Prime Minister welcomes MINI E

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, welcomed an all-electric, zero emissions MINI E to the Government car pool today in Downing Street. The MINI E will be tested by ministers wanting to try a fully-fledged electric car in an urban environment on their official business around London.

The MINI E was presented to the government car pool by Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group (UK) Ltd, following the handover of 40 identical cars to pioneering drivers on Sunday to members of the public who will run the cars as part of an important scientific field trial. The cars will be tested for one year in total and will both help to shape the future of BMW Group electric vehicle development and to inform the wider world about the economic, behavioural and practical issues of living with an electric vehicle.

The Prime Minister was joined by Cabinet colleagues, including the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of electric vehicle development through the Government’s Technology Strategy Board.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “I congratulate BMW and MINI for their ground-breaking electric MINI project and I welcome the extensive user field trial that has now begun.”

The Prime Minister added: “The low carbon transport industry will not only cut harmful emissions but has the potential to be a major source of jobs and growth. We have already committed £400 million of support to the sector, encouraging its development and take-up, and I am confident that in future years we will see thousands more electric and other low carbon cars on Britain’s roads."

Lord Mandelson said: “I am delighted that the MINI E is going to be put through its paces by Government ministers for two months. The Government is keen to show that driving electric vehicles is fun. I want the UK to be a world leader in low carbon transport and cars like the UK-built MINI can help us achieve that aim.”

The Prime Minister and Lord Mandelson were also able to meet one of the first MINI E test drivers, Oxford resident David Beesley, who collected his car from the MINI plant at Oxford on Sunday. “I have only had my MINI E for two days but it’s really fun to drive and it feels great to be reducing my carbon footprint,” he enthused.

Like the MINI E research projects in North America and Germany, the UK trial is a collaborative effort between the partners in a BMW Group UK-led consortium.

Scottish and Southern Electric will be responsible for the electricity infrastructure in the research area and is committed to supplying ‘green energy’ from sustainably generated sources to all drivers of the MINI E through an offsetting scheme.

Oxford Brookes University’s Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre will manage the collation of qualitative and quantitative research throughout the UK project. This will include analysis of driver experiences with the MINI E, as well as reviewing the technical information provided by the data-logging units fitted to every MINI E.

The consortium is strengthened by public sector organisations from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. These organisations are working to develop high economic growth projects such as this.

Additional funding is provided by the Technology Strategy Board as part of a UK-wide programme involving trials of 340 ultra-low carbon vehicles from several manufacturers. This funding enables the monthly lease for MINI pioneers to be reduced from £550 to £330.

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Car of The Year 2010 - The new VW Polo

“The new Polo stands for German engineering craftsmanship and superior cutting edge technology. The fifth generation Polo was designed to address customer expectations with even greater uncompromising standards. That is why we are naturally very pleased to see our efforts validated in the form of this award,” says Professor Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Group.

Selection as Car of the Year is one of the oldest and most esteemed awards in Europe. The best of all new car introductions have been awarded annually since 1964. The last time a Volkswagen won was in 1992: Back then the new third generation Golf emerged victoriously over the Opel Astra and Citroën ZX. In today’s competition, 59 jurors from 23 European countries cast their votes. The new Polo won with 347 points, outpacing the Toyota IQ.

Hakan Matson, president of the jury, had this to say at the award ceremony in Madrid: “It was the Polo’s comprehensive safety equipment and its advanced range of engines that impressed us the most. On the Polo BlueMotion Volkswagen was also able to add a very fuel-efficient yet affordable car to its car programme.”

The Polo’s selection as Car of the Year 2010 is the crowning achievement of an extraordinary year for the new Polo after already being named Best Car 2009 by “auto motor sport” magazine and winning the Grüne (“Green”) and the Goldene Lenkrad (“Golden Steering Wheel”) awards by publisher Springer Verlag − as well as the Auto Trophy by “Autozeitung” just a few days ago.

Not only was the award jury impressed by the new Polo. Since its market launch in May of this year, Volkswagen has received over 130,000 orders for the new benchmark car of the compact class. The Polo is available as a dynamic 3-door and comfortable 5-door in Germany. As the Polo BlueMotion, just 3.3 litre fuel consumption makes it the most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly five-seater in the world.

New Team Joins Clio Winter Cup Series

Entries for the 2009 ELF Renault Clio Winter Cup with Michelin continue to grow with Darren Wilson the latest driver to register for the one-make series which takes place at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham Motor Speedway on Saturday, 7th November.

The 43-year-old racer from Newark in Nottingham, who finished 21st in his debut Clio Cup season, will be competing with 20Ten Racing, a brand new Clio Cup team based in Derby and headed up by Team Manager Simon Hunt together with Wilson.

Wilson becomes the sixth driver to join the series along with Total Control Racing’s Sam Tordoff (Leeds) and Daniel Lloyd (Huddersfield), Westbourne Motorsport’s James Colburn (Worthing) and Clio Cup newcomers Matthew Munson (Burnham, Bucks) and Paul Plant (Copthorne, West Sussex) who are both backed by Stancombe Vehicle Engineering.

