New special edition added to SEAT range, offers better design and tech.

• I-TECH launches across Mii, Ibiza, Toledo, Altea and Alhambra ranges, bringing together design and technology in one special edition
• Alloy wheels with titanium finish, I-TECH badging and detailing inside and out for every model
• New versions offer customer savings of up to £480 (depending on model)
• Mii by MANGO is flying off the shelf - over 100 sold already - more than twice SEAT UK’s own pre-launch sales forecast

Marrying its hallmarks of design and technology, SEAT has launched a new special edition, I-TECH, across most of its UK line-up. Offering customer savings of up to £480 compared to buying each of the equipment items separately, the new versions feature on the Mii, Ibiza, Toledo, Altea and Alhambra ranges.

The first member of the SEAT family to welcome the new addition is Mii. Replacing the former Toca version, I-TECH nestles between SE and Sport, costing £9,995 in 3-door guise, and £10,345 in 5-door. It’s powered by a nippy 1.0-litre 60 PS engine, offering a super-frugal 62.8 miles per gallon.

Well specified, the I-TECH touches come in the form of 14-inch ‘Spirited’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, a smart I-TECH key cover and black upholstery with gloss grey dashboard panel. SEAT Portable System Live is also part of the package, offering sat nav, Bluetooth® phone connection with audio streaming, micro SD card slot and integrated trip computer functions.

The best-selling I-TECH range is likely to be Ibiza, which offers it on each of its three bodystyles, SC, 5-door and ST. Fitting snuggly between Toca and the new ‘30 Years’ special edition, it comes based on SE, with prices starting from £13,790. It joins the sporty FR using the highly regarded 1.2 TSI 105 PS engine, combined with a manual gearbox.

On the street, the latest addition is immediately distinguishable through its 16-inch ‘Cartago’ alloy wheels with titanium finish and B-pillar I-TECH badges.

It also ushers in a smart, contemporary look on the inside, with unique dark blue cloth and simil leather upholstery with embossed I-TECH logo. Buyers also get a set of I-TECH floor mats, key cover and door sill plates.

The compact, yet cavernous Toledo, also welcomes I-TECH to the range. Going straight in as its new flagship, over and above SE, it offers 16-inch ‘Design’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, grey alcantara and black simil leather upholstery, metallic dashboard inlays, plus I-TECH badges on the side and an I-TECH key cover. The new versions cost £17,015 and £18,870, equating to a £500 premium, but a customer saving of almost £200 compared to buying the items separately.

Replacing the former Copa, I-TECH is also available on Altea and Altea XL. Giving it impressive ease-of-use and practicality, it benefits from sliding rear seats, dual-zone climate control, electric front and rear windows, Hill Hold Control, plus front and rear parking sensors.

Ideal for those ferrying kids around, whether it be on short school runs, or more epic journeys, there’s a central roof-mounted TFT screen in the rear. Which, with a bit of luck, should offer the added benefit of providing precious moments of relative tranquillity in the front too. The driver and passenger meanwhile, can entertain themselves with the SEAT Media System 2.2, including satellite navigation, five-inch colour touchscreen, DAB radio, SD card slot and Bluetooth®.

It rides high in the comfort and style stakes too, with 16-inch ‘Elio’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, auto headlights and rain sensing wipers.

Rounding off its appeal to family buyers is its uncompromising safety level, including a total of eight airbags and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Pricing for the Altea I-TECH range starts at £19,345 for the 1.6 TDI Ecomotive, rising to £20,865 for the XL 2.0 TDI 140.

The fifth and final member of the SEAT stable to benefit from I-TECH’s introduction is Alhambra. Slotting in between SE and SE Lux, it offers a comprehensive list of equipment, representing a customer saving of £480, with 17-inch ‘Dynamic’ alloy wheels with titanium finish, sport-style front seats, chrome and black brushed interior and keyless entry & go. Like its compact Altea sibling, it also boasts the SEAT Media System 2.2, including satellite navigation, five-inch colour touchscreen, DAB radio, SD card slot and Bluetooth®.

