NEWS

THE BMW 5 Series has been with us for almost four decades, and shows no signs of waning. Rumored to be BMW’s most profitable model line, the current range is extensive, uses cutting-edge technology, and looks set to further sales which today stand at more than 5.5 million. 
Why 5 Series, though? Quite simply, because it was the [...]

THE VW Beetle is the daddy of sales legends.
No other car can beat its staggering sales total – Ford’s Model T may have been a pioneering car, which put millions on the road, but the Beetle beat its production record way back in 1972.And had another 30-odd years to go after that!
You may already know from many [...]

HONDA’S Civic is a stalwart of the innovative Japanese company’s model range – but even so, it’s still surprising to remember what a long-runner it is.
Would you believe, it’s actually older than the Volkswagen Golf? Honda launched it back in 1972, making it the second-oldest Japanese car model line still running.
Mind you, if you [...]

THE reasons why Rover doesn’t exist today are perhaps epitomised by the launch of the Metro.
In development for more than half the 1970s, it was nevertheless rushed to launch and then, well, never really achieved the goals set for it. 
Sure, it did pretty well in terms of sales – it wouldn’t be a legend if [...]

THINK Volvo, think square estates, think 240. The maker is still intent on changing this – senior managers have stated their determination to do so to Car Dealer Magazine – but, for now, the image remains.
Thing is, though, the 240 may be square, but that sure doesn’t make it bad.
It was launched in 1974 [...]

THE Rover 200 was one of the best cars Rover ever made. Sure, it wasn’t quite the most dramatic-looking.
Nor was it the most interstellar to drive. It wasn’t even history’s most innovative Rover. But, in terms of market-hitting success, probably nothing can beat it. 
No, not even the iconic original Mini.
Controversial? Maybe. But it’s also because [...]

TWO seats, soft top and rear-wheel drive – three ingredients that form the basis of a recipe for success.
Add in a dash of affordability, a pinch of cute styling and lashings of handling prowess and you’re well on your way to a Michelin Star winning banquet of a car!
When Mazda designed its MX-5 it [...]

FIAT was in strife in the early 1980s. Not an unfamiliar situation for the Italian firm, in all fairness. But this particular predicament was especially bad.
It needed a car to save it, to replace the ageing 127 and give the automotive giant the all-important volume it needs. 
Basically, it needed a winner. A car that [...]

SO, the latest Astra is a ‘vital’ car for Vauxhall? A ‘make-or-break’ model in many ways? Well, no change there. It’s always been so, ever since the very first was launched back in 1980.
Back then, Vauxhall was in strife. It had a grim reputation, an ageing model line-up of rear-drive cars… one of the most [...]

NISSANS didn’t used to be Nissans in the UK. They were Datsuns, and models such as the supermini-sized Cherry made the firm’s name here in the 1970s.
Reliable, cheap and sturdy, they were pretty dire to drive, but reassurance-seekers didn’t care. The cars were fuss-free enough to establish the idea of Japanese cars in the UK.
By the [...]