Archive for December, 2010
New Year’s resolutions
Keith Adams I reckon that this seems like a good time to look forward and set myself a few goals: 1) Own a CityRover. I have a real blindness with these cars – everyone seems to hate them with a passion, but I’d love to own one and prove all of the naysayers wrong. 2) Build [...]
December 30, 2010
· 
Keith Adams · 
19 Comments
China Watch : New MG3 Crossover revealed
Adam Sloman Fresh from the recent Chinese launch of the MG3, details have emerged over on China Car Times of a new Crossover version. The new car will take the place of the current MG3 SW, which is closely related to the Rover 25-based Streetwise, originally launched back in 2003. The MG3 SW has been [...]
December 30, 2010
· Adam Sloman · 33 Comments
RatRod 2011 : The search is on…
Keith Adams It’s been three years since I’ve been on a Banger Rally and, as the months have worn on, I’ve found that the withdrawal symptoms have become increasingly painful. In 2009, I missed out on a full event and, instead, flew by Easyjet to meet the CzechWrecks Rally in Prague and drive back Team [...]
December 28, 2010
· Keith Adams · 22 Comments
India Watch : Tata’s gold-encrusted Nano
Keith Adams It’s time to jazz up the Tata Nano – and this is Titan’s take on the old idea of automotive alchemy. Literally. The Tata Nano remains the world’s cheapest car you can buy new and starts from around £1500 in its home market of India. It’s an exercise in minimalism, with standard models [...]
December 28, 2010
· Keith Adams · 10 Comments
Say hello… to a good buy!
Buying a car is always a stressful time, but now is the time to buy for those lucky enough to be in the right position. Mike Humble explains why: Season’s Greetings! I know, I know, it’s a cheesy title for a blog, but a now long-gone Motor Trader I knew in the Midlands used it for [...]
December 27, 2010
· Mike Humble · 3 Comments
My guilty Christmas secret
Keith Adams Time to fess up. I have a guilty secret. Every year, I look forward to Christmas Day to enjoy one of life’s little pleasures: the lonely, early morning drive. This year, it was a case of digging my long-termer Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion off the drive (not difficult really, as we’ve not exactly been [...]
December 27, 2010
· Keith Adams · 7 Comments
MG Motor UK : New models will be sold by GM in the UK
Keith Adams It’s been the will-they-won’t-they story of the past two weeks, but the indications are that SAIC Motor Corp, which has owned the MG brand since April, 2008, and General Motors will be collaborating to sell the British-badged cars in their home market. GM and SAIC Motor have been in a long-term Joint Venture in China and have been [...]
December 27, 2010
· Keith Adams · 17 Comments
Lotus : New images of next-gen models released
Keith Adams How we all swooned over Lotus’ amazing line-up of new cars when they were rolled-out at the Paris Motor Show in 2010. No less than six new cars were shown to the world, ranging from an interesting little City Car Concept to a Porsche Panamera-rivalling four-door, which looks set to cost well over £150,000 [...]
December 27, 2010
· Keith Adams · 19 Comments
Morris Minor Million reaches 50…
The British Automotive Industry reached a hugely important landmark on the 4th January, 1961. That day was earmarked for the launch of a limited edition Morris Minor aptly named the ‘Morris Minor 1,000,000’, by the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The occasion was the production of a million vehicles of the same basic design. This was a [...]
December 24, 2010
· Keith Adams · 25 Comments
Happy Christmas, merry New Year
Keith Adams Here we are, then - another year on, perhaps a little wiser and, possibly, a little poorer, but I hope happier and a little more educated than this time last year. Stumbling into 2011, we’re still awaiting a new MG from Longbridge, Jaguar and Land Rover are going from strength to strength and the MINI brand looks [...]
