Business Car of the Year

UK publication Business Car has announced the winners of its 2011 Awards, which were voted for by readers rather than being decided by a jury.

It was a successful haul for the BMW Group as it took top honours in six out of the thirteen vehicle categories, as well as being declared overall manufacturer of the year. Clearly desirability, solid residuals, decent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions are all attributes that continue to keep both drivers and fleet managers happy.

Business Car Awards 2011 winners

Vehicle categories

Manufacturer of the Year: BMW

Business Car of the Year: BMW 5 Series

Green Model of the Year: BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics

City Car: Fiat 500

Supermini: Mini

Lower Medium: Audi A3

Upper Medium: BMW 3 Series

Executive: BMW 5 Series

Luxury: Jaguar XJ

Large 4x4: BMW X5

Small 4x4: Audi Q5

Mini-MPV: Volkswagen Touran

MPV: Ford S-MAX

Sporting Car: Audi R8

Service supplier categories

Service Supplier of the Year: Lex Autolease

Accident Management: The AA

Daily Rental: Enterprise

Fast-Fit: Kwik-Fit Fleet

Insurance: Aviva

Leasing and Fleet Management: Lex Autolease

Top 10: Irish car sales 2010

According to figures published by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, 88,373 cars were sold in Ireland during 2010.

That was almost 55% more than 2009’s figure of 57,118, an encouraging increase achieved in spite of harsh economic conditions. However, the market still has a long way to go before it recovers to the volumes seen in 2008, when sales topped 150,000.

2010’s performance was undoubtedly helped by the scrappage scheme, which accounted for over 17,000 registrations. Good news for the industry is that the programme will continue until the end of June 2011, although the amount of support - which is applied via Vehicle Registration Tax relief - is reduced from €1,500 to €1,250.

The top three manufacturers remained unchanged in 2010, with Ford selling the most cars followed by Toyota and then Volkswagen.

Fourth spot went to Renault, which trebled its sales thanks partly to being the manufacturer with the most scrappage scheme reclaims. Skoda also recorded a notable result but, despite a doubling of volumes, it only moved up one place to seventh on the league table.

Top 10: Irish Car Sales By Manufacturer
Position	Manufacturer	2010	2009	+/-	% +/-
1	Ford	11,215	8,121	3,094	38.1%
2	Toyota	10,660	7,603	3,057	40.2%
3	Volkswagen	10,301	6,174	4,127	66.8%
4	Renault	9,746	2,414	7,332	303.7%
5	Opel	6,603	4,046	2,557	63.2%
6	Nissan	5,494	4,684	810	17.3%
7	Skoda	4,915	2,390	2,525	105.6%
8	Hyundai	2,959	1,665	1,294	77.7%
9	Peugeot	2,924	1,766	1,158	65.6%
10	Audi	2,723	2,388	335	14.0%
Figures provided by SIMI Statistical Service

Bike of the Year 2010-2011

The BMW S 1000 RR has clinched the International Bike of the Year 2010-2011 award.

Fourteen jurors, representing motorcycle publications from around the world, were each asked to allocate a fixed number of points to their three favourite new bikes. The BMW emerged a clear winner ahead of Ducati’s Multistrada 1200 S, the only other candidate that received a significant score.



BMW has now won the International Bike of the Year contest three times. Previous victories came in 2004-2005 and 1993-1994 with the R 1200 GS and R 1100 RS respectively.

International Bike of the Year 2010-2011
Position	Motorcycle	Points
1	BMW S 1000 RR	57
2	Ducati Multistrada 1200 S	33
3=	Honda VFR1200F DCT	9
3=	Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré	9
5	Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC	8
6=	Kawasaki Z1000 SX	4
6=	MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR	4
8	Kawasaki 1400GTR	2

Daihatsu quits Europe

The first Japanese car imported into the UK was the Daihatsu Compagno back in 1966.

But now the manufacturer has announced it is to give up selling vehicles in Europe altogether. A notice posted on the Daihatsu UK web site reads:

“It was announced on 13th January 2011 that sales of Daihatsu motor cars will cease across Europe on 31st January 2013. This is due to the ongoing strength of the Japanese Yen, which has increased prices beyond competitive levels. There is no stock of new Daihatsu cars in the UK, and we do not expect to import any new cars in this interim period.