Powered by the 2.0 TDI 140, Alhambra I-TECH is available with either manual or auto transmission, costing £28,630 or £29,915.

Mii by MANGO – flying off the shelf

Only launched on 1 August, SEAT’s uber-stylish Mii by MANGO looks like being this season’s “must have” city car. Literally flying off the shelves, at more than twice the rate SEAT UK predicted, over 100 have already been sold. In fact, two-thirds were snapped up by style-savvy buyers even before demonstration cars had arrived in dealers.

Created in partnership with the well-renowned Spanish fashion house, the flagship versions are bound to turn heads. Available in a choice of two contemporary shades at no extra cost, Deep Black metallic or Nude custom paint, Mii by MANGO comes accessorised with 15-inch contrasting alloy wheels and door mirrors (Atom grey or silver) and chrome door strips, plus exclusive badging on the B-pillar and rear.

It’s just as appealing on the inside too, with Alcantara upholstery and black simil leather with Nude contrast piping, together with centre console and air vent surrounds picked out in the same eye-catching shade.

Prices for Mii by MANGO start at £10,995, with fashionista types being urged to order one as soon as possible to snap up one of the few remaining 30 MANGO accessory packs. The launch offer of £500 MANGO vouchers for the first 100 customers has already completely sold out.

TMW - Ginetta Juniors, how to ruin a years hard work in 30 seconds.

I was unable to report on the last round of the Ginetta Juniors race series, due to being elsewhere, and how put out I was to miss a great first race, with James Kellett taking a well-deserved win, from being second on the grid, pole position holder and team mate Lando Norris holding onto the pole by the slimmest of margins, a clever overtaking move by James into Jim Clark S's, meant that James whizzed by, and remained in the lead despite a few digs by Mitchel, this victory is proof that James is definitely a driver to watch for the rest of the season. 

The live races on the Sunday, all shown on ITV4, provide the viewer and race goer with all the races, uninterrupted, and in all their glory, it was this race for the Ginetta Juniors that has caused a lot of controversy. As is the case with all the BTCC main, and, support races, there is never enough room, in the paddock, with the BTCC taking the garages, as they should, and the other teams fitting in around.

It was this "fitting around" that has become an issue, and damaged, possibly beyond repair, James Kellett' entire season, let me explain, the cars were on the track, when James realised that there was something very amiss with the car, the team had earlier in the day replaced a steering rack, and this was not secured fully, this in turn, meant that James was left with a car he had little confidence in, and a lack of precise steering.

NOW, these things happen, and it was an accident, and ordinarily it would have been fixed and he could have re-joined the race without much of a loss in time, yet as he came back into the pits, the BTCC cars were still all in the way, this was not acceptable, and the Ginetta Juniors race should NOT have been started whilst the pits were still in this position, safety, and common sense, would have shown that.

The delay in being able to get the car fixed, meant that James was, once released, so far down the board that any chance of getting back up would be an near impossible feat, but he fought hard and even though the steering rack was not fully secured, he finished the race, in last position, and gained three points, but is now third in the Championship.

NOW, someone should be held accountable for this, well, balls up, the pit lane should have been cleared ready for the start of the next race, the support race should not have been started until all the teams were able to safely get access to the cars in the pits, and something should be put in place to ensure that if this happens again, the driver and team should not be penalised for someone else’s errors, I know, that will never happen.

The team were at fault, and they have single handily destroyed James' chances of a title this year, and no amount of apologetic letters from TOCA and the team will help the fact that James, will have one hell of a battle, to get to the top, he will need to win every race, get pole, and fastest lap, to claw his way back into contention again, it is a very tough ask, and one that James, will do his best to achieve, but at his young age, it will be hard to get his head back in the zone, and not harp back to the crazy situation at Croft.

