Known for their sporty designs and competitive pricing, Mazda have for a long time been amongst the top players in the UK car market. Best known perhaps for the MX5 two seater sports car, ubiquitous on the UK’s motorways Mazda have now brought out a new model in their Urban Car range.
The Mazda2 is being hailed by Mazda as “the greatest car in the world”. They feel that this is not an exaggeration and in fact is well deserved as proven by being the winner of “World Car of the Year 2008”. The judges felt that this car excelled in all the categories: looks, comfort, practicality , driving dynamics and environmental credentials.
Perfect as a city car, the Mazda2 is a smooth and comfortable drive with a reasonable turn of speed on demand. With power assisted steering and a neat shape it is easy to park in small spaces. The design is visually pleasing, sleek and contoured making the Mazda2 fit in perfectly in even the most upmarket area.
The Mazda2 is available in petrol or diesel models, and with three or five doors. There are also ten on-trend bodywork colours to choose from.
To find out more we recommend you contact your nearest Mazda dealer, or download the online brochure from the Mazda website.
Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company and is currently a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM), and is part of GM Europe, however due to GM's financial situation a buyer is being sought for all of GM Europe.
Vauxhall Motors is a British automobile company and is currently a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation (GM), and is part of GM Europe, however due to GM's financial situation a buyer is being sought for all of GM Europe. Most current Vauxhall models are right-hand drive derivatives of GM's Opel brand; however, production of left hand vehicles also takes place for export to other parts of Europe and certain marginal markets. There are also several performance vehicles coming from Opel Performance Center (OPC) and Holden/Holden Special Vehicles in Australia.
In 1925, Vauxhall was bought by GM for US$2.5 million. The company's prewar image and target market were abruptly changed with the introduction in 1931 of the first Bedford truck, which was Chevrolet based, along with the low-cost two litre Vauxhall Cadet. The company's future chief engineer, Harold Drew, left Luton for a spell working as a draughtsman with GM's Lansing based Oldsmobile division. As the first significant post acquisition passenger car, the Cadet, initially retailing at GB£280, is generally mentioned in connection with Vauxhall's newly acquired interest and expertise in controlling production costs, but it was also noteworthy as the first British car to feature a synchromesh gearbox.
The influence of the American parent was pervasive and together with the Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall's main competitor, led to a wave of American influenced styling in Europe that persisted through to the 1980s. Bedford Vehicles, a subsidiary constructing commercial vehicles, was established in 1930 as the Stock Market Crash of 1929 had made importing American lorries uneconomical.
Fiat is a great type of auto. Originating in Turin in Italy, the car manufacturers are still going strong, despite a few ups and downs during the economic crisis. However in 2009, Fiat is currently the world's 6th largest carmaker as well as Italy's largest single carmaker.
Fiat S.p.A., an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli. Fiat has also manufactured tanks and aircraft. As of 2009, Fiat is the world's 6th largest carmaker as well as Italy's largest carmaker.
Fiat-based cars are constructed all around the world, with the largest number produced outside Italy being built in Brazil. It also has factories in Argentina and Poland. Fiat has a long history of licensing its products to other countries regardless of local political or cultural persuasion. Joint venture operations are found in Italy, France, Turkey, India, Serbia and Russia.
Agnelli's grandson Gianni Agnelli was Fiat chairman from 1966 until his death on 24 January 2003; from 1996, though, he only served as an "honorary" chairman, while Cesare Romiti served as chairman. After their removal, Paolo Fresco served as chairman and Paolo Cantarella as CEO. Umberto Agnelli then took over as chairman from 2002 to 2004. After Umberto Agnelli's death on 28 May 2004, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was named chairman, but Agnelli heir John Elkann became vice chairman at age 28 and other family members are on the board. At this point, CEO Giuseppe Morchio immediately offered his resignation. Sergio Marchionne was named to replace him on 1 June 2004.
We all love a Rover. We can be oh-so-country-chic and have our very own Rover. It could be a Land Rover or a Range Rover, what does it matter? As long as it's big enough to tow the horse box, or the boat, no biggie. But which model Rover is the one you should be looking out for? We find out here.
The original Range Rover of 1970 was not designed as a luxury 4x4, in contrast to the way that other utility vehicles such as the Jeep Wagoneer of the United States were. While certainly up-market compared to preceding Land Rover models, early Range Rovers had fairly basic, utilitarian interiors with vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were designed to be washed down with a hose. Features such as power assisted steering, carpeted floors, air conditioning, cloth/leather seats and wooden interior trim were only fitted later, when it was realised that it had a far larger market as a luxury vehicle than merely as a more comfortable alternative to the Land Rover Station Wagon. The Range Rover introduced advanced features such as all-coil spring suspension and disc brakes, whereas its competitors retained leaf springs and drum brakes for years thereafter (although some American SUVs featured automatic transmissions and power steering, which the original Range Rover lacked).
The Range Rover was built on a box section ladder type chassis, much like the contemporary Series Land Rovers, but utilized coil springs as opposed to leaf springs, permanent four-wheel drive, and disc brakes all round. In the latest iteration, it uses a monocoque body structure. It was originally powered by the lightweight Rover V8 engine. Early models of the L322 were powered by a BMW V8 of 4.4 litre, until the introduction of a 3.6 litre TDV8 engine.
In 1972 the British Trans-Americas Expedition became the first vehicle-based expedition to traverse the American continent from north-to-south, including traversing the infamous roadless Darien Gap. The specially modified Range Rovers used for this expedition can be seen in the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust collection at Gaydon, Warwickshire, England.
