Your caravan or trailer tyres, like those on your car, could be in a bad way and MUST be checked... Bridgestone urges caravan and trailer owners to hook up with tyre advice; Kim Henson reports. With a May half term week almost upon us, and with forecasts of a long hot summer ahead, Bridgestone is calling on caravan owners to carry out some simple tyre safety checks, as many vehicles are … [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.
Wheels-Alive News – New MG Sports Utility Revealed
Words and photos by Chris Adamson A new era for MG was unveiled in Battersea Park when the covers came off the marque’s first ever sports utility vehicle – the attractive and contemporary styled all-new GS. The brand’s forthcoming capacious flagship model was the star reveal during press preview day at the first modern day London Motor Show (for more from Chris about the Show, please click … [Read more...]
The (new) London Motor Show 2016
Report by Chris Adamson on the latest Motor Show to be held in our capital city... Battersea Park, bathed in spring sunshine, was the venue for the first all-new London Motor Show that showcased the best of British automotive design, engineering and pioneering work in road safety. HRH Prince Michael of Kent officially opened the event and took the opportunity to try out the Stop the Crash … [Read more...]
Suzuki Vitara new S Road Test
Keith Ward road-tests Suzuki's flagship Vitara LATEST to emerge from an ongoing radical revision of high-flying Suzuki’s whole model range is a tech-laden, flagship “S” version of their impressive high-stance Vitara chunky SUV. At £20,899 it zooms straight in as top dog, £900 above the Vitara SZ5, next down the trim scale, to complete the handsome new Vitara range launched last year. Both … [Read more...]
New Porsche book arrives – telling the 924/928/944/968 story
Porsche 924/928/944/968 – The Complete Story – a new book by Glen Smale Kim Henson reports... For Porsche enthusiasts it’s party time – the 924 is 40 years old this year, and Porsche celebrated this milestone with a press conference in Stuttgart, at the company's Museum. The 924’s designer, Harm Lagaaij, was on hand to address journalists. Lagaaij also explained the design background of the … [Read more...]
Bridgestone News: DriveGuard tyres represent a reassuring new defence against punctures, and Bridgestone is selected by Aston Martin as an official partner for the new DB11.
Kim Henson reports… DriveGuard ‘extended mobility’ tyres Bridgestone hopes that a diverse nationwide advertising campaign will gain traction amongst a huge audience as it launches its new DriveGuard ‘extended mobility’ tyre to the public, featuring cinema presence, television spend and full motion video boards in major shopping centres. Based on the theme that somewhere out there ‘there’s a … [Read more...]
Audi customer numbers increase…
Plus and RS Performance Models Arrive and More Q Sales from Audi By David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) Audi in the UK has achieved record new cars sales in 12 of the past 15 years and already has got off to a flying start for the first quarter of 2016. Globally Audi achieved record sales in 2015 with a 3.6% increase to reach a total of 1.8-million new cars finding new homes. Although … [Read more...]
Planned Circuit of Wales project in doubt…
The multi-million pound plan to create Circuit of Wales has stalled. By ROBIN ROBERTS (via Miles Better News Agency). Developers of the £357 Million 830-acres motor sport complex above Ebbw Vale, SouthWales have failed to get Welsh Government to underwrite the project and its future is now in great doubt unless it can be refinanced, but talks are continuing to try and rescue the … [Read more...]
Western Group of Motoring Writers helps Julia’s House children’s hospice…
The Western Group of Motoring Writers chose Julia's House, serving Dorset and Wiltshire, as one of the recipients of its charitable donations this year... Report by Kim Henson. As a result of its fund-raising efforts during 2015, the Western Group of Motoring Writers (of which I have been proud to be a member over the last 10 years) chose Julia’s House, a Poole-based organisation, as the … [Read more...]
New Ford Mustang – First Impressions
Must-Have a Mustang – Ford’s New Muscle Car Muscles-In to the UK... A new classic in its own time – driven by David Miles (Miles Better News Agency). Ford’s latest marketing strategy is ‘Un Learn’ as they try to remove our preconceptions of the brand and past products. It is therefore strange and inconsistent that they have been wheeling out nostalgia as a hook to catch owners wanting Ford’s … [Read more...]