And, what of the sponsors, they surely can’t be happy either, but they can be assured that in James they have a great racer, that’s prepared to push his way to the top, and take them, with him, they need to support James, in times like these, and reap the rewards of more wins in the rest of the 2014 season, which is why James deserves, to have more sponsors, to enable him, and his team, to actively take on the rest of the field, and lead from the top.

if you are a company, or business that would like to provide James, and his team with some support, than please feel free to contact James, HERE, and he will get back to you, James Kellett, is a name that will become a worldwide name in motorsport, so now is the time to get in on the ground floor, and support one of racing’s brightest hopes.

TMW
Jon Mower

BTCC introduces UK first mandatory breath testing on each day of race weekend.

In a UK first the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has introduced mandatory breath-testing, on every day at every BTCC event, to ensure that all competing drivers and senior championship officials are free from the effects of any alcohol in their system.

Whilst BTCC drivers and officials are highly unlikely to risk their safety and those around them by consuming alcohol immediately prior to or during a race weekend, even moderate drinking the night before an event may leave some residual alcohol in a person’s system, impairing both their safety and performance.

As any amount of alcohol in the blood stream can affect a person’s ability to drive and make decisions, a strict ‘zero tolerance’ limit will now be imposed by organisers TOCA to ensure the maximum levels of safety are maintained at all times. Any drivers or officials who fail the zero tolerance test will not be allowed to participate until such time as they pass the test.

Just as importantly, TOCA believes that the testing of drivers and officials will also raise public awareness of the dangers of ‘morning after drink driving’, which is often committed unintentionally after an evening of moderate drinking. In the last ten years the occurrence of ‘morning after drink driving’ road accidents has risen from 13% to 21% of all drink drive accidents. 

Commencing at the next BTCC event at Oulton Park on the 7/8 June, mandatory testing of all drivers and championship officials will be performed using specialised and calibrated AlcoSense breathalysers. This will take place on the Saturday and Sunday mornings of every event.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “As the UK’s premier motor racing series the BTCC should continue to set benchmarks and this is another important step we can take. Whilst random breath-testing does happen on occasion at various motor sport events, the BTCC is the first championship to mandate the zero-tolerance limit and back this up with compulsory testing each day at each event. All our drivers and officials have endorsed this zero-limit initiative as it delivers such an important road-safety message to the public in a high-profile way.

“This was a bit of a personal crusade for me, as I have long thought that the sport does not carry out enough alcohol testing. When I happened to mention this to Hunter Abbott of AlcoSense he immediately agreed to provide TOCA with the specialist equipment and training for us to make it happen – so I appreciate the commitment by AlcoSense to become the BTCC’s Official Alcohol Testing Partner.

“It’s difficult to calculate when alcohol has cleared your system as everyone is different - but in the last ten years the occurrence of ‘morning after drink driving’ road accidents has risen from 13% to 21%. Education is key and by pioneering this mandatory testing we believe the BTCC will raise more awareness of the dangers and help keep its drivers, officials and fans, safe - not only at the circuit but on the road.”

BTCC announces seven champions, new manufacturers, and a 31 car grid for 2014 - It is going to be great.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has today (18 March) confirmed a huge 31-car grid for the forthcoming 2014 season. Announced at its annual Season Launch at Donington Park, all BTCC machines will run to NGTC (Next Generation Touring Car) specifications for the very first time.

Allocation of the newly introduced TOCA BTCC licences (TBLs), required for teams in order to guarantee participation for the next three seasons, has exceeded the original allowance of 30, with TOCA approving 31 entries for the new season. All TBL holders are obliged to contest every round while TOCA has retained one final TBL, which it may loan to a suitable entry at any stage during the year.

As noted above, the entry list is completely made up of NGTC cars, which completes the planned final transition to the new specification machines since the introduction of the regulations in 2011. Not only does this year’s grid boast incredible strength in numbers, but the NGTC rules have also significantly aided the diversity of cars now seen on the entry list. 14 models from 11 different manufacturers will be represented in 2014, with the total number of cars on-track expected to be the largest in the series' 2-litre history.

Adding to the impressive numbers and variety in the 2014 line-up, a quality field has also been further enhanced with seven champions making the grid, and a further five drivers having already won BTCC races.

