For the third consecutive year, the Citroën Grand C4 Picasso has been crowned ‘Best MPV’ at the Auto Express New Car Awards. The prestigious honour adds to an extensive list of awards received by the 7-seat Grand C4 Picasso since its launch in January 2014. The Citroën C4 Cactus was also commended in the ‘Crossover’ category.

Auto Express’ judging panel of automotive experts has once again selected the highly-acclaimed Grand C4 Picasso as their ‘Best MPV’ in the Auto Express New Car Awards 2016. Continuing to impress as a class-leading family car, the Grand C4 Picasso has claimed the category title for the third consecutive year.

The ultra-stylish Citroën C4 Cactus was also commended in the ‘Crossover’ category.

Steve Fowler, Editor-in-chief at Auto Express said; “Another win for the Grand C4 Picasso proves it's the perfect people mover. No rival manages to combine the ease of use, style and technology, as well making the Grand C4 Picasso a compelling alternative to the growing number of SUVs around.”

Bek Hassan, Citroën UK’s Managing Director, said; “We’re delighted that Grand C4 Picasso has once again been honoured in the Auto Express New Car Awards. Winning the best MPV title for three years in a row is a tremendous achievement and testimony to the creative talent we have working for the brand in our design and engineering teams. We hope to continue our best-in-class success with the launch of New Grand C4 Picasso later this summer.”

The Citroën Grand C4 Picasso offers families a best-in-class combination of style, comfort and advanced technology, along with a supremely spacious and versatile interior.

The Citroën C4 Cactus, commended in the ‘Crossover’ category, showcases its bold personality through distinctive features such as its stylish, yet practical roof bars and the quirky Airbump® panels that protect the car from small everyday dents and scrapes.

HONEST JOHN AWARDS - The Hyundai i10 wins again, the third time it has taken the title.

• Hyundai Motor wins Most Popular City car for the i10 at 2016 Honest John Awards for third year running
•  i10 praised by users of honestjohn.co.uk for its handling, refinement and its five-year warranty

Hyundai Motor UK has added a new award to its trophy cabinet after last night’s Honest John Awards. The brand’s second best-selling vehicle, the i10 was crowned ‘Most Popular City Car’ for the third year running by HonestJohn.co.uk users.

On the i10’s success, Dan Harrison, Editor, HonestJohn.co.uk, commented:

“The Hyundai i10 has won our Most Popular City Car award for the third year running, cementing itself as a consistently popular choice with our users. And it's easy to see why. The i10 is the perfect small car with great handling and impressive refinement - plus of course it comes with Hyundai's five-year warranty. There is plenty of competition among city cars, but honestjohn.co.uk users have once again shown that the well-built Hyundai 10 is their number one choice".

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, commented on the company’s latest accolades: “We are delighted that the i10 has scored a hat trick of awards from honestjohn.co.uk. The i10 is a car that continues to prove a hit in the market and receiving this award for the third year running from the users of honestjohn.co.uk means that our customers really value the stylish and refined package that i10 offers in this highly competitive segment.”

Now in its sixth consecutive year, the Honest John Awards don’t follow the traditional awards format, instead the winners are chosen by the best experts of all: the website users. The awards recognise and reward the cars that HonestJohn.co.uk users search for most on the site. The reviews which create the most interest among HonestJohn.co.uk users are the winners.

UK SALES 2015 - Dacia see's it's third year of growth in the UK, "You Do The Maths" is definitely working.

• Dacia car sales up 10 per cent in 2015 to 26,228 vehicles
• 96 per cent of Dacias sold in 2015 were to private buyers
• Dacia market share of one per cent in 2015
• Renault Group UK records 127,343 vehicle sales in 2015 – up 17.4 per cent

Three years after launching in the UK, Dacia’s sales are going from strength-to-strength thanks to the brand’s no-nonsense approach to motoring. 

According to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders today, Dacia recorded sales of 26,228 vehicles in 2015 – up 9.9 per cent on the previous year, outperforming the UK car market which grew by 6.3 per cent.

Market share for 2015 full-year stood at one per cent. Throughout 2015, 96 per cent of Dacias sold in the UK were to private buyers – giving the ‘shockingly affordable’ brand a retail market share of 1.9 per cent.

Continuing its place in the Top 10 best-selling five-door B-segment cars, 16,403 Dacia Sandero and Sandero Stepway hatchbacks were sold in 2015.

Commenting on the performance, Ken Ramirez, Renault Group UK Managing Director, said: “Dacia arrived in the UK less than three years ago and immediately gained popularity amongst UK car buyers thanks to the brand’s clear value for money and no-nonsense approach. 

This philosophy has attracted 18 per cent more retail buyers than 2014, proving the brand has an enduring appeal in the UK. We look ahead to further growth in 2016 and continuing the delivery of our GO5+ mid-term plan objectives.”

The Renault Group, which comprises Renault cars, vans and Dacia, significantly outpaced the UK vehicle market during 2015, with sales totalling 127,343 vehicles for a market share of 4.2 per cent – up 17.4 per cent from the year before and outpacing a total market growth of 7.4 per cent, making Renault Group the fastest growing volume franchise in the UK, outperforming the overall market for the third consecutive year. 

	Volume			Market share
	2014	2015	change	2014	2015	change
Renault cars	66,334	75,618	+14%	2.7%	2.9%	0.2
Renault LCV	18,244	25,458	+39.5%	5.5%	6.7%	1.2
Dacia	23,862	26,228	+9.9%	0.96%	1%	0.0
Total Renault Group	108,440	127,343	+17.4%	3.9%	4.2%	0.3