Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.2 TD, Q4 Super, better late than never… By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Alfa Romeo took its time entering the booming SUV sector with its Stelvio, the first of its kind from the brand after it debuted the Kamal SUV concept car at the Geneva motor show in 2003. A lot has happened in the meantime and any car-maker with an eye on the future must make an SUV, … [Read more...]
News & Views
Our take on what’s been happening in the world of motoring
We appreciate that these days there are vast quantities of motoring news items freely available to all, from huge numbers of global sources. It would be impossible to bring them all to you through these pages – so we are not even going to try!
Instead, we will include selected motoring-related stories which we feel will be of interest. Depending on the item, we hope that they will also inform, encourage, entertain and provoke further thought!
Each item will be dated, and as new stories arrive, older posts will be archived chronologically.
Serious safety concerns: Surprising and worrying Euro NCAP test results…
Crunch time for Fiat Chrysler as the 2018 facelift Panda and the new Jeep Wrangler do not perform well in Euro NCAP tests. Robin Roberts tells all... The 2018 facelift FIAT Panda has been given one of the lowest ratings in Euro NCAP’s history, having failed to achieve more than 50% in any of the car safety organisation’s four key testing categories. The safety of children seated in the rear was … [Read more...]
U.K. new car sales fall – but not in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland…
New vehicle sales are increasing over the borders from England… Robin Roberts reports. Wales bucked the UK trend and pushed up new car registrations in November by 1.03% to 5,579 models. This compares to a rise of 7.1% in Scotland with 12,407 new cars and 3.8% in Northern Ireland to 3,253, while a decline of 4.1 %was experienced in England when figures dipped to 137,039, so the market in the … [Read more...]
Austin A30/A35 book – available via Kim at Wheels-Alive…
Austin A30/A35 – Read all about these small but big-hearted classics... Kim tells more... It is more than 50 years since the very last Austin A35 (a van version) came off the production line, but in fact the story of these cars dates back to the late 1940s, when the Austin Motor Company was instrumental in earning vital Dollars for Britain (following the financially crippling War effort), and … [Read more...]
Fuel prices drop – but from most suppliers not far enough..!
Asda leads the way but for other suppliers fuel prices need to fall further... Referring to today's lowering of prices, RAC fuel spokesperson Simon Williams said: “This is yet more good news for motorists but despite Asda cutting their prices regularly the other supermarkets are sadly lagging way behind. There is often talk of a supermarket price war over fuel, but this couldn’t be further from … [Read more...]
Driving jobs to disappear with the coming of driverless vehicles?
AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMATION: NEARLY 1.2 MILLION MOTORING JOBS AT RISK... MoneySuperMarket analysis shows that over one million driving jobs could be replaced by the advent of driverless vehicles1 Automation could remove £24 billion worth of annual wages from the economy in the short term2 Human drivers on the road could soon become obsolete, according to research from the UK’s leading … [Read more...]
Emissions clampdown…
Some older vehicles struggle to meet stringent new emissions regulations... Robin Roberts tells all... Tough new emission tests this year have doubled the failure rate for older cars, and vans have gone up over four times as much. The DVSA reports that since May when the lower limits were set there have been 744,592 failed cars which have been fixed or scrapped compared to 350,472 in the same … [Read more...]
Long-term ownership of cars is becoming less popular… says AA Cars
LONG-TERM CAR OWNERSHIP ON THE DECLINE AS FINANCE DEALS DRIVE UPGRADES Only a third (35%) of drivers plan to keep their current car for more than five years – marking a sizeable decline in long-term ownership compared with their previous car[1] A fifth (18%) of private cars currently on the road are now bought using car finance deals – up by 700,000 since the last car buying cycle … [Read more...]
Honda Civic 1.6 Diesel – Road Test
Honda Civic 5-door hatchback 1.6 diesel – Fuel and tax-efficient. By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Built in Britain for global sales the 10th generation Honda Civic is available in five door hatchback body style, and now a Civic four door saloon, built in Turkey for European markets, has been added to the range. Also a new 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine with manual and automatic … [Read more...]
Beaulieu to be illuminated in the run-up to Christmas…
Countdown to Christmas at Beaulieu. An illuminated Christmas trail for all the family... Kim says, "Yes, I know that this is primarily a motoring magazine website, but much of Beaulieu is, of course, all about motor cars, and many visitors to the National Motor Museum there are also interested in the beautiful Palace House and its surrounding gardens, plus the nearby River and Beaulieu … [Read more...]