Stability and longevity among its partners and sponsors also remains a key asset to the BTCC with all of its major ongoing commercial partners cemented for multi-year deals. For example, Dunlop has extended its title sponsorship and tyre supply term and ITV will continue to broadcast live coverage of every event until at least the end of the 2016 season. The Haymarket Consumer Media group has also joined the BTCC’s family of partners after inking a three-year deal to provide extensive and in-depth BTCC content across all of its major publications, with Autocar, WhatCar? and PistonHeads.com at the forefront of the agreement.

This year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will again comprise of 30 races across ten events at nine venues around the UK, with the season commencing at Brands Hatch on 30/31 March and concluding on the legendary Grand Prix circuit at the same venue on 10/11 October.

Magnificent Seven

The BTCC field will include an unprecedented seven champions in its ranks, headed by reigning supremo Andrew Jordan who took his maiden title during an unforgettable 2013 season. Jordan fended off four former champions last season and the 24-year-old will defend his title in the Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.

2012 champ Gordon Shedden fell short of retaining the crown by just seven points last season. The Scotsman and his three-time champion team-mate Matt Neal both remain with Honda Yuasa Racing in 2014, but the duo will be piloting the all-new Civic Tourer model.

Jason Plato has won more BTCC races than any other driver in history and despite the MG driver coming close in 2013, he has just one goal for the year ahead: to win a hat-trick of championships.

Colin Turkington returned to the BTCC in 2013 after a three-year hiatus and produced a stunning effort. The Ulsterman remained in title contention until the final day of the campaign, despite his BMW 125i M Sport only breaking cover on the eve of the season. His eBay Motors squad has a year with the car under its belt and a strong pre-season behind them, so Turkington is confident of contending again.

The two biggest announcements in the off-season proved to be the return of two double-champions in Alain Menu and Fabrizio Giovanardi. Menu, a legend of the much loved Super Touring-era will be driving a VW Passat for Team BMR this time around, whilst Giovanardi will be spearheading the challenge from Airwaves Racing.

Variety is the spice of life

The NGTC rules were first introduced in 2011 with the intention to provide greater competition at a reduced cost. The plan was to phase in the new specification cars into the series over a three-year period and that programme is now complete with all cars running to NGTC spec.

The BTCC has one of the most varied grids of any major motor sport championship in the world, with some 14 models from 11 different marques making up the class of 2014.

Official manufacturer entries from Honda Yuasa Racing andMG KX Clubcard Fuel Save are joined by a host of other independent teams entering cars from Audi (AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing, Exocet Racing, Rotek Racing), BMW (eBay Motors), Chevrolet (Laser Tools Racing, Power Maxed Racing), Ford (Airwaves Racing, AmD Tuning.com, Crabbie’s Racing), Honda (Pirtek Racing), Mercedes (WIX Racing), MG (Quantel BiFold Racing), Proton (STP Racing with Sopp + Sopp), Toyota (Handy Motorsport, Houseman Racing, United Autosports, Speedworks), Vauxhall (RCIB Insurance Racing) and Volkswagen (Chrome Edition Restart Racing).

Dunlop extensions and enhancements

The Goodyear Dunlop group has provided title sponsorship and official tyre supplier to the BTCC for a decade, and has further extended its partnership in both areas during the off-season.

The new multi-year deal continues Dunlop’s association with the series since its inception in 1958.

Such a strong partnership does not mean a simple continuation of service, however, as Dunlop continue to develop tyre technology in the BTCC. This year will see the introduction of an all-new compound across all of its Sport Maxx range, which is based on a new construction to offer improved driver feedback and confidence.

As per 2013, every driver will have to nominate one of the three races on each weekend (except Thruxton) in which to run the soft compound instead of the medium construction.

In a new development Dunlop will now reveal each driver’s tyre choice via its social media feeds at 10am on race days, whereas previously spectators and competitors would not find out until the cars had reached the grid. In a joint decision with TOCA, it’s believed that this introduction will provide fans with yet more talking points ahead of the action.