“However, we wish to reassure Daihatsu owners that all after sales services will continue unaffected. Therefore, the supply of spare parts will continue, and warranty work and servicing will be carried out at our official UK dealer network, which remains in place and whose details can be found on this website.



“We thank Daihatsu customers for their past custom and loyalty, and share their disappointment at this news.”

Circumstances for the firm have not been easy, with cheap new cars from countries such as Malaysia, Korea and India competing directly with and undercutting Daihatsu’s range.



Combined with a lack of European production facilities that might have protected against exchange rate movements, the situation had clearly become impossible.

2011 What Car? Awards

UK publication What Car? has announced its 2011 Car of the Year winners.

During a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, prizes were awarded across seventeen vehicle categories, with one model going on to be declared overall champion.

Supermini

Shortlist

Best buy less than £9,000: Hyundai i10 1.2 Comfort

Best buy £9,000 - £13,000: Ford Fiesta 1.25 82 Zetec 5dr

Best buy more than £13,000: Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport

Winner

Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport

Small family car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £15,000: Skoda Octavia 1.2 TSI SE

Best buy £15,000 - £20,000: Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 Match 5dr

Best buy more than £20,000: Toyota Prius 1.8 VVT-i T3

Winner

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 122 Match 5dr

Family car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £18,000: Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI S

Best buy £18,000 - £21,000: Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec

Best buy more than £21,000: Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI 140 SE

Winner

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec

Estate car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £16,500: Skoda Octavia Estate 1.4 TSI SE

Best buy £16,000 - £22,000: Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec

Best buy more than £22,000: BMW 5 Series Touring 520d SE

Winner

Ford Mondeo Estate 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec

MPV

Shortlist

Best buy less than £16,000: Citroën C3 Picasso 1.6 VTi VTR+

Best buy £16,000 - £22,000: Peugeot 5008 1.6 HDi 112 Sport

Best buy more than £22,000: Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S

Winner

Seat Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 Ecomotive S

Hot hatch

Shortlist

Best buy less than £15,000: Renault Twingo Renaultsport 133 Cup

Best buy £15,000 - £20,000: Renault Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup

Best buy more than £20,000: Renault Mégane Renaultsport 250 Cup

Winner

Renault Mégane Renaultsport 250 Cup

Coupé

Shortlist

Best buy less than £25,000: Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI 160

Best buy £25,000 - £40,000: Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 211 Sport

Best buy more than £40,000: Jaguar XKR

Winner

Audi TT 2.0 TFSI 211 Sport

Open-top

Shortlist

Best buy less than £25,000: Mazda MX-5 1.8i SE AC

Best buy £25,000 - £35,000: BMW Z4 sDrive23i

Best buy more than £35,000: Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI Cab Blue Efficiency SE

Winner

BMW Z4 sDrive23i

Performance car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £60,000: Lotus Evora 3.5 V6

Best buy £60,000 - £120,000: Audi R8 Spyder V10

Best buy more than £120,000: Ferrari 458 Italia

Winner

Ferrari 458 Italia

Crossover

Shortlist

Best buy less than £15,000: Nissan Juke 1.6 Visia

Best buy £15,000 - £20,000: Peugeot 3008 1.6 THP 156 Sport

Best buy more than £20,000: Volvo XC60 2.0 D3 DRIVe SE

Winner

Peugeot 3008 1.6 THP 156 Sport

4x4

Shortlist

Best buy less than £30,000: Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi Style 7 seats

Best buy £30,000 - £40,000: BMW X3 xDrive20d SE

Best buy more than £40,000: Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 XS

Winner

Land Rover Discovery 3.0 SDV6 XS

Compact executive

Shortlist

Best buy less than £25,000: BMW 3 Series 316d ES

Best buy £25,000 - £30,000: BMW 3 Series 320d ES

Best buy more than £30,000: BMW 3 Series 330d SE

Winner

BMW 3 Series 320d ES

Executive car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £30,000: BMW 5 Series 520d SE

Best buy £30,000 - £40,000: Jaguar XF 3.0D V6 Luxury

Best buy more than £40,000: Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI 245 quattro SE

