Mazda 3 Gets High 5

The all new Mazda 3 has achieved a 5 star EuroNCAP safety rating.

Meeting a more stringent evaluation system that awards a single overall vehicle safety rating, the new Mazda 3 achieved maximum scores in four key areas of assessment: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist.

Mazda 3 is the second Mazda model to be awarded the five-star maximum rating under the new Euro NCAP evaluation system. The new Mazda 6 received five stars in February 2009. Mazda 2 and Mazda 5 received a maximum ranking of five stars for Adult Occupant Protection from Euro NCAP in December 2007 and 2005 respectively.

The new Mazda 3 inherits and evolves these characteristics and, with this recognition from Euro NCAP, is among the safest cars in the important European compact segment.

Hyundai Announce 2010 i30

Hyundai released details of its new 2010 Hyundai i30 hatchback today.

Due to be launched on the 4th January 2010, Hyundai will streamline the range offering a new entry level price point, better equipment levels and consistent price walks between trim levels.

The repositioning includes the introduction of a Classic trim as well as deletion of the Style and adjustments to the specification of the Comfort and Premium trims. The new i30 Classic will be the entry model to the range, and will be available with the existing 1.4 petrol engine and a new 1.6 CRDi 90PS diesel engine.

The Classic 1.4 petrol will be available from £12,000 OTR, positioning it at a lower price point than the 2009 MY Comfort whilst retaining a competitive level of standard specification such as ESP, air conditioning and electric front windows.

The i30 Classic 1.6 CRDi 90PS will be available from £12,950 OTR, reducing the price entry point of the diesel range by £1,140.

In between the Comfort and Premium will sit the 2010 special edition, designed to broaden i30's appeal, generate showroom interest and act as a bridge between the volume and top specification levels.

Cost of ownership

The i30 continues to offer unrivalled value for the retail customer, delivering competitive pricing combined with very low total ownership costs, competitive fuel economy and CO2 emissions plus the benefit of a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty.

For the company car driver, the 2010 model year range is an equally attractive proposition, with low P11D values and competitive CO2 emissions. The Comfort 1.6 CRDi 115PS will cost the 40% tax payer £723 per year, £466 less than a similarly specified Citroen C4.

Introduction of Intelligent Stop & Go technology

Available from the 2010 model year, Intelligent Stop & Go technology (ISG) will be introduced as a special order option on all models with manual transmission. This technology will reduce CO2 emissions and lower VED taxation for selected models. Highlights include:

• CO2 emissions of the new Classic 1.6 CRDi 90PS reduce from 115 to 110 g/km, allowing businesses a 100% year one capital write-down allowance
• CO2 emissions of the Comfort 1.6 CRDi 115PS Estate reduce from 124 to 119 g/km, saving the customer £85 per year in road tax
• Improvements in fuel economy of up to 10% on the Hatchback and 14% on the Estate

The new Hyundai i30 range goes on sale on 4th January 2010.

Hyundai i10 Supply Chain Improving

Scrappage has had a massive impact on Hyundai sales this year. In fact it's given the Korean car maker such a boost that it would have taken years and millions more pounds in advertising to have achieved the sort of market share that it has gained from the Government backed scheme.

Hyundai have sold almost two years of production in a matter of months and the sheer magnitude of this success has had a knock on effect. In fact it's a credit to the logistical mastery of the Korean's that they've been able to even manage it.

At the beginning of the year Hyundai provided a sales commitment to the factories which totalled 32,500 vehicles, by the end of the year that figure will reach in excess of 55,000 vehicles.

The best selling model in particular is the Hyundai i10 where Hyundai set a target of 8,000 cars but sold in excess of 25,000. That's almost three years of production in a few months.

With 13,000 back orders it's only natural that customers & dealers are getting frustrated. Some customers are calling the dealerships to complain, some are even calling Hyundai directly.

However the situation is improving with commitment from the factory to secure additional allocation of i10 and i20 derivatives for December production. This means that Hyundai will be able to supply these vehicles for January delivery.

So if your a customer who's still waiting to pick up your new Hyundai, just hang on a little longer, it'll all be worth the wait in the end.

Kia's New GDi Engine

88 million pounds and 46 mths later enter the new GDi engine from Kia.

