New Jeep flagship London showroom

Jeep has launched a new flagship showroom in central London.

Executives, business leaders and sports stars were among the 100 guests hosted by Motor Village UK to celebrate the arrival of Jeep into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Wigmore Street location.

Just around the corner from London’s famous Oxford Street, Motor Village UK will display Jeep vehicles in its shiny new showroom for the first time this spring. The flagship has previously only sold Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Abarth vehicles, making it the first time the iconic 4x4 car brand comes to the city. The Jeep Wrangler, Renegade, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models will all be displayed.

The opening of the only Jeep dealership in central London coincides with Jeep’s 75th Anniversary celebrations for 2016. Born in 1941, Jeep has a rich heritage and history, and some of the marque's most famous models were on display at the gala launch opening including a 1946 Willys and a 1970s CJ-7.

Steve Zanlunghi, Head of Jeep Brand, EMEA and Managing Director, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles UK, and Fabio Di Prima, Head of Fiat Chrysler Motor Village UK, officially announced the opening of the site to an audience of selected guests. “London is clearly an important area for Jeep to be visible in, and what better way to do that than through the Motor Village site” said Di Prima. “From the iconic Wrangler, right through to our big Jeep Grand Cherokee, the whole range of award winning SUVs will be available for customers to see and discover more about. This is a wonderful opportunity for Jeep and its customers.”

A separate display, celebrating Jeep’s partnership with the blockbuster movie 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' was also shown, featuring the Jeep Renegade SUV, which appears in the film. As part of the celebrations, a special test drive experience has been organised until 31 March, in which customers can drive any of the current line-up of Jeep vehicles, with a Jeep specialist alongside for guidance.

Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell breaks new distance records

Hyundai and the London Hydrogen Network Expansion project (LHNE) has broken two new distance records for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

Working together, the partners of the government-backed LHNE project have broken the record for the longest journey in the UK on a single tank of hydrogen, travelling 400 miles - and have also broken the longest continuous journey for an FCEV by travelling 6,096 miles over the course of six days.

The record was broken in the ix35 Fuel Cell car as part of the LHNE partners’ contribution to Hydrogen Week (March 11-18), designed to raise awareness of the significant benefits offered by FCEVs and their environmentally-friendly credentials.

The group of companies that comprise the project, which is led by Air Products, completed around 50 of laps of the M25 motorway, plus mileage to and from one of the four publicly-accessible hydrogen refuelling stations in the UK.

Hydrogen FCEVs produce no harmful tailpipe emissions with water being the only by-product. With range and refuelling times similar to those of petrol or diesel cars, they can be seen as direct replacements for conventional vehicles.

LHNE, co-funded by Innovate UK, was set up in 2012 to create the UK’s first hydrogen-powered transport system across London and the South East. It has delivered a new publicly-accessible, state-of-the-art fast-fill SmartFuel hydrogen refuelling station and upgraded a second to 700 bar pressure status.

The LHNE partners are now keen for the adoption of a range of hydrogen vehicle technologies, including fuel cells, to accelerate in the UK but one of the main challenges is the limited coverage of refuelling stations to support the vehicles. There are currently four publicly-accessible stations in the UK, including the two Air Products SmartFuel stations in London, and funding is in place for at least 12 to be operational in England and Scotland within the next 12 months.

Diana Raine, European Business Manager Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products, which has led the LHNE project, said: “It is fantastic to have overhauled the two records we aimed to beat this week. The fact that we have managed to drive 6,096 miles in under a week demonstrates perfectly the viability and usability of FCEVs. What we need now for accelerated adoption of hydrogen vehicles is for the Government to work with our industry to provide the right framework for the technology to become truly accepted by the public.”

Prices for the Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle start from £53,105 OTR with part-funding from the HyFive project - saving customers nearly £15,000 off the un-funded on-the-road-price of £67,985.

Nissan celebrates 20 years of the curry hook

Nissan has been successfully delivering curry to its customers for 20 years.

Returning safely from the take-away without spilling a drop of Tikka Masala sauce on the seat, this month marks 20 years since the debut of one of its most simple of features – the ‘curry hook’.

The dashboard hook first appeared on the Nissan Almera compact family hatchback in March 1996, as a way of keeping hand bags or shopping bags upright. It was quickly dubbed the ‘curry hook’ by media who recognised it was the perfect way to stop takeaway food from spilling into the car’s foot well. Today, it remains a feature of the crossovers such as the Qashqai and X-Trail. All that’s changed is the location of the hook; it has moved from the dashboard to the boot.

Another simple solution Nissan has installed is the ‘Karakuri’ boot board – also known as the Flexi-Board – which is available on the Qashqai, Juke and Note. It allows owners to divide the cargo space according to their needs, and can be arranged in various configurations to support and protect items in transit. When not in use, it stores out of the way in the boot floor.

Interestingly, in September 1986 when the first Nissan Bluebird rolled off the new production line in Sunderland it had two analogue trip meters built into the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel - to allow business users to separately log their professional and private mileage. A unique feature at the time, this is now standard on the digital read-outs of almost every volume car brand.

David Moss, Vice President, Vehicle Design & Development, commented: “Whether its trip meters, power sockets, boot boards or the famous curry hook, Nissan engineers never forget that it’s often these clever ideas – which make life easier for drivers – that will keep our customers coming back time and time again.”

Mazda CX-4 crossover to debut at Beijing Motor Show

Mazda will debut the all-new CX-4 crossover SUV at the Beijing Motor Show.

The CX-4 is the latest addition to Mazda's new-generation range featuring SKYACTIV Technology and KODO-Soul of Motion design. The CX-4 is described as featuring a ‘striking presence that sets it apart from other SUVs, the functionality modern users expect' and Mazda’s ‘Jinba-ittai driving’. The term is a Japanese four-character compound describing the unity of horse and rider - and was used to describe the connection between a horse and his rider that helped give the MX-5 sports car ‘the perfect driving experience’.

The Japanese automaker's stand at the show will feature twelve vehicles, including new-generation models such as the Mazda3, Mazda CX-5, Mazda6, and race cars prepared for the Mazda-sponsored MZ Ruisi Racing Team competing in the China Touring Car Championship (CTCC).
 
The Beijing Motor Show runs from April 25 2016 to May 4, 2016.

Suzuki launches Jimny Adventure Special Edition

Suzuki has added an Adventure Special Edition to its Jimny range for 2016.

With a very limited production run of just 200 units for the UK, the Jimny Adventure is based on the ‘high spec’ SZ4 model which includes Dark Silver 15-inch alloy wheels, synthetic leather seats, air conditioning and rear privacy glass as standard. Unique added features includes full screen satellite navigation with Bluetooth connectivity, a hard spare wheel cover with ‘Adventure’ logo as well as individual Pearl White Metallic/Quasar Grey 2-Tone paint finish.

The Jimny is equipped with an all-alloy 16 valve 1.3-litre engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) for a ‘lively performance and strong fuel economy’ from its light kerb weight of just 1,090 kg. The Adventure model is available with manual transmission that returns an official 39.8mpg combined cycle driving and CO2 emissions of 162g/km.

The new Suzuki Jimny Adventure Special Edition is on sale now, priced at £14,949 OTR including metallic paint.