Winner

Jaguar XF 3.0D V6 Luxury

Luxury car

Shortlist

Best buy less than £65,000: Mercedes-Benz S-Class S350 CDI BluTEC

Best buy £65,000 - £100,000: Range Rover 4.4 TDV8 Vogue 

Best buy more than £100,000: Rolls-Royce Phantom

Winner

Mercedes-Benz S-Class S350 CDI BluTEC

Ultra-low carbon car

Winner

Nissan Leaf

Safety Award

Winner

Volvo for Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake

Security Award

Winner

Volkswagen

What Car? Car of the Year 2011

Winner

Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport

Volt is Car of the Year

The Chevrolet Volt has been declared the 2011 North American Car of the Year. 49 jurors from across the United States and Canada gave it 233 points, making it the fourth time that GM has won the title.

Images © GM Corp.

In second place was the Hyundai Sonata, which received 163 points. Third went to the electric car that took the 2011 European Car of the Year award, the Nissan Leaf. It picked up 94 points.

Meanwhile, the 2011 North American Truck of the Year is the Ford Explorer, which earned 253 points. It comfortably beat the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which scored 138 points from the jury. The Dodge Durango, with 99 points, was third.

Top 10: UK car sales 2010

Despite the car scrappage scheme ending in March, figures just published reveal that UK car sales managed to rise very slightly in 2010 compared to the previous year.

Total registrations were 2,030,846, up 1.80% on 2009’s figure. This modest growth was mainly down to increased fleet activity, particularly in the first half of the year.

However, the harsh economic climate continues, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is predicting that sales will fall by 5% in 2011.

The ten best-selling cars in the UK during 2010 were:

1. Ford Fiesta (103,013 registered)

Despite its overall sales dropping by over 36,000 to 280,364, Ford was the manufacturer that shifted the most cars in 2010. The Fiesta remained the most popular model, too, and deservedly so. A great drive, decent equipment and affordable prices make it one of the best superminis on the market.

2. Vauxhall Astra (80,646 registered)

In its first full year on sale, the sixth-generation Astra managed to out-perform its rivals, even though the range has been criticised for its prices. Overall, Vauxhall registrations were up by almost 4%, finishing the year at 247,265.

3. Ford Focus (77,804 registered)

A perennial favourite, the Focus managed to secure third place in 2010’s chart. Sales weren’t too far behind the much newer Astra, a feat that was probably helped by some healthy discounts and fleet sales. Due to be replaced by the third-generation Focus in 2011.

4. Vauxhall Corsa (77,398 registered)

The Corsa is strong on refinement and comfort, but it seems a very large number of buyers still prefer the Fiesta. It’ll be interesting to see what impact the recently introduced Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty has on 2011’s sales figures.

5. Volkswagen Golf (58,116 registered)

One of the best all-rounders on the market, it’s no great surprise to see the Golf make the top ten. Overall, Volkswagen sales were up by over 8% in 2010, with 174,655 cars registered. That was good enough to retain third place in the manufacturer league table behind Ford and Vauxhall.

6. Volkswagen Polo (45,517 registered)

Under the skin, the Skoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza have a lot in common with the Polo, but apparently customers are happy to shun the cheaper brands in favour of Volkswagen. Whatever the reasons for this behaviour, sixth place was a respectable result for the 2010 European Car of the Year.

7. Peugeot 207 (42,185 registered)

Another decent all-rounder, although the somewhat gawky styling and lack of image might have put some buyers off. Peugeot didn’t have a bad year with total sales up over 6% to 109,324, making it the fifth most popular manufacturer.

8. BMW 3 Series (42,020 registered)

It has become a bit trite to say that the 3 Series outperforms its mainstream rivals such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, but the fact is it does. Overall, BMW achieved 109,418 sales in 2010, an increase of nearly 11% that gave it fourth spot in the manufacturer table. A premium brand, but no longer exclusive?

9. Mini Hatchback (41,883 registered)

A fantastic image, low emissions, that terrific chassis and extremely strong residuals continue to make the Mini Hatchback an attractive buy. The only things letting it down are a lack of kit on lower-spec models and a small boot.

10. Nissan Qashqai (39,048 registered)

This British-built crossover is arguably the ideal family car. There’s plenty of choice, too, with front- or all-wheel drive available and ‘+2’ extended wheelbase versions that seat seven. Total Nissan registrations rose by 15% in 2010 to 89,681, but it remained in eighth place in the manufacturer chart.

