Renault Zoe Available to Order

The Renault Zoe is to be launched in Spring 2013 but customer with their heart set on the car can pre-order now for £49. The small electric car could potentially rival the likes of the Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 as one of the most popular city cars.  

Renault say the Zoe will cost £13,650 after the deductions based around the government’s electric car grant scheme. This makes Zoe significantly cheaper to buy than other electric cars on the road which could potentially prove a popular reason to buy the car. The car is cheaper primarily because of Renaults battery rental scheme. An owner can pay £70 per month for the battery and avoid the costs of replacing expensive spent batteries.

Renault have also claimed that the battery motor in the Zoe will give the best range of any electric car in the UK with 130 miles travel possible on a full battery charge.

The Frenchcar giant says this is the first electric vehicle in the UK market to be designed solely as an electric car and not an adaptation of a fuel based model. Renault’s Fluence ZE and Kangoo ZE have been developed from existing platforms and the Renault Twizy is classed as a quadracycle.

New Mercedes A-Class Proving Popular

Mercedes have said the sales of their new A-Class are booming. The car has become the most pre-ordered car in the company’s history with over 70,000 sales in Europe alone.  The pre-orders equate to 1 in every 10 people ordering a car that turned up to a pre-launch event.

Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche also took the opportunity to identify Mercedes’ absence in key markets such as the small SUV market and said this is making the form lag behind key competitors Audi and BMW. However he did say that they plan to gain ground in these markets within the next 5 years and they aim to be the world’s leading premium car manufacturer by 2020. 

The cheapest on the road price is £18,945 and deliveries of the car are expected soon. So expect to see this beautiful looking car on the roads near you soon. 

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Lamborghini Gallardo gets a Facelift

One of the most iconic cars in the world gets a facelift. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is often considered the go-to car when people think of a richer side of life. Pictured is the Spyder version, which is fancy motoring talk for convertible, the standard face lifted version of the Gallardo was shown off at the Paris Motor Show a few weeks ago. 

The new Gallardo Spyder has a more aggressive look which is highlighted by the more angular shaping of the car. The front bumper supports a linier and triangular shape than before and the design is highlighted even more at the rear. Other new features include large air intakes in-front of the front wheels. The alloy wheels have been redesigned and the 19-inch ‘Apollo’ wheels are offered in both black and polished metal finishes.

Just like the standard Gallardo Coupe version, The Spyder can be ordered with an optional style pack. This effectively adds a glossy black colour to the front and rear grilles as well as the underside of the front spoiler and parts of the rear. Further customization will be available using Lamborghini’s new ‘Ad Personam’ program.

The face lifted Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder will arrive in UK showrooms from November. Chances are you’ll have to be pretty wealthy to be able to accord a car lease for it.

Toyota recalls 138,000 cars in the UK

Toyota has yet again had to recall cars due to a fault. This time they are recalling 138,000 cars in the UK due to a faulty electrical window switch. This marks one of several recalls Toyota has had to make over the years. The recall comes as Toyota announce that in total, over 7 million people in several countries will be affected.

The cars affected are the Toyota RAV4, Corolla, Auris and Yaris models built between September 2006 and December 2008. Drivers of the mentioned cars could find that “Power Window Master Switch” may become stuck an inoperable and perhaps even more concerning is that they could catch fire if incorrectly lubricated by a user.

It is reported that one serious case has been reported in the UK and because of this Toyota have made the decision to recall all cars it has identified could be affected.They say symptoms are an uneven or “notchy” action. The switch is not designed to be lubricated with commercial lubricants and if done so, this is when the switch may overheat or melt.

Toyota have said that the owners of the cars affected will be contacted within the next six weeks and asked to make an appointment with their local dealer or approved garage. A repair or replacement will then be carried out free or charge. More information can be found by contacting Toyota customer relations on 01737 367600.

Range Rover Hybrid Confirmed

 

Jaguar Land Rover have announced plans to introduce hybrid technology to Land Rover’s range most likely starting with the flagship Range Rover models. 

Peter Richings, chief engineer for hybrid technology at Jaguar Land Rover said: “Plug-in hybrids definitely have the most potential. The Range Rover is the logical place to start as buyers of this car are able to afford the technology. It makes sense to put it in the top car and let it filter its way down the range.”

He also said that the Range Rover was the logical choice due to the added weight the hybrid technology brings with it.

Although a release time couldn’t be confirmed, Ritchings did say “It will be sometime after 2015, but before 2020.” Suggesting that the technology to successfully turn such a large vehicle into a practical hybrid is still a few years away.

Although Jaguar Land Rover may not be too far away from creating something for the Range Rovers range as they have already experimented with a Jaguar XJ prototype which replaced the 5.0 litre V8 in the car with a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and a 94bhp electric motor. This resulted in the prototype having fuel economy of 73.5mpg and was able to run for 25 miles on electric power only.