December 23, 2010
· Keith Adams · 36 Comments
MG Car Club : MGLive! to use Silverstone F1 Arena circuit in 2011
The MG Car Club (MGCC) has today announced that MGLive! 2011 will take centre stage at Silverstone on the 24th to the 26th June, 2011 and that the event’s Race Programme will be using the Silverstone F1 Arena circuit. The MGCC aims to build on the success of this year’s event when over 20,000 classic car enthusiasts [...]
December 22, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
MG6 : New Saloon and Sports versions unveiled at Auto Guangzhou 2010
Words: Clive Goldthorp Photographs: Ash Sutcliffe/China Car Times The new MG3 was not the only new MG model to appear on the MG stand at Auto Guangzhou today – SAIC Motor/MG also unveiled the Roewe 550-based MG6 Saloon and a revised version of the TEIN-badged MG6 Fastback which was first seen at the Chengdu Motor Show [...]
December 21, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 6 Comments
MG3 : Making a low-key debut at Auto Guangzhou 2010
Words: Clive Goldthorp Photographs: Ash Sutcliffe/China Car Times SAIC Motor, MG’s parent company, has given the brand’s second all-new model, the B-segment MG3, what was a reportedly low-key debut at Auto Guangzhou 2010. The MG3 has been styled by the MG Global Design Team led by Tony Williams-Kenny at MG Birmingham and, as anticipated, bears [...]
December 20, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 67 Comments
Roewe 350 : SAIC Motor’s forgotten midliner
Keith Adams It’s funny how we’ve placed so much emphasis on the Roewe 550/MG6, MG3, and Roewe 750/MG7 in recent months but left the inoffensive little Roewe 350 slip by without much of a word. It’s not that the mid-sized Roewe isn’t without interest – it features an all-new VVT-i 1.5-litre engine, an Android O/S enabled [...]
December 19, 2010
· Keith Adams · 7 Comments
Personalise your car – the universal way
Mike Humble fondly recalls when side stripes and seat covers were all the rage in the crazy days of the Car Accessory Shop. Over the years, many well-known retailers have disappeared from our towns’ and cities’ high streets. Most people over the age of 30 will remember great names (some not so great) such as C&A, Co-Op [...]
December 19, 2010
· Mike Humble · 15 Comments
MINI : Paceman Concept to be revealed at NAIAS in Detroit next month
Keith Adams A new MINI Design concept will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month. The MINI Paceman Concept is the first Sports Activity Coupé in the premium small segment of the market and is clearly BMW’s shot across the bows of the upcoming Range Rover Evoque. [...]
December 19, 2010
· Keith Adams · 57 Comments
Lots of turmoil, usually serious
Chris Sawyer, Executive Editor of US-based website Cars In Context, reflects on his time as Communications Director of Lotus Cars USA Inc. Through long-term friendships with Lotus personnel, many stretching back over 20 years, and my time as the Communications Director of Lotus Cars USA Inc. (LCU) – a position that was the main focus of my [...]
December 18, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 3 Comments
India Watch : Jaguar Land Rover’s global sales up 22% in November
Automotive News Europe/Reuters, 15th December, 2010 MUMBAI (Reuters) – Jaguar Land Rover’s global sales rose 22 percent to 22,957 units in November, parent Tata Motors Limited said in a statement Wednesday. Jaguar’s sales for the month rose 30 percent to 5,621 cars while Land Rover’s volume increased 20 percent to 17,336 SUVs. Helped by strong [...]
December 16, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · One Comment
Lotus : The inside track on the wrangle over the Team Lotus IPRs
Chris Sawyer, Executive Editor of US-based website Cars In Context, gives us his analysis of the latest developments in the dispute over the IPRs to the Team Lotus Trade Marks.
December 16, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 2 Comments
Giving saloons the boot!
Mike Humble I saw her today as I drove to the shops - she was there, outside the newsagents, and I’m in love again. She’s 25 years old and somewhat younger than me, but do you know what? I don’t care. Her red complexion and plain yet distinctive looks are everything to me and, already, I’m wondering what my [...]
December 16, 2010
· Mike Humble · 25 Comments