Commenting on the announcement, Wilson said: “I really enjoyed my debut Clio Cup season and managed to finish in all but one round. The winter series is a great way of keeping my hand in for next season but also to give the new team a taste of what to expect.

“We had always planned to set up a team at the end of the year after learning the ropes from an established team. We’ve already placed an order for a new Clio Cup car with the upgraded engine which, along with my current car, means we’ll have at least two entries for the 2010 championship.”

This year’s Clio Winter Cup sees a change from previous years with the series being contested over just two rounds instead of the previous four in order to help boost costs for both teams and drivers. Organisers are also offering a 5% discount from the 2010 ELF Renault Clio Cup with Michelin registration fee to all drivers who take part in this year’s Winter Cup.

The series will still adopt the same format as used in recent years of 1x qualifying session and 2 x races with testing taking place on the Friday beforehand. Cars without the latest bodywork update, introduced during the summer, will also be allowed to compete.

Corsa Flexes ECO cred with new sub 99g model

The most economical Vauxhall model ever will be available to order from January 2010 when the new Corsa ecoFLEX hits the UK market, boasting CO₂ emissions of just 98g/km and a miserly combined fuel consumption of 76.3mpg.

Even in five-door trim, the Corsa ecoFLEX achieves 99g/km and, like the three-door, is equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) as standard, which dramatically reduces the most harmful emissions. As a result, Corsa ecoFLEX drivers will benefit from not only the lowest 13 per cent BIK diesel band, but full exemption from VED (Vehicle Excise Duty).

Yet incredibly, this parsimony has not dented this Corsa’s driveability. Despite the improvement in fuel consumption and emissions, the ecoFLEX packs 21 per cent more power from its 1.3 CDTi turbodiesel engine, its output rising from 75 to 95PS. Torque is also up by 20Nm to 190Nm available at just 1750rpm, allowing drivers the kind of flexibility normally vacant in eco-class cars.

To achieve this rare combination of performance and frugality, the Corsa ecoFLEX’s 1.3 CDTi now employs a variable geometry turbocharger which significantly improves both performance and efficiency. To support the higher turbo pressure, the compression ratio has also been reduced from 18.0 to 16.8:1, while the injection system’s calibration has been revised to boost low-end torque and peak power.

As a result, the Corsa ecoFLEX’s performance is enhanced further, despite using taller gearing. It will now accelerate from 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 110mph.

Using the chassis and aerodynamic modifications from the current Corsa 105g/km model, the new ecoFLEX also benefits from a 20mm lower ride height than standard and in Life trim gets 175/70 low-rolling resistance tyres on 14-inch steel rims (Club models get 15-inch steel rims with alloys as an option) and aero-optimised wheel trims.

IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL FOR ACTOR TOM CHAMBERS – IN HIS NEW CAR!

Actor and reigning Strictly Come Dancing champion Tom Chambers celebrated his return to television this week by collecting a new Fiat 500C.

Tom, who appears in the latest series of the BBC1 smash-hit school drama Waterloo Road, (starting tonight, 28 October, 8pm), called in to collect a Raggamuffin Red 1.2 Pop version of the sought-after Fiat 500 soft-top from Fiat’s flagship dealer, Fiat Marylebone, in Wigmore Street, Central London.

The actor has been driving a 500 hatchback – recently voted Best Supermini in What Car? magazine’s Reader Awards 2009 – since last Christmas, but planned to swop into a 500C after the car’s UK launch in July this year. Tom and his wife Clare also own an early Fiat 500.

“Everyone knows I love the Fiat 500 – both the original and this latest version,” says Tom. “So I was really excited when I first saw the convertible. It has all the benefits of the hard top car with the addition of that fantastic folding roof.

“As an actor, my work takes me to locations all over the country and it’s really important to have a car that can take me there comfortably, reliably and certainly economically. And it helps that it’s a stylish little number too!”

Next Challenger Please!

Is this the next challenger to the MINI's crown? The first images of the new Audi A1 have appeared on Car Magazines website.

Apparantly it is a production ready version, does it look too much like a Polo. Their will also be a 5 door version on the lines of the Clubman. wonder if we will see a Quattro? Now that would put the cat amongst the Pidgeons would it not.

Expect the Audi A1 to be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010.

read the full story of the firts sighting on www.carmagazine.co.uk

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MINI Crossover unveiled at MotorCity

The all new and much anticipated MINI Crossover is set to be shown to the public for the first in January 2010 at MotorCity at North American International MotorShow in LA.

Although it will be shown on the internet a few weeks earlier this will be the first chance for MINI fans to see the Crossover up close and personal.

Also to be shown at MotorCity will be the recently seen MINI Coupe and MINI Roadster.

Later in the year at the Geneva Motor Show the refresh to the current model MINI is expected to be shown in its first guise. Exciting times ahead for MINI