Before 1987, Land Rover vehicles were only sold in the United States through the grey market. The Land Rover company began selling the Range Rover officially in the U.S. March 16, 1987. From that time until 1993, the U.S. marketing was all in the name of Range Rover, that being the only model offered in the American market. In 1993, with the arrival of the Defender 110 and the imminent arrival of the Land Rover Discovery, the company's U.S. sales were under the name "Land Rover North America".
Rover had been experimenting with producing a "big brother" to the Land Rover as far back as the 1950s, with the Rover P4-based two-wheel-drive Road Rover project. This was shelved in 1958, and the idea laid dormant until 1966, when engineers Spencer King and Gordon Bashford set to work on a new luxury off-roader.
In 1967, the first Range Rover prototype was built, with the classic Range Rover shape clearly discernible but for a different front grille and headlight configuration. The design of the Range Rover was finalized in 1969. Twenty-six Velar engineering development vehicles were built between 1969 and 1970 and were road registered with the number plates YVB 151H through YVB 177H.
It is commonly thought that "VELAR" is an acronym for Vee Eight Land Rover, however the name is derived from the Italian 'Velare' meaning to veil or to cover. Range Rover development engineer, Geof Miller, used the name as a decoy for registering pre-production Range Rovers. The Velar company was registered in London and produced forty pre-production vehicles that were built between 1967 and 1970. Most of these Velar pre-production vehicles are accounted for and have survived into preservation.
We all remember the somewhat urban myth that volvo's are the safest car of all time...mums who want their children to only travel in a volvo, and all that. But is it really true? Are Volvo's any safer than the other, newer model cars on the world market today? Let's take a test drive and find out.
The Volvo Group is a Swedish supplier of commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and financial services. Although Volvo was incorporated in 1915 as a subsidiary of AB SKF, a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, the auto manufacturer was officially founded on 14 April 1927, when the first car rolled out of the factory in Hisingen, Gothenburg.
Volvo means "I roll" in Latin, conjugated from "volvere". The name Volvo was originally registered in May 1911 as a separate company within SKF AB and as a registered trademark with the intention to be used for a special series of ball bearing, but this idea was only used for a short period of time and SKF decided to use "SKF" as the trademark for all its bearing products.
In 1924, Assar Gabrielsson, a SKF Sales Manager, and Engineer Gustav Larson, the two founders, decided to start construction of a Swedish car. Their vision was to build cars that can withstand the rigors of Sweden's rough roads and cold temperatures. This has become a feature of Volvo products ever since.
The company AB Volvo had no activities until 10 August 1926, after one year of preparations involving the production of ten prototypes, was set up to carry out the car-manufacturing business within the SKF group. Volvo AB was introduced at the Stockholm stock exchange in 1935 and SKF then decided to sell its shares in the company. Volvo was delisted from NASDAQ in June 2007, but remains listed on the Stockholm exchange.
The first series produced Volvo automobile, the Volvo ÖV 4, left the factory on 14 April 1927 which became the official date for the founding of Volvo.
In 1999 Volvo sold its car division Volvo Cars to Ford for $6.45 billion. Repeated reports in the media about Ford selling off Volvo Cars have been refuted by the company. However, on 1 December 2008, Ford announced that it will "re-evaluate its strategic options for Volvo", including the possible sale of the marque.
Everyone loves a Porsche. They're one of the hottest cars on the market today. And while they're not exactly cheap, they're going to give you one hell of a fantastic drive! We've searched high and low for the best Porsche deals on offer in both the UK and America. Read all about it here.
Everyone loves a Porsche. They're one of the hottest cars on the market today. And while they're not exactly cheap, they're going to give you one hell of a fantastic drive! We've searched high and low for the best Porsche deals on offer in both the UK and America.
In a May 2006 survey, Porsche was awarded the title of the most prestigious automobile brand by Luxury Institute, New York; it questioned more than 500 households with a gross annual income of at least US $200,000 and a net worth of at least US $720,000. The current Porsche lineup includes sports cars from the Boxster roadster to their most famous product, the 911. The Cayman is a hard top car similar to the Boxster in a slightly higher price range. The Cayenne is Porsche's mid-size luxury SUV. The Carrera GT was phased out in May 2006. A high performance luxury saloon/sedan, the Panamera, was launched on Monday, 20 April 2009.
Porsche was awarded the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates award for the highest-ranked nameplate in its Initial Quality Study (IQS) of automobile brands.
As a company, Porsche is known for weathering changing market conditions with great financial stability, while retaining most production in Germany during an age when most other German car manufacturers have moved at least parts of their production to Eastern Europe or overseas. The headquarters and main factory are still in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, but the Cayenne (and formerly the Carrera GT) is manufactured in Leipzig, Germany, parts for the SUV are assembled also in Bratislava, Slovakia. Most Boxster and Cayman production is outsourced to Valmet Automotive in Finland until 2012. The company has been highly successful in recent times, and indeed claims to have the highest profit per unit sold of any car company in the world.
Porsche has for many years offered consultancy services to various other car manufacturers. Audi, Studebaker, SEAT, Daewoo, Subaru, and Yugo have consulted Porsche on engineering for their cars or engines. The Lada Samara was partly developed by Porsche in 1984. Porsche also helped Harley-Davidson design their new Evolution water cooled engine that is used in their V-Rod motorcycle, as Porsche had previous experience switching from air-cooling to water cooling.
According to CNBC, even an at-the-time questionable foray into the SUV market with the Cayenne in 2003, couldn't damage Porsche credibility. The Times journalist Andrew Frankel says on one level, it is the world’s best 4x4, on another, it is the cynical exploitation of a glorious brand that risks long-term damage to that brand’s very identity in the pursuit of easy money with his verdict being "Great car, if only it wasn't a Porsche".
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