New TVR will be built in Wales – and in further good news, the firm will be offering engineering apprenticeships…
Report by Robin Roberts (for Miles Better News Agency). Announced yesterday, Tuesday 22 March, TVR will build its new 155mph sports car in Wales. This means around 150 quality assembly and engineering jobs will be created in the £30 Million investment in the Ebbw Vale Industrial Zone over the next five years. Advance orders for the unnamed new car exceed 350 which will take it to the end of … [Read more...]
Suzuki Really Motoring Again in 2016 – Plus Swift 1.2 Dualjet 4×4 First Impressions
David Miles (Miles Better News Agency) gives his assessment… (Note from Kim: In addition to David’s typically comprehensive and insightful coverage within this feature, you may also be interested to read my own thoughts on Suzuki’s current position, also my impressions of more Suzuki models; please click HERE). After consecutive years of record UK sales Suzuki suffered a blip in registrations in … [Read more...]
Suzuki’s ‘Way of Life’ and what this innovative, successful company is doing today, plus First Impressions of some of the firm’s latest models…
Kim Henson finds out about Suzuki’s progress, and drives some of its current vehicles… (Note from Kim: You may also be interested in finding out what Wheels-Alive contributor David Miles has written about Suzuki in general and the new Swift 4x4 in particular. David is well known and respected for his insightful analysis of the motoring industry and the models produced by it; please click … [Read more...]
More automotive good news for Wales? Watch this space…
Another radical new British sports car could be built in South Wales after last week’s announcement of the Aston Martin DBX Robin Roberts ( Editor, Wheels Within Wales Automotive news & features http://www.wheelswithinwales.uk) reports... Legendary TVR confirmed it was looking at future production sites in South Wales for its new range of ground-breaking sports cars which use F1 type … [Read more...]
Aston Martin’s new model to be built in Wales
Wales has won the bid to build the futuristic Aston Martin DBX crossover. Robin Roberts (Wheels Within Wales) reports… Executives from the company and Welsh Government leaders will hold a press conference in Cardiff this morning to formally announce the project and give more details as well as unveil the car. About 750 jobs will be created when the revolutionary car is put into production in … [Read more...]
Fresh-faced, magnificent British Motor Museum opens its doors
"It's terrific", says Kim Henson... Located at Gaydon in Warwickshire, the re-named British Motor Museum has just re-opened following a £5.1 million refurbishment, which has taken five and a half years to come to fruition. The work – which was delivered on time and on budget – has included the construction of two new facilities. The Museum is now proud to showcase the world’s leading … [Read more...]
Wheels-Alive Takes a Look… At the RAC Regional HQ at Bradley Stoke
Kim Henson reports on the RAC's fascinating regional base near Bristol... I have frequently driven along the south-west sections of M4 and M5, passing and always admiring the fascinating, futuristic-looking RAC building at Bradley Stoke, just south of the M4/M5 junction near Bristol. I’ve also often wondered what goes on inside the centre. Recently I was invited to tour the … [Read more...]
Infiniti Q30 First Impressions
New British-built Infiniti Q30 five door premium hatchback is now on sale... By David Miles (Miles Batter News Agency) Infiniti, the premium brand from Nissan, has launched their all-new UK built Infiniti Q30 C-segment five door hatchback and it’s thoroughly British. Not only is it the first Infiniti ever to be built in Europe, it was created at the Nissan-Infiniti Paddington design facility, … [Read more...]
The solid, dependable, amazing Land Rover Defender finally bows out…
End of the Production Road for the Land Rover Defender – a unique and much-loved British icon. Kim Henson reports… It hardly seems possible, but as of 10 o’clock this morning, and after 68 years of production of Land Rover ‘Series’ and ‘Defender’ models, no more will be built. Reasons for the discontinuation of the model include 21st Century emissions and safety regulations. However, perhaps … [Read more...]
Top Ten Cars of Everything
We know that our 'Wheels-Alive' readers/viewers enjoy varied aspects of cars and motoring, so we thought that you would like the following light-hearted look at some interesting/unusual cars in a special 'Top Ten'... Countless hours have been won and lost chatting - or arguing - about the top ten fastest cars, the classics, the not-so-classics, and the “if only we won the lottery” cars. Well, we … [Read more...]