It's times like this where I miss being back home in Cardiff. After weeks of rain my car's covered in a fairly substantial layer of filth, not to mention mud from a nearby building and site paw prints from whichever one of the neighbours' cats likes to curl up on the bonnet. It's in quite a state and, if I was back home a nice sunny bank holiday weekend would make an ideal opportunity to whip it into my parents' garage for a clean up and niggle-fixing session.
I’ve always had a soft spot for small cars. Even a crush on Suzuki Cappuccinos, the frothy sports cars that hailed from Japan in the 1990s to meet the domestic kei jidosha rules limiting engine size to 660cc and length to 3,400mm.
Nanjing Automobile Group said it has set the price range for its MG 7 cars, which are built using technologies it bought from the UK's defunct MG Rover, at 171,600-302,800 yuan or £11,309 - £19,956.
Soaring demand has sent sales and profits at Crewe-based Bentley Motors to record levels.
A car parts manufacturer threatened with closure following the collapse of MG Rover is celebrating the opening of a purpose-built £4 million factory after winning new orders and doubling its workforce.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally has said the company does not need a global luxury brand, but will instead focus on streamlining its core Blue Oval brand with fewer vehicle platforms and more parts sharing worldwide.
Ford is to unveil its vision for a possible replacement for the Fiesta at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
UK car production saw a 10.1% rise in July to 129,935 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Land Rover has added a new Premium pack to its Freelander range.
A survey of labour rates at franchised and independent workshops have revealed a north-south divide in prices.
Subaru’s new Impreza will be priced at £12,495 when it goes on sale in the UK next month.
Peugeot is recalling 240,000 of its 307 models in Europe due to a problem with the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic stability programme (ESP) functions.
Audi has added 3.2 FSI and 2.7 TDI engines to join its A5 line-up.
Akzo Nobel has been named preferred paint supplier by National Car Rental in a new three year contract.
Monthly statistics on Britain’s used vehicle markets to June 2007 show a 99,953-unit or 2.5% decline in used car transactions to 3.793m in the six months to June.
Prices for Renault’s new Laguna range start from £15,990 when it goes on sale on October 19.
Honda UK has created a higher specified version of its Civic Hybrid due to demand from customers.
The Liberal Democrats would raise taxes on the most polluting cars to up to £2,000 a year as part of a package of measures designed to combat global warming.
Car dealers who believe that in-showroom finance sales are unpopular with consumers are missing out on a major business stream if they neglect this area, according to the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA).
Nissan will feature a fuel efficiency gauge on all of its new models in reaction to drivers wanting more information on how their driving style directly relates to fuel economy.
Kia has revealed pictures of its three-door Cee’d hot hatch.
I saw another small corner of the British automotive landscape stutter to a close the other day.
Motorpoint has invested £100,000 in the refurbishment of its Newport supermarket site, as part of its group investment programme.
British Gas has ordered 1,000 Caddys, in Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ biggest ever fleet deal.
Used prestige-brand estate cars have become increasingly affordable over the past year, according to EurotaxGlass’s.
Volvo has developed a low carbon dioxide emitting C30 variant and new diesel Powershift transmission as part of its focus on biofuels and hybrid technology.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders will launch a new service, Automotive Supplier Finder, with a two-month free trial.
Audi has developed a new diesel engine for its A3 line-up which has a carbon dioxide output of 119g/km, making it exempt under the proposed changes to the London congestion charge.
Mazda’s relaunched Mazda ZZ+ approved used car programme has gone live this month.
Citroen will reveal its C5 Airscape concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.