Tiguan has best residuals

Glass’s, publisher of the eponymous used car values guide, has revealed which three-year old models have best held their values in the UK market.

The study looked at ‘57’ plate cars (i.e. first registered between 1 September 2007 and 29 February 2008), which had covered 37,000 miles (59,545 kilometres). The results were ranked by residual value as a percentage of original list price, although low volume models and exotica were excluded.

Given the tough economic climate, it might be expected that used buyers would be flocking towards cheaper, more economical vehicles, so driving up their residual value percentages. Surprisingly, though, seven of the top ten are 4x4s or SUVs, with top spot taken by the Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion.

Glass’s Top Ten Residuals 2010
Position	Model	Residual %	Average Yearly Depreciation
1	Volkswagen Tiguan (168 bhp) SE 4Motion	68.0%	£2,394
2	MINI 1.6 Cooper Hatch	65.9%	£1,462
3	Honda CR-V 2.2 CTDi (138 bhp) SE	64.3%	£2,356
4=	Land Rover Freelander 2 GS Td4 auto	63.8%	£2,965
4=	Audi Q7 3.0TDI (237 bhp) Quattro S Line tiptronic	63.8%	£4,962
6	Land Rover Discovery 3 2.7TD (190 bhp)	63.7%	£3,720
7	Audi TT Coupé 2.0T FSI (197 bhp)	63.6%	£3,123
8	Nissan Qashqai 1.6 (113 bhp) 2WD Visia	63.3%	£1,628
9	Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2.7TD (187 bhp) S auto	62.5%	£4,425
10	Audi A5 2.7TDI (187 bhp) Sport Coupé S tronic	62.2%	£4,123

Leaf is Car of the Year

The Nissan Leaf has been declared 2011 European Car of the Year. It’s the first electric car to win the title, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision.

Fifty-seven motoring journalists from across the continent formed a jury to decide the winner, and each was given twenty-five votes to distribute across the seven finalists. The contest rules stipulate that they had to allocate those votes to at least five cars, with no more than ten points allowed for any one model.

Only three jurors gave the Leaf a maximum score, but nine didn’t give it any votes at all.

Such a divergence of opinion reflected that while it’s technically interesting, the Nissan is still unproven in real world conditions. Some of the journalists also recognised that the Leaf is very much a first generation electric car; future models will undoubtedly have better range, shorter recharging times, and cost less.

Consequently, it was a close result, with second and third spots being occupied by the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Vauxhall / Opel Meriva.

2011 Car of the Year
Position	Model	Votes
1	Nissan Leaf	257
2	Alfa Romeo Giulietta	248
3	Vauxhall / Opel Meriva	244
4	Ford C-Max / Grand C-Max	224
5	Citroën C3 / DS3	175
6	Volvo S60 / V60	145
7	Dacia Duster	132

SMMT Electric Car Guide

The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has published an Electric Car Guide.



Aimed at anyone thinking of going electric, it sets out to answer all the questions that potential customers are bound to have.



One sure uncertainty will be the financial aspects of electric car ownership, and so the guide includes some theoretical running cost estimations. These compare a non-specific, typical, mid-size diesel car against a purely electric model.



Although the electric car comes out with marginally better cost per mile figures after three years of ownership, the calculations suppose that a car powered by electricity will have a similar residual value to one run on diesel. The SMMT freely admits that that is a big assumption though, simply because nobody yet knows what the depreciation characteristics will be.



Nevertheless, with the OLEV Plug-in Car Grant (which will cover up to 25% of a qualifying vehicle’s price, to a maximum of £5,000) due to be offered from January 2011, the SMMT’s timing couldn’t be better.



The Electric Car Guide is now available free via the SMMT website, which can be accessed by clicking here.



Related posts:

Electric bikes ignored?

Electric car grants saved

The future's electric

Five new Lotus sports cars

Lotus had promised it was going to unveil a few new models at the Paris Motor Show, and it didn’t disappoint. Along with a city car, five new sports car concepts were on display: Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne.



This product offensive is key to the Lotus strategy of moving upmarket. With Proton’s money and a new CEO, ex-Ferrari man Dany Bahar, the intention is to transform the company into a manufacturer of premium vehicles to compete with the likes of Porsche and Ferrari.