Putting the Kia & Hyundai brands at the cutting edge of engine design and management the GDi needed to achieve three seemly incompatible goals: lower emissions while raising power output and improving fuel economy.

Based on the new Theta II family of units, the first engine to go to market is the 2.4 litre four cylinder unit with a compression ratio of 11.3:1, delivering 201ps at 6300rpm and 25.5kg.m of torque at 4250rpm in its initial Korean domestic market specification.

It's likely that the new 2010 Sorento & Santa Fe from Hyundai will get these engines when full production gets underway by the end of 2010.

GDI explained

One serious limitation of conventional fuel injection systems is that as engine revolutions increase, the valve opening and closing times get progressively shorter, thus reducing the time available to inject fuel. GDI avoids this problem altogether by positioning the fuel injector in the most optimal location, directly inside the combustion chamber to offer unparalleled precision. With this shorter and more direct path, far greater control is attained over the combustion process: A high pressure fuel pump injects the fuel at pressures of up to 150 bar, in precise amounts and intervals.

The injection is split into two phases to achieve optimum combustion: in the first phase, the pilot injection and ignition trigger the piston's downward power stroke. Then, in the main injection phase, during the piston's descent, more fuel is injected and is ignited.

This split-injection technique reduces loading on the catalytic converter and helps lower emissions. This is particularly beneficial during cold starts when emissions are highest because the catalyst has not reached its optimal operating temperature. Split-injection enables the catalytic converter to reach the optimal operating temperature faster thus reducing emissions by 25 percent during cold starts and meet’s California Air Resources Board’s ULEV-2 and PZEV standards.

Mazda's i-Stop Is A Show Stopper

Idling stop technology has been around for sometime albeit in more expensive cars. Now it's finding its way into more afordable transport thanks to friends of the earth and people obsessed with lowering emissions.

Mazda introduced their all new Mazda 3 with i-stop technology this year, as part of its future green technology strategy, and now its won an award.

The 2009 Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference of Japan (RJC) presented Mazda with the Technology of the Year award for developing a system which restarts in just 0.35 seconds, that's twice as fast as other competing systems.

The new Mazda 3 with i-stop offers approximately 15 percent improved fuel economy compared to the previous model when tested under Japan’s 10-15 mode test cycle. Mazda 3 models with i-stop also qualify for Japan's eco-car incentive program as well as tax reductions of 75 percent under the government’s eco-car tax reduction program. Almost half of the total Mazda3 sales volume in Japan to date has been i-stop models.

The Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan, a non-profit organization (NPO), was established in 1990. It aims to contribute to the development of the automotive industry through various activities, including the recognition of outstanding vehicles and technologies by the Car of the Year selection committee.

Automotive technologies eligible for the 2009 RJC Technology of the Year competition must be introduced to the market in vehicles sold between November 1, 2008, and October 31, 2009. This is the third time that Mazda has won the RJC Technology of the Year award. Previously, Mazda won for its Miller-cycle engine (used in the Eunos 800) in 1993 and for the RENESIS Rotary engine (for the RX-8) in 2003.

Couple Name Baby Kia

When an expectant mother started going into labour at 2am in the morning, a quick call to her mother had them racing up the motorway en-route to hospital in her Kia Carens.

With a nervous dad onboard things had progressed somewhat and at 04:30am Samantha gave birth to a healthy baby girl weighing in at 6lbs 7ozs in the back of the Carens.

When Kia UK found out they presented the couple with a brand new shiny top of the range Carens. Nice gesture i have to say.

But that's not all. They also threw in two sets of waterproof seat covers and two car-car bags to keep their new Carens, and Grannie’s, nice and shiny.

And the new baby's name? Kia of course!!

New Peugeot Dealers Add 107 Accessories

SG Petch, the new name for Peugeot in Darlington, County Durham, have begun adding a range of genuine Peugeot Accessories to their online store.

The family run company has now expanded its portfolio to 12 manufacturers with Nissan coming earlier in 2010. Peugeot have always had strong representation in Darlington but after Williamson's Motors relinquished the franchise the french manufacturer hasn't had any real presense other than a brief spell with the Evans Halshaw group.