Lights, Camera, Action

ITV will continue to screen around seven hours of live free-to-air coverage from each event on both its ITV4 and ITV4 HD channels as well as the itv.com website. Adding to the coverage are 60-minute edited race highlights repeated three times after each event on ITV and ITV4 as well as their respective HD channels and ‘simulcast’ on itv.com. In total more than 230 hours of the BTCC will be broadcast across the ITV network each season until at least 2017.

Commentators David Addison and Tim Harvey have signed new three-year deals with the broadcaster, as have presenters Steve Rider and Louise Goodman.

The BTCC will also enjoy greater coverage in major print and online publications thanks to its new media partnership with Haymarket.

Autocar, What Car? and PistonHeads logos will feature on the BTCC cars throughout the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, as well as on official interview and podium backdrops, as the group provides extensive coverage of Britain’s premier motor sport series.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “Our huge entry list is a clear demonstration of the success of the championship and the NGTC regulations. 31 cars on the grid is a modern-day BTCC record and the quality of the field, including seven champions, is also at a real high. That calibre of driver wouldn’t be here if they didn’t see that the championship is in rude health, but we also have to remember that many of those have the BTCC to thank for making them household names in the first place.

“The long-term value of the NGTC cars, as well as our new TBL system, is also proven. Adam Morgan’s Mercedes for example is made up mainly of internal parts that came from his car last season, whilst Lea Wood will now be using the Toyota shell previously raced by Morgan. This car and its parts originated from one of the first NGTC machines used in 2011, which is testament to the way the rules have allowed some teams to join the championship that wouldn’t have been able to previously. Such has been the success in fact that from this point onwards the term NGTC will no longer be a factor in the BTCC, because the next generation of touring cars are here now.

“Our major partnerships have either been renewed or consolidated over the off-season too. Dunlop has recommitted for a further multi-year term and ITV has re-signed its BTCC commentary and presenter team until at least 2017. The TV audiences and trackside audiences continue to grow, which is yet more evidence why the BTCC is Britain’s biggest and most successful series.

“I have no doubt that 2014 will prove to be one of the most exciting and competitive season’s in the illustrious history of the BTCC.”

SEAT has some great Q4 consumer offers and Motability terms.

• Mii Toca only £79 per month, while Ibiza SC Toca stays under £10,000
• New Leon from as little as £165 per month, with huge specification
• Free Leon Technology Pack offer extended for a further three months
• £2,500 off the price of every new Toledo, meaning the range starts at £10,000
• 46 SEAT models available with zero advance payment for Motability customers

With SEAT UK posting its best monthly sales ever in September, the company is looking to keep the momentum going with a round of fantastic Q4 offers that truly put the customer first.

Starting with the Mii, it remains possible to get into a brand new SEAT city car for less than the price of a fancy gym membership: just £79 per month for a Mii Toca on a PCP, which comes with satellite navigation and rear parking sensors. The small print is below, but there are no surprises.

Next up is the Ibiza SC, which is available in Toca specification for just £9,995. So for less than ten grand, a customer can drive away with a stunning supermini including satellite navigation, Bluetooth, 16-inch alloy wheels and dark tinted windows. That’s a £2,700 saving on the RRP. Across the rest of the range, all Ibiza FR models have £2,000 off, as does the very rapid, range-topping Ibiza Cupra – now just £16,765.

Moving up the SEAT range, all Toledo models have £2,500 off the retail price, meaning the Toledo begins at just £10,000. Meanwhile, the free Technology Pack offer for the Leon continues, meaning all SE and FR cars can have satellite navigation, DAB digital radio and full-LED headlights for nothing, as opposed to the pack’s £1,075 retail price.

SEAT is also offering a £1,000 deposit contribution across the Leon range when purchased on a PCP, and 4.9% APR – which means the monthly payment on a new Leon SC SE 1.2 TSI, including Technology Pack, is just £165.

For the Altea and Altea XL ranges there’s a £2,500 deposit contribution across the range, with a PCP, and every model is available with five years 0% on hire purchase, with a 35% deposit. And it’s exactly the same story with the multi-award winning Alhambra line-up.