Ambitious, but in some respects the plan smacks of déjà vu. That’s because something similar was attempted in the past, with a range of models that included the previous generation Elite and Esprit. It didn’t work then, and consequently Lotus reverted to its traditional heartland - a family of small, lightweight sports cars that started with the original Elise.



Both public and press alike reacted well to those models (seemingly with the exception of the Europa, which was quietly dropped from the line-up earlier this year). However, financially they haven’t been too successful, with Lotus failing to be profitable for many years now.



Hence yet another change in direction, which will kick off with the new Esprit.



For more details of the Paris concepts, please see these posts:



2013 Lotus Esprit

2013 Lotus Elan

2014 Lotus Elite

2015 Lotus Elise

2015 Lotus Eterne

OFT probes price fixing

The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has launched an investigation into suspected price fixing by truck manufacturers.

As part of its enquiries, which are taking place under the Enterprise Act 2002 and the Competition Act 1998, the OFT earlier this week invited itself to the offices of Mercedes-Benz UK in Tongwell, Milton Keynes. Following the raid, one person was arrested but later bailed.

The Enterprise Act is a serious piece of legislation - breaches can result in criminal charges, with the possibility that individuals can be jailed for up to five years, and the company fined up to 10% of its global turnover.

A spokesman for Mercedes-Benz has said that the company "… is fully co-operating with the investigation which may take many months or more to complete."

Meanwhile, rival firms Scania, MAN and Volvo Trucks / Renault Trucks have confirmed that they have already received letters from the OFT notifying them of the investigation and requesting information. Iveco and DAF, The other two major commercial vehicle makers operating in the UK, have indicated that they are prepared to fully cooperate with the OFT probe.

Renault Koleos axed

Renault has a history of its more adventurous models - such as the Avantime and Vel Satis - not doing so well in the UK.



It’s unlikely the design of the Koleos SUV has ever been labelled daring, but nevertheless it seems that UK buyers have also ignored it in their droves. So much so, Renault has decided to pull the model from its range here, conveniently citing the credit crunch for a lack of sales.

Built in South Korea by Renault Samsung, the only version available was the £24,705 Dynamique S. Powered by a 148 bhp (110 kW / 150 PS) 2.0 diesel engine, perhaps its strongest feature was the generous equipment level. Climate control, satellite navigation, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, automatic lights and wipers, cruise control and a Bose stereo all came as standard.



But poor dynamics and limited space in the back let it down and, in the end, it just couldn’t compete with the likes of the Land Rover Freelander and Volkswagen Tiguan. Doubtless badge snobbery influenced many buying decisions, too.



According to Renault UK they have about twenty cars left if stock and no more will be imported. The Koleos continues in other European markets, though.

MV Agusta sold

Back in 2008, Harley-Davidson spent around £65 million buying MV Agusta from the Castiglioni family. But now it’s selling it… back to the Castiglionis.

The disposal of the Italian firm is part of Harley-Davidson’s strategy to concentrate purely on its core brand, something the now defunct Buell fell victim to last year.



Keith Wandell, Harley-Davidson President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Our decision to divest MV Agusta reflects our strategy to focus our efforts and our investment on the Harley-Davidson brand, as we believe this provides an optimal path to long-term growth." However, he didn’t disclose what the sales proceeds were.



It’s not as if the Castiglionis will have to re-familiarise themselves with the business. Claudio Castiglioni - who along with Giovanni Castiglioni and Massimo Bordi will be running MV Agusta - remained as the company’s chairman throughout the short period of Harley-Davidson ownership.



MV Agusta also owns the Cagiva brand.

Electric bikes ignored?

When the UK government announced earlier this week it was ring-fencing £43 million for Plug-in Car Grants, there was a mostly positive response from the motor industry.

However, the exclusion of electric motorcycles from the scheme has been met with criticism. The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) is not too happy, and it has already contacted the Department for Transport demanding an explanation for the omission.



Quite rightly, the MCI points out that electric bikes beat congestion better than any car and so reduce journey times. Its stance is that the government should therefore be encouraging them, not ignoring them.



