Archive for November, 2012
Blog : Dying dealers – where do they go from here?
Mike Humble Clive Goldthorp’s recent article about the closure of his local Honda dealer spurred me on to think about the state of play in general with regard not just fringe marque dealers, but the volume outlets too. Sadly, the closure of Clive’s local agent comes as no real shock to me partly because of the difficult times presently [...]
November 28, 2012
· 
Mike Humble · 
57 Comments
News : Jaguar XFR-S breaks cover in LA
The Jaguar XFR-S has been unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles motor show, and it’s going M5, RS and AMG hunting. The new British super-saloon receives the same engine as the XKR-S with 542bhp, gets its speed limiter raised to 186mph, and has been priced at £79,995. The XFR-S’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 has been boosted [...]
November 28, 2012
· Keith Adams · 56 Comments
Concepts : Land Rover LRX
The second ever Land Rover concept was revealed at the 2008 Detroit motor show, after being previewed to the press in December 2007. It was a design masterpiece, and few would have suspected that it would go into production with almost unchanged styling just three years later. In fact, we’re struggling to think of any car [...]
November 28, 2012
· Keith Adams · 29 Comments
Our Cars : The Astra Sports Tourer goes home
Current mileage 12,101 Claimed economy 62.8mpg Actual economy 48.1mpg One of the joys of living in a multi-vehicle household is that there’s always work to do on one of the cars. And because I have a taste for fast hatchbacks from the 1970s and ’80s in particular – and the rarer the better – I’m [...]
November 27, 2012
· Keith Adams · 23 Comments
Essays : Top 10 Car of The Year winners
In early December, the shortlist for the 2013 Car of The Year will be revealed. As usual, the event is open to cars available new in at least five European Union states, and which sell a minimum of 5000 per year. The event has grown significantly since the award was first run in 1964, but [...]
November 26, 2012
· Keith Adams · 44 Comments
Blog : The death of a Honda dealership
Words: Clive Goldthorp Photography: Simon Davies/Pegasus Photographics and Honda (UK) My local Honda dealership, Two Mills Honda Limited, ceased trading two weeks ago – just as my wife and I were about to book our 09/59 Honda Jazz 1.4i ES and 11/61 Honda Civic 1.8i EX GT in for their Annual Services and, in the case of [...]
November 26, 2012
· Clive Goldthorp · 47 Comments
Sales Talk : The right way to do it…
Mike Humble The other day I was bimbling along in my cocooned world of Rover’s patented leather and walnut when I was overtaken by a Hyundai i40. ‘What’s the fuss about that’, you may think, but I had to rub my eyes partly due to the fact that I actually found it to be a [...]
November 26, 2012
· Mike Humble · 31 Comments
Blog : How to market the MG6
Simon Weakley It has been said on AROnline many times before that MG Motor UK is not doing enough to promote the MG6 to a wider public. Sales have therefore been, to say the least, limited - even accounting for the Avis fleet deal. However, in defence of MG Motor UK, the cost of ‘above the line’ press and [...]
November 25, 2012
· Keith Adams · 52 Comments
Technician’s Update : When in doubt, Ecotec it elsewhere!
Mike Humble Most of us would probably acknowledge that, in its earliest incarnation, the Vauxhall Vectra failed by a country mile to capture the hearts and souls of the British motorist. It was by no means a flop - in fact, it sold rather well - but no one could ever describe it as dynamic as say the [...]
November 22, 2012
· Mike Humble · 32 Comments
First Drive : MG6 GT 1.9DTI SE
We’ve been waiting such a long time for this car and there’s a lot riding on it. The MG6 was launched amidst a sense of quiet optimism at Longbridge in May 2011 but, very quickly, it established itself as a slow-seller. Many people blamed the lack of marketing and publicity; and even more decried it for the absence of [...]
November 21, 2012
· Keith Adams · 68 Comments
News : The final Mini leaves Longbridge
Keith Adams Back in the 2005, when Urban Exploration was new and exciting, the sprawling Longbridge site came under considerable scrutiny. After MG Rover fell into administration, talented and brave young trespassers with nice DSLRs and a gift for framing a great photograph broke in and supplied us with some great pictures of hitherto unseen [...]
November 20, 2012
· Keith Adams · 76 Comments
Blog : Dacia – shooting fish in a barrel
Keith Adams So, the news that filtered through today was interesting. Dacia’s UK launch in January 2013 is really beginning to look interesting with the news that the Sandero supermini will be hitting the market at £5995 – to become Britain’s cheapest new car. Not only that, but Dacia has announced that leasing deals start [...]
November 19, 2012
· Keith Adams · 124 Comments
News : MG3 will be assembled in the UK
Keith Adams The UK-designed and engineered MG3 will be assembled at Longbridge in an arrangement that mirrors production of its bigger brother, the MG6. A source close to the factory has confirmed to AROnline that the supermini, which has been on sale in China and in left-hand drive markets around the world since 2011, will [...]
November 18, 2012
· Keith Adams · 58 Comments
News : Jaguar Land Rover’s China deal goes ahead
Keith Adams Jaguar Land Rover’s Joint Venture with Chery Automobile has been ratified by the National Development and Reform Commission in China. This means that the British company will be building cars with the Chinese manufacturer in a £1.1bn deal that should see car production begin at a new manufacturing plant in Changshu, near Shanghai. [...]
November 18, 2012
· Keith Adams · 19 Comments
Technician’s Update : A real SEi opener…
Mike Humble I will, as many of you may now know, equally applaud excellent service as well as lambast the shonky or slate the slapdash. Anyone who entrusts their motor to a garage - either due to an acute lack of skill or ability - knows it’s like placing your head into the Lion’s mouth. It’s the same [...]
November 18, 2012
· Mike Humble · 14 Comments
Events : Footman James Classic Motor Show
Words: Keith Adams Photography: Keith Adams and Richard Kilpatrick Once again, the National Exhibition Centre hosted the UK’s largest indoor classic car motor show – but, this year, it attracted a record number of visitors: 58,000, up from 50,000 in 2011. Showgoers were clogging up the M6 and M42 attempting to get in, which must [...]
November 17, 2012
· Keith Adams · 40 Comments
News : JLR talking to Aston Martin?
Executives at Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata Motors have held talks with Aston Martin as the supercar firm looks set to be taken over. A high-level industry source told the Birmingham Post that Tata is one of several potential buyers for Gaydon-based Aston Martin, alongside the likes of Toyota and Mahindra & Mahindra. Speculation has been [...]
November 16, 2012
· Keith Adams · 29 Comments
News : MINI squeezes in 28 (good friends)
Anyone who says you can’t squeeze many people into a MINI -prepare to eat your words. A team of gym members from East Sussex has broken two Guinness World Records for the number of people inside both a classic Mini and a 2012 MINI. An amazing tally of 28 ladies crammed their way into the [...]
November 15, 2012
· Keith Adams · 8 Comments
Essays : Top 10 ‘might have beens’
The site’s USP is, without doubt, its fine collection of stories, galleries and recollections by those who were there of the unborn heroes – the cars that never saw the light of day, but should have. And the history pages on this site are absolutely crammed with such cars. And with that in mind, Keith [...]
November 14, 2012
· Keith Adams · 80 Comments
News : Jessica Ennis shows off F-type
The F-type had its first proper public airing at the 2012 Lord Mayor’s Show in London. It was ridden in by Team GB Olympic gold-medalist and Jaguar Academy of Sports Ambassador Jessica Ennis. The new car was accompanied by two E-types and received a warm welcome from the chilly and dampened crowd. The E-types were [...]
November 13, 2012
· Keith Adams · 23 Comments