John Sedgwick, General Manager at SG Petch Darlington said: "Although it's still early days we've been inundated with customers enquiring about the Peugeot range and aftersales facilities. Work on the new showroom will begin soon giving us more of a visual presence from passing traffic. And adding the Peugeot accessories range to our online store now, will help new and existing Peugeot customers find what they want after normal working hours."

The company are still in the process of adding the full accessory and parts range but new visitors to the site can take advantage of a 10% discount on Peugeot 107 Accessories.

Its Scot To Be The Mazda 3

While the car industry is trying to tempt motorists south of the border with weird, wacky and wonderful designs, the frugal Scots know that if your going to reach into your sporan and part with your cash, it needs to be a safe bet.

That safe bet comes in the form of the Mazda 3. A car that for the past 5 years has scooped the ‘Best Family Car’ category at The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers (ASMW) Scottish Car of the Year Awards 2009, held in the golfing playground of St Andrews on Friday 13th November.

Now in its 12th year, the Scottish Car of the Year is judged by members of the AMSW, comparing in the region of 60 different models launched between September 2008 and September 2009 across eight categories.

The all-new Mazda 3 impressed judges with its quality, style and driving experience tipping it ahead of its rivals including the Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Yeti in the family car category.

But it's not only the judges that have been impressed. Owners of the previous Mazda 3 have flocked into the showrooms to trade in their old models proving that Mazda commands brand loyalty. In fact 16 European countries exceeded their sales projections in September, resulting in a European retail volume that was 8 per cent above objective which was primarily down to the success of the all new Mazda 3 range.

All-new Mazda 3 is offered with a choice of four petrol and three diesel powertrains, all fine‑tuned to use less fuel. The 20-strong model line-up (16 hatchback and four saloon cars) is available in a choice of nine body colours and five equipment levels; S, TS, TS2, Sport and Sports Luxury. Each highly specified and includes Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and an Emergency Stop Signalling (ESS) System as standard on all models.

Mazda6 Tamura Reintroduced

Mazda reintroduced its special edition Mazda6 Tamura with a host of additional goodies at no extra cost.

Taking a leaf out of the top of the range sport model, the 6 Tamura offers big 18" alloy wheels fitted with low-profile tyres, alloy pedals, privacy glass and clear rear light bezels for for superb dynamic road holding.

To give it striking looks they've also thrown in a sports pack which includes front and rear sports bumpers and sports grille, side skirts and rear spoiler. Metallic & Mic paint is also Free of charge.

All this at a modest £17,200 makes the Mazda6 Tamura better value than it's mid-range 2.0 TS cousin.

Stocks are strictly limited with Stormy Blue Mica or Sunlight Silver the only two colours available. All Mazda6 Tamura's come with a 3yr 60000 mile warranty and 3 yrs European Roadside Assistance.

Peugeot Reports Strong Sales

Sales of new Peugeot cars increased by 36% in October over the previous year.

Van sales also saw an increase of 24% over the previous year.

Strong performances for Peugeot 207 (up 64%) and 308 (up 21%) helped this significant growth. Retail sales leapt by 53% and Fleet sales increased by 22%.

In October the new Peugeot 3008 also arrived in showrooms. Priced from £15,995 on-the-road, it is the perfect choice for customers who are looking for something different. Whether they drive a conventional saloon car, MPV, SUV or a hatchback, the 3008 will provide a new alternative which spans all these different vehicle types. It has the flexibility and space of an MPV, the rugged looks of an SUV and the vehicle dynamics of a family hatchback.

To keep momentum going Peugeot introduced a comprehensive range of new sales offers to maximise opportunities in until the end of the year, including 0% finance, low rate finance passport offers and equipment upgrades.

Peugeot Add 3008 Accessories

Shortly after the 3008's official launch in the UK, the french car maker added its official line of Peugeot 3008 Accessories.

Known for its passion and commitment to aftersales service, Peugeot didn't take long in offering a wide range of accessories from car seats to car mats. This process usually takes most car makers months to get around to doing leaving new buyers frustrated that they can't purchase a simple set of mats for their new vehicle.

Unfortunately they have removed their discount voucher but it's dealer network are set to continue with that promotion (see above link) until the end of the year.