First Stop looks ahead…
First Stop looking to the future with appointment of new Retail Business Consultant. The First Stop network is looking to the future with the appointment of an automotive retail expert to oversee much of England. Brenden Marais joins the fast-fit network as south region retail business consultant having previously held roles at Euro Car Parts and The Parts Alliance. The 32-year-old’s remit … [Read more...]
Ginetta G55 enjoys continuing race success in the USA
Ginetta success in the United States... (Photos by Chris Green). The 2018 Trans Am series drew to a close at Daytona, and there was more continued success for the Ginetta G55. America’s Road Racing Series was contested across 11 events and it was Alline Cipriani who won the chase for the Trigon trophy in her rookie season in the TA3 championship. The female racer, from Brazil and based … [Read more...]
Aston Martin DBX SUV – Preview and news
Sneak a peek at the Aston Martin DBX on test… By Robin Roberts. Secret testing has started in Wales with the forthcoming Aston Martin DBX, which will go into production at St Athan towards the end of next year. Before officially confirming the new five-door model will be named DBX it started trials runs through a forest stage near Bala and used on Wales Rally GB. In the hands of the company’s … [Read more...]
Christmas present possibilities from the British Motor Museum
British Motor Museum – they say that they have everything all wrapped up for Christmas with unique gift ideas! The British Motor Museum has everything all wrapped up for Christmas, whether it’s a day out admiring over 300 British classic cars or a thoughtful and unique gift. New for this year is a special Museum gift package which includes 2 admission tickets and a souvenir guide … [Read more...]
Ginetta G55 GT4 Shines in Circuit of America Trans-Am
Ginettas go well... There was continued good success for the Ginetta G55 GT4 cars at the Circuit of the Americas last weekend in the Trans AM, underlining the Ginetta G55 as the class-leading and (they say!) world’s best GT4 car. 17 year old Ryan Dexter marked his first ever pro race and only his second ever in his G55 with a fine victory in the TA3 series. Running a very controlled … [Read more...]
DS 7 CROSSBACK Prestige PureTech 225 eight speed automatic – Road Test
A Life of Luxury... It’s certainly suave and sophisticated, and incorporates many state-of-the-art features, but what is the 225 bhp petrol-powered DS 7 CROSSBACK Prestige like to drive and to live with? Kim Henson gives his opinion, after a week of using the model in everyday use… (All words and photographs by Kim). The DS 7 CROSSBACK made its UK debut in the spring of this year, and was … [Read more...]
Aston Martin’s new production facility in Wales… Stand by for take-off…
Aston Martin Lagonda's £250M super-cars Welsh plant is moving towards take-off at St Athan. Robin Roberts reports... A multi-million pound three-storey state-of-art paint shop is nearing completion and engineers have started installing assembly lines, fitting out offices and preparing customer areas as well as constructing a dynamic assessment test track including an 'active hill'. The 90 … [Read more...]
Headlamp bulbs – How much?!
Do you know how much it would cost to renew a headlamp bulb on your car? Robin Roberts tells all… A blown headlight bulb can cost up to £846 to replace on some of Britain’s best-selling small cars, new research reveals. A study into 13 popular models on sale today by What Car? found headlight repair bills vary by several hundred pounds depending on whether the models have halogen or HID or LED … [Read more...]
Up-to-the-minute Toyota RAV4 hybrid – Road Test
Toyota RAV4 Icon Tech Hybrid 4x2 SUV. By Robin Roberts (and Miles Better News Agency). Hybrids powertrains are the in-thing at the moment, but that’s not a surprise to Toyota who started development nearly 50 years ago and were among the first to put one on sale 25 years ago. Alongside hybrid technology, Toyota was working on the world’s modern first compact SUV and showed us the RAV4 in the … [Read more...]
Mercedes-Benz classic sports car restoration by Hemmels of Cardiff
A Welsh car business is turning out new for old gold. Robin Roberts tells all... Hemmels of Cardiff is probably one of the least known success stories in the Welsh automotive sector but it is rapidly gaining recognition around the world. It specialises in nut and bold regeneration of classic Mercedes-Benz sports cars, and prices for their year-long rebuilt models begin at £225,000. For … [Read more...]
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