NEWS

SALES figures for February have been released and continue to show a scrappage scheme boost.
The market rose by 26.4 percent compared to 2009, with 68,686 new car sales.
Scrappage accounted for 19.6 percent - making February the 8th consecutive month of new car sales growth, said SMMT chief Paul Everitt.
As much of the increase is attributable [...]

DACIA will be introduced to the UK in 2012 with Renault car dealers central to the new brand’s plans.
The budget car line will be sold through Renault UK dealers to ensure maximum economies of scale.
Renault boss Patrick Pelata has made the announcement at the Geneva Motor Show, confirming the much-rumoured expansion of the Dacia brand [...]

TOYOTA is making a concerted effort to reduce its delivery times with the UK taking a leading role.

The firm has been running a ‘Speed Project’ for the past 2 years, with Toyota UK chief Miguel Fonseca playing a leading role in the plan.
Toyota introduced the programme in response to customer feedback over its long lead [...]

KIA has issued a safety notice to owners for its Venga people carrier after suspending delivery to buyers.
The maker has, in testing, discovered the front seatbelt can be damaged by the lower seat mounting rail in a crash.
This means 450 owners who were due to take delivery of their Vengas were told they had to [...]

NEW website UKcarexchange promises dealers higher returns for their unwanted PX stock – and listing on the site is free!
The website utilises a unique ‘price-drop auction’ approach and the concept here is simple: Cars are listed for 14 days and every 24 hours the price drops by a pre-set amount. The idea is that buyers [...]

KIA is launching its new Sportage here in Geneva but doesn’t have a firm idea of when UK dealers will see it!
Left-hand drive production is underway right now – but, such has been the reception of the car, right-hand drive production risks being impacted.
‘We’re currently quoting a delivery ‘range’ of between June and November,’ admitted [...]

LOTUS is showing a hi-tech new Evora hybrid concept at Geneva to showcase its technical expertise.
The Evora 414e Hybrid is a 414bhp Lotus performance car that just so happens to be a plug-in hybrid too!
What’s more, says the firm, while production has not been confirmed, it IS a concept that we’ll be driving. Within [...]

NISSAN is making the next Micra a genuine world car, building it in 4 plants and selling it in 160 countries.
This is why the replacement for the current-shape Micra has not set any new design standards.
Nissan is instead seeking dependability, low running costs and cost-effective manufacture for the new Micra. This will keep prices [...]

CORVETTE is coming to the UK Chevrolet car dealer network Car Dealer Magazine has just been told.
GM chief Bob Lutz made the announcement here at the show – catching everyone by surprise!
A UK Chevrolet spokesman admitted it was the first they had heard of it.
Previously, Corvettes were distributed by Dutch importer Kroymans. Last year though, [...]

HONDA is planning to sell around 3000 CR-Zs a year in the UK and use it to up the sporting cool of hybrid.
By next year, the firm will be offering 4 hybrid models, with the CR-Z being the racy coupe figurehead of the line-up.
This is why handling has been prioritised during the design of it: [...]