There is already a selection of electric motorcycles and scooters available on the market. These include the Econogo Yogo and the Zero range, with more - such as the KTM Freeride - coming soon. In general, these bikes are more expensive than their petrol-powered counterparts, due mainly to the cost of the batteries. Therefore, some cash from the government would help to narrow the price gap.

But maybe the government feels that as two-wheelers usually emit less CO2 and use less fuel than cars, the benefits of getting riders to switch to electric won’t actually be that great?



Or perhaps it’s a question of economics. One of the objectives of the Plug-in Car Grant is to encourage the development and manufacture of low emissions vehicles within the UK.



With the likelihood that the majority of electric bikes (especially scooters) would come from the Far East, the government may have already determined that including motorcycles will be of little advantage to the UK. And after all, why should it spend taxpayers’ money on grants that effectively subsidise imported products?

Eight year Volt warranty

Chevrolet has announced that the lithium-ion battery and associated components in its Volt plug-in hybrid are to carry an eight year / 100,000 mile warranty.



In a move clearly designed to allay customer fears about battery life - and more crucially replacement cost - the battery's thermal management system, charging system and electric drive mechanism are all going to be similarly covered too. Importantly, the eight year period should also help the Volt’s prospects as a used car, as the warranty will be transferable to subsequent owners.

North American Volt sales are due to start in October or November this year. A European launch will follow during 2011, and it’s expected that the Volt will get an eight year warranty here as well. It will be interesting to see whether the closely related Vauxhall / Opel Ampera, which uses the same technology, also enjoys the same level of cover.



It’s beginning to look like the Volt (and Ampera) is going to have some real-world advantages over other electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Renault Fluence Z.E.



As well as the long warranty period, the Volt is the only one that also has a petrol engine. This acts solely as an on-board generator to power the electric motor when the batteries are low, giving it an overall range of around 340 miles (550 km).



By comparison the Nissan and Renault will manage 100 miles (160 km) before a recharge is needed, while the Mitsubishi runs out of juice after just 80 miles (130 km). What’s more, there’s no danger of getting stranded in a Volt with a flat battery.

Viper production ends

Is this the end of an era, or just a short pause? After eighteen years, Dodge has ceased production of the Viper. The news was expected, having first been announced back in November 2009. The subsequent release of the Viper SRT10 Final Edition in April was confirmation of Dodge’s intentions.

The final car off the Detroit assembly line was a heavily customised example, built for an enthusiast from Texas who already owns forty Vipers. The paintwork - bronzed gold with copper stripes - is certainly, er, unique. It probably looks much nicer in the flesh…

There’s still no firm word from Dodge about the next-generation Viper. The rumours are that it won’t be with us until 2012, assuming it arrives at all. The company is still saying it is ‘investigating’ the situation but, judging by the encouraging comments Dodge Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles makes in this YouTube video, there seems to be genuine appreciation of how important the iconic Viper is to Dodge.

Green Car Awards 2010

The Environmental Transport Association (ETA), a UK-based ethical motoring organisation and sustainable travel lobby group, has announced its 2010 Green Car Awards winners.

BMW took the honours in three of the nine categories. Toyota meanwhile won in two, plus its iQ was given the accolade of overall Green Car of the Year 2010. In deciding how the titles would be awarded, over 5,000 cars were assessed on their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and amount of noise produced.

The worst cars in each category were also named, with the Lamborghini Murcielago being declared the least-green car overall. Perhaps the LP 640’s 495 g/km of carbon dioxide emissions and combined cycle fuel consumption of 13.3 mpg (21.3 l/100 km) had something to do with it?

Some of the results seem a bit odd, though. For example, the winning Toyota iQ (presumably the entry level 1.0 VVT-i Manual) seems to be bettered in a number of key criteria by the car that (possibly) inspired it - the Smart fortwo.

According to the ETA’s own data, this is how the iQ compares to the diesel-engined fortwo:

Measure	iQ 1.0 VVT-i	fortwo cdi turbodiesel coupé
Combined cycle consumption	4.3 l/100km / 65.7 mpg	3.3 l/100km / 85.6 mpg
Fuel cost over 12,000 miles	£930	£720
CO2 g/km	99	88*
Carbon monoxide g/km	0.15	0.174
Hydrocarbons g/km	0.03	0.246**
Oxides of nitrogen g/km	0.02	0.224
Particulates g/km	N/A	0.021

* Smart actually quotes 86 g/km.

