Month: January 2023 (Page 2 of 2)

New Vauxhall Astra spied

This is our best look yet at the all-new Vauxhall Astra. previously we’d only seen a grainy shot of the new hatchback but now we have a full set of images of a fully camouflaged prototype model. The new Astra is due to arrive sometime in 2015 and is likely to be built at Vauxhall’s Cheshire plant. 
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Although new styling details are challenging to make out due to the heavy camouflage, we can see the Astra has grown in size. The bonnet appears to be longer and much more sculpted, while at the back there is a larger rear overhang. A much more popular crease on the flank, which stretches from the A-pillar to the tail lamp is also noticeable.
Expect the new hatchback to adopt styling cues from the Vauxhall Opel Monza coupe revealed last year. It’s likely the design will be much more evolutionary than revolutionary but new front and rear bumpers plus a new look interior will guarantee the new model stands out.
As well as a design revamp, mechanical alterations are also expected to take place. The recently-introduced 114bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo likely to feature I the engine range, which willl give Vauxhall a direct rival to the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine found in the Ford Focus. also expect much more efficient version of the 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines, too.
The current Astra and Astra sports Tourer are produced at the company’s Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire, with the new model also set to be built there. It’s part of a £125 million investment that will generate 700 new jobs and protected 2,100 others.
Like previous incarnations of the Astra, various body styles and model variants will be provided to buyers. Although the spy shots portray the much more useful five-door model, a sportier three door and load-lugging estate model are also set to be made available. There’s no official word on pricing but the cost shouldn’t stray too far from the current model’s entry-level £12,995 price tag.

Operation Stack: government shelves plans for lorry park

The department for deliver has withdrawn plans for a lorry park by the M20, which was meant to simplicity congestion on the motorway when operation stack is enacted.
The organized 150-acre lorry park at Stanford, Kent was questionable from the outset, with regional residents arguing the £250million plan would have an adverse impact on the surrounding countryside. issues were likewise increased that the 3,600 lorries set to utilize the park would boost congestion as well as pollution.
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Campaigners opposing the plans increased over £10,000 as well as mounted a judicial evaluation into the park, which was because of take location in December. However, the DfT‘s statement it was “was no longer defending” this evaluation essentially shelves the Stanford park plans.
Roads priest Jesse Norman stated future plans might still include a lorry park, though: “We understand exactly how seriously the lives of Kent residents as well as the prospects of companies were impacted when operation stack was implemented in 2015”. Norman added that plans to battle operation stack congestion still “include a lorry park.”
What is operation Stack?
Operation stack was very first introduced in 1988 as well as is implemented by Kent authorities as well as the Port of Dover whenever there is disruption to channel crossings either through cross-channel ferries or the channel tunnel. It includes shutting part of the coast-bound side of the M20 in Kent as well as auto parking – or “stacking” – lorries together with it.

New 2021 Volvo C40 Recharge: UK prices and subscription plans revealed

Volvo has named its price for the new C40 Recharge – the brand’s first purely electric model and the first to be sold solely over the web, which is available now from £57,400.
The brand scored a smash hit with its XC40 small SUV – and now the firm is hoping to score additional sales with the second of its new generation of 40-series models, which will rival everything from the Audi Q4 e-tron to the Tesla model 3.

New Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge 2020 review

The C40 Recharge is a clear relative of the popular XC40, the pure-electric version of which became Volvo’s first EV offering at the end of last year. The C40’s front-end styling is very similar to the SUV’s, but its roofline tapers more sharply towards the rear, giving it the overall stance of an elevated hatchback – a crossover – instead of a 4×4. despite this, its floor height and seating position will be raised like in the XC40; the company says it will “provide customers with the high seating position that most Volvo drivers prefer”.
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The biggest difference in design comes at the C40’s tail, which has a new horizontal light treatment and a small roof spoiler.
The C40 shares the XC40’s CMA platform and some of its key dimensions – notably the wheelbase, which is identical. Indeed, Volvo quotes the same rear legroom figures for both cars, although the C40’s more aggressive roofline cuts around 6cm off the amount of headroom on offer to rear passengers. The crossover’s boot capacity of 413 litres is the same as the SUV’s, however – and it also offers the same ‘frunk’ area under the bonnet; the additional 31 litres of capacity an optimal place to store the charging cables.

