UK Government announcements and tax costs are confusing car buyers, depressing sales and potentially slowing a switch to greener models, says the RAC. The Government yesterday published its annual vehicle licensing statistics for 2017 and that report shows a 6% drop in first time registrations, down to 3.1 Million vehicles. Cars made up over 80% of first time registrations or 2.5 Million … [Read more...]
Refreshed CX5 now in Mazda showrooms
The refreshed Mazda CX5 SUV is now in showrooms. Their top SUV is offered in a comparatively small ten-car range, but it’s a very carefully placed model with a 165ps petrol engine and 150 and 175ps diesels in front or intelligent four-wheel-drive and a essentially two trim levels with six-speed manual or automatic transmission. This autumn it was refreshed with a range of styling and … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Revised Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi
The demand in the UK, the EU and global markets for SUVs, Crossovers and 4x4s continues and the surge in additional models from brands new to these sectors builds on their fashionable must have appeal, says David Miles. In the UK last year there were 437,000 new car registrations for what the industry calls Dual Purpose vehicles. We can add in at least another 100,000 of what we call … [Read more...]
New Honda Civic Type R priced
Honda UK has announced pricing for the hotly-anticipated next generation Civic Type R. On forecourts in July, the entry level 2.0 320PS model will cost £30,995 and the GT version will cost an additional £2,000 at £32,995 on the road and will come with a host of extras. PCP pricing has also been confirmed for the new car, which is built at Honda’s UK manufacturing plant in Swindon; with … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: New Mitsubishi ASX
A much improved Mitsubishi ASX is now on sale, writes David Miles. The revised, higher specification 2017 Mitsubishi ASX mid-sized Crossover/SUV range costs from a competitive £16,184 on-the-road or £169 a month PCP finance plan over three years. All models have a five year, 62,500 mile warranty and keeping running costs affordable Mitsubishi’s Service Plan covering scheduled … [Read more...]
Dealers positive about 2017
Exclusive findings from Close Brothers Motor Finance’s Dealer Satisfaction Survey reveal 63% are positive about their business prospects for 2017. The Dealer Satisfaction Survey is a continual telephone survey undertaken by Close Brothers Motor Finance and reported on a monthly and quarterly basis. The survey questions 750 new and used car, motorcycle and light commercial vehicle dealerships … [Read more...]