Motability drivers will be able to enjoy a SEAT Leon with no advance payment on certain models, while there’s also no advance payment on certain Mii, Ibiza and Toledo variants; in total, SEAT is offering 46 vehicles with £0 advance payment, including the very highly equipped and fuel-efficient Leon 1.6 TDI SE.

SEAT is looking to achieve a record-breaking year in 2013, and started in the best possible way. Having put the all-new Leon on sale in March, the company posted its best ever half-year sales at the end of June, with 22,752 cars registered. Following that, the third quarter of the year was the company’s best ever, with 12,716 cars registered, and September was its best ever single month.

The (not so) small print…

The Mii Toca offer is a 36-month PCP with 4.9% APR, and requires a £2,719 deposit, while the £165 per month Leon offer requires a £4,771 customer deposit, £1,000 of which is paid by SEAT.

two new special editions give more kit along with reduced pricing

• New Mii and Ibiza Toca editions get cutting edge SEAT Portable System and other desirable equipment
• Mii Toca adds rear parking sensors; Ibiza Toca adds 16-inch alloy wheels
• Available now, Toca models are based on the already generously specified Mii 1.0 60 PS SE and Ibiza 1.4 85 PS SE 
• Buy before April for amazing discounts; Ibiza SC Toca just £9,995
• Ibiza Toca models reduced by a stunning £2,705; Mii Toca reduced by £850

To prove that SEAT really is in touch with what its customers want, the company is delighted to announce the market introduction of the Mii and Ibiza Toca editions.

Toca is the Spanish word for ‘touch’, giving a fairly obvious clue as to the particular bonus that buyers get when choosing one of these new models.

Yes, it’s a touch screen. Specifically, Toca models come with the very useful SEAT Portable System, first introduced to the SEAT range with the Mii city car.

The Mii Toca is based on the 1.0 60 PS SE version, and adds the SEAT Portable System and rear parking sensors – both especially useful in the car’s natural environment, the busy city streets.

At full retail price (see table below), the additional outlay for the Mii Toca edition over the SE is a modest £475 – great value when these options individually would require an £805* spend.

In the Ibiza Toca, buyers get a set of 16-inch ‘Stratos’ alloy wheels (up from 15 inches) along with the SEAT Portable System, for a £425 premium over the SE car on which it’s based. 

The Toca editions are available to order now, with first cars expected to hit the road during early February – and customers buying either the Mii or Ibiza Toca before April will enjoy huge discounts.

That’s because until the end of March 2013 the Mii Toca is reduced by £850, putting the three-door model at an attractive £8,995, while the Ibiza Toca editions all receive a £2,705 cut, leaving the three-door (SC) model with an outstanding £9,995 price.

Every Toca edition is loaded with equipment, including air conditioning, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, heated and electrically adjustable door mirrors, electric front windows, electronic stability control (ESC), remote central locking, and front fog lights with cornering function (Ibiza Toca only).

The SEAT Portable System packs a deluge of digital driver aids into a lightweight package not much bigger than a cassette box. It includes satellite navigation, Bluetooth phone connectivity with audio streaming, a MicroSD card slot for music storage, and trip computer functions, all controlled via a fool-proof interface on a five-inch touchscreen.

“The Ibiza Toca is another example of SEAT giving great value to buyers by providing cutting-edge equipment at a very reasonable price,” said Simon Bradley, Product Manager at SEAT UK.

“The SE specification is very popular among current Ibiza owners, which is no surprise given the amount of comfort, safety and convenience equipment it has as standard. But we really want as many as possible to have access to the remarkable SEAT Portable System. By bringing big car technology to the city car and supermini classes, the device really has moved the game forward,” he added.

The SEAT Portable System is, from this month, available as an optional extra on all Ibiza models, superseding the TomTom unit previously available. The system is capable of having additional functionality added by way of software upgrades, and will shortly be updated to include internet search functionality. Existing SEAT Portable System owners will be able to access these additional features.