Parking ban for new London homes and offices aims to cut air pollution

lots of of the new housing estates and offices being built in London will be subject to a vehicle parking ban on private cars, under new plans announced by the Mayor of London 
As part of the London Plan, Mayor Sadiq Khan is aiming to create car-free vehicle parking zones in new housing and office developments to cut down on air pollution. Under the draft plans, which will be subjected to a public consultation, housing developments in parts of London that are well-connected by indicates of public carry will not supply vehicle parking for cars, other than for disabled people. 
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The same will apply for office developments in central and inner London. Under the Mayor’s plans the developments “will no longer supply any commuter or visitor parking, other than for disabled people and for vital delivery and servicing purposes.” 
Any vehicle parking facilities that will be supplied need to be able to support electric automobiles by indicates of charging stations, while taxi ranks need to be capable of EV charging in the future, too. 
The Mayor’s office said: “In general, vehicle parking standards will be substantially tightened, with less provision in lots of areas, particularly in the most easily accessible parts of central and inner London and town centres.” 
Sadiq Khan is intending to see a rise in the number of cyclists on the capital’s streets and the draft plan is expected to announce a target of ensuring 70 per cent of people will live within 400 metres of a segregated cycle route by 2041. 
• how to appeal a vehicle parking ticket
Khan said: “To safe the future health and prosperity of our city, we need to be bolder in encouraging people to minimize their reliance on cars. It’s vital for taking care of congestion as London’s population grows, and important for minimizing our toxic air pollution emissions.
What do you think of the Mayor’s ambitions to create car-free vehicle parking zones in London? tell us in the comments below…

Fiat unveils Sportivo van range

models from across the Fiat van range can now be had in the top-of-the-range Sportivo trim. Upgraded styling and new engines make this trim unique and Fiat has already unveiled it on the Fiat Fiorino and the Fiat Ducato at the 2014 commercial vehicle Show.
The Sportivo trim costs £700 more than the Tecnico specification and creates a sporty look by adding alloy wheels, exclusive Sportivo side-stripes and painted bumpers. kit taken from the Tecnico trim is also fitted, including air con, front fog lights and parking sensors.
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Models available in this trim level range include the Fiat Fiorino Sportivo 1.3 95 MultiJet II, the Fiat Doblo Cargo Sportivo 1.6 105 MultiJet, the Fiat Scudo Sportivo 2.0 130 MultiJet and the Fiat Ducato Sportivo 2.3 150 MultiJet II.
Sebastiano Fedrigo, FIAT professional UK’s director, said: “We are delighted to welcome not only the new Sportivo models onto the FIAT professional stand at the commercial vehicle show in Birmingham, but also the vehicles of some of our most valued customers.
“Our growing success in meeting the demands and expectations of these high-profile companies highlights the increasing competitiveness of our commercial vehicle line-up. and with more new products, derivatives and technologies in the pipeline, we hope to see FIAT Professional’s success continue into 2014 and beyond!”

Corvette ZR1 Convertible revealed at LA motor show

only a few weeks after Chevrolet pulled the wraps of its new Corvette ZR1, the American producer has revealed a soft-top version of its flagship sports vehicle at the LA motor Show.
It’s the very first soft-top Corvette to bear the ZR1 badge because the seventies as well as is priced from $123,995 (£92,400) in the US; that’s a $4,000(£3,000) premium over the coupe. before tax.
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• finest sports vehicles 2017
Chevrolet hasn’t had to make any type of structural modifications to the aluminium body to fit the folding roof, which is digitally managed as well as it can be operated at speeds of as much as 30mph. only 27kg has been added to the weight of the Convertible, which comes down to the folding mechanism.
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Under the skin it utilizes the exact same 6.2-litre supercharged V8 creating 744bhp as well as 969Nm of torque. It’s paired with Chevrolet’s new eight-speed semi-automatic gearbox, as well as capable of 0-60mph in less than three seconds. flat out Chevrolet states the ZR1 convertible can hit 212mph.
Chevrolet likewise provides clients the choice of a ZTK performance Package, which brings an adjustable rear wing front splitter, carbon fibre end caps, sticky Michelin Pilot sport cup 2 tyres as well as adaptive dampers. With the aero tweaks top speed does experience however Chevrolet still declares it can surpass 200mph.
Which would you have: the hard-top or the convertible Corvette ZR1? let us understand in the comments!