** Figure is combined hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen.

On the basis of those figures, the Smart would appear to be the much ‘greener’ car, unless the extra hydrocarbons and particulates its diesel engine produces are considered really harmful? However, there were plenty of other diesel cars that won their categories, so it would seem that argument doesn’t really stand up.

Apart from that, there are some models mentioned that are no longer produced (for instance the V6-powered Volkswagen Golf and the AMG version of Mercedes-Benz’s R-Class). And it seems that the greenest off-roader prize has gone to the whole of the BMW X1 range, rather than an individual model. Notwithstanding the issue that anyone contemplating taking an X1 off-road would need to be very adventurous (and have a proper off-roader on standby to rescue them shortly afterwards), there’s quite a difference in fuel consumption and emissions between the rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions.

So, perhaps the results need to be viewed with a degree of circumspection but, for what it’s worth, here is the list of the ETA Green Car Awards 2010 winners and losers:

Category	Best	Worst
Green Car of the Year 2010	Toyota iQ	Lamborghini Murcielago
Greenest small family car	Honda Insight 1.3	Volkswagen Golf 3.2 V6
Greenest large family car	BMW 320d Touring	Vauxhall Insignia VXR V6 Turbo
Greenest supermini	Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D	Renault Clio Sport 200
Greenest city car	Toyota iQ	Fiat Panda 1.4 100HP
Greenest sports car	Vauxhall Tigra	Lamborghini Murcielago
Greenest MPV	Peugeot Bipper Tepee	Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG
Greenest small MPV	Renault Modus 1.5dci	Vauxhall Zafira VXR 2.0i Turbo
Greenest off-road car	BMW X1 E84	Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG
Greenest luxury car	BMW 740d	Bentley Brooklands

MG Design Centre opens

The slow resurgence of MG at its Birmingham site continues, with the opening of the MG Global Design Centre. Employing a team of twenty designers, the studio will sit alongside parent company SAIC’s European Technical Centre, where almost 300 engineers already work.



But what of vehicle manufacture at the facility? Well, the TF (getting on a bit but great value with UK prices starting at £13,799) continues to be produced there, and assembly of the MG6 hatch is due to begin at the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, MG has decided to rename the internal roads around the Birmingham works, following consultation with fans of the marque. The five names that will be used are Abingdon Avenue, Morris Garages Drive, Octagon Way, Austin Street and Issigonis Road. Funnily enough, BMW Boulevard and John Towers Terrace weren’t chosen.

2010 J. D. Power survey

The results of the 2010 J. D. Power and Associates / What Car? UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study have been published.



Over 17,000 owners, who on average had owned their cars for two years, took part in the survey. They were asked to assess their cars across four areas:

• Vehicle appeal, which covered performance, design, comfort and features


• Vehicle quality and reliability


• Ownership costs, including fuel consumption, insurance and servicing / repair costs


• Dealer service satisfaction

Topping the table of manufacturers once again was Lexus, which had an overall score of 84.6%. Significantly, the spread of marks wasn’t that massive - the industry average was 78.9% and the ‘worst’ performer, Chevrolet, still achieved a fairly respectable 74.2%.



Top five manufacturers:

1. Lexus (84.6%)

2. Honda (82.5%)

3. Jaguar (81.8%)

4. Mercedes-Benz (81.7%)

5. Toyota (81.4%)



Bottom five manufacturers:

23. Vauxhall (76.8%)

24. Peugeot (76.4%)

25. Suzuki (76.3%)

26. Fiat (76.1%)

27. Chevrolet (74.2%)



As can be seen, Jaguar was the top-performing European make, just beating Mercedes-Benz to third place. Its result was helped by the XF, which was joint second (with the Lexus IS) in the individual model scores. First in that league was Lexus again, the RX taking top honours with 86.7%.



Some inconsistencies across ranges were revealed by the individual model table. For example, the Kia C’eed was placed fourth with 83.8%, yet the Rio and Picanto scored a relatively modest 75.9% and 75.5% respectively. As a result, Kia only managed joint 18th place in the manufacturer list.



Bottom of the model pile was the Ford Ka (73.3%), although presumably the majority of the cars in the survey sample were the first generation version.



Full the full results, click here.