Volvo to go electric with new variety of EVs as well as hybrid designs from 2019

Volvo has revealed a major electrification push as well as product offensive that will see the Swedish carmaker transform its entire variety into hybrid as well as completely electric vehicles over the coming years.
The firm’s electric transformation will truly begin two years from now – Volvo states that every cars and truck it introduces from 2019 onwards will have an electric motor, beginning the push to phase out cars and trucks powered solely by interior combustion engines. It’ll location electrification at the front as well as centre of whatever Volvo makes.
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• finest electric cars and trucks on sale 2017
Håkan Samuelsson, president as well as chief executive of Volvo cars and trucks said: “People progressively demand electrified cars, as well as we want to respond to our customers’ present as well as future needs. You can now pick as well as select whichever electrified Volvo you wish.” 
Fully electric, plug-in hybrid as well as moderate hybrid cars and trucks of all shapes as well as sizes will go on sale, as well as the firm targets to offer a overall of 1 million electrified vehicles by 2025.
Volvo’s upcoming, broad hybrid portfolio will see every cars and truck in the variety offered with 48-volt electrified design as well as a option of moderate or plug-in hybrid assistance mated to both petrol as well as diesel powertrains.
The firm likewise means to release five all-electric cars and trucks between 2019 as well as 2021. three of these cars and trucks will wear Volvo badges, while the other two will autumn under the Polestar badge. As exposed by auto reveal last month, Volvo plans to spin its performance arm off as a separate, high-performance electrified cars and truck company.
Back at the Shanghai motor show in April, Volvo exposed that the very first of those five all-electric cars and trucks would be developed in China – house of the firm’s parent business Geely – for around the world export.
When the cars and truck shows up in 2019, the firm’s Compact Modular design (CMA) will underpin it. The platform will be showed Volvo’s upcoming fleet of little cars, including the new XC40 SUV, the S40 saloon as well as the V40 hatchback. As such, we expect something similar in proportion as well as cost to the Tesla design 3.
Larger EVs utilizing the larger Scalable product design – currently employed on the XC90 as well as XC60 SUVs – will comply with up. 

What do you make of Volvo’s strong electrification strategy? let us understand in the comments!

‘The UK government should part-fund our own British car Company’

Last time I checked, MPs were preparing to blow “at least £12billion” refurbishing their already lavish London workplace, the houses of Parliament. They also said yes to burning about £100billion on HS2, which many of them will use, all-expenses-paid, when travelling from home to London and back. Those same MPs and others will set the licence fee we pay, the main funding for the state broadcaster, whose microphones and studios are conveniently exploited by politicians peddling their policies, propaganda and idle promises. 
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That’s billions of our pounds chucked around, just on a building refurb, a new railway, and funding the BBC. but might some, or most, of this public money be more wisely and productively invested in the BCC – the British car company – which I’m proposing, and the UK government could part-fund?

Honda confirms sale of Swindon factory

Why? To create vast numbers of proper, permanent and worthwhile jobs where folk earn decent salaries and, in turn, pay taxes. The UK has lately been losing too many of its once-busy car factories. big players such as MG Rover (RIP), Ford and Peugeot stopped making cars here a decade or three ago. Tragically, Honda will exit this summer when it closes its Swindon production line. And, after being bought/caught by a far Eastern firm this month, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the tiny but still tasty minnow Caterham could build its cars overseas.

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