New Toyota Prius+ Crossover

Everyone loves the Toyota Prius for its green credentials and excellent fuel economy and now Toyota will be officially unveiling their new Toyota Prius V in North America this autumn. I think the family is going to be called Toyota Prii.

The power train consists of a 1.8litre 2ZR-FXE engine with a 60kW traction motor with the obvious hybrid part of a 201V Ni-MH battery pack. This will make the new Prius V crossover powerful yet agile and any waste heat will be transferred to the engines coolant system.

The model will be known as the Prius + in Europe and the Prius A in Japan. Another difference for the Japanese and European market is the new Toyota Prius will be available with a third row of passenger seats.

I popped into Toyota dealer in Newcastle Hodgson to have a look at the original Toyota Prius in Newcastle and I think it fulfils my hybrid needs. They had a great range of new and used Toyota cars in Newcastle which kept me entertained for hours.

Toyota are Top for looking after their suppliers

Toyota has claimed the top spot for the relationship they maintained with their suppliers in 2010. This shows that Toyota treats their suppliers well and that this is transferred through their vehicles.

The study was carried out by Planning Perspectives, an analyst company who deliver this report annually. The study was carried out before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Surely Toyota’s attitude towards their suppliers will work in their favour when they most need it.

540 suppliers from 415 tier one suppliers were quizzed about their supplier relations with car manufacturers. Contact Toyota dealer in Newcastle, Hodgson to get your hands on a new or used Toyota in Newcastle that has been made with love. They also offer a wide range of cars at their Toyota Gateshead dealership.

Ford To Help Monitor Medical Conditions While Driving

Ford Motor Company are working on a new application to work with their SYNC technology which could help sufferers from illnesses like diabetes and hay fever. The technology will monitor health issues to hep drivers monitor themselves.

This clever system monitors glucose levels for diabetes, maintain medical records and provide allergy alerts. Depending on location, time and each day the new service will give details to aid medical conditions including; ultraviolet sensitivity, pollen affecting asthma and hay fever together with four day forecasts.

The new system is only in the very early stages but could help many drivers that do suffer from these medical conditions. Ford dealer in Sussex, Dinnages hope that the prototype will prove successful and can’t wait to see it in years to come on the much loved Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta in Sussex.

Dinnages at The Shoreham Airshow

Dinnages Ford and Renault dealer will be attending The Royal Air Forces Association Airshow at Shoreham which is held on the 20th and 21st of August 2011. The Ford and Renault Sussex dealerships will be showing their support by displaying a wide range of Ford and Renault cars.

The Shoreham Airshow celebrates its 22nd birthday and Dinnages feel privileged to be a part of it. It’s a great day out for the whole family and will keep the kids entertained for one weekend of the summer holidays.

There will be up to 5hours of exciting air displays and then back down on the ground there will be various arena displays and trade stands, including Dinnages. All that attends will be supporting the efforts of the Royal Air Forces Association.

Whether or not you’re looking for a new or used Ford in Sussex or a Renault, Dinnages will welcome anyone to their stall for a chat.

Alfa Romeo Launch Free iPad App

Alfa Romeo UK has developed a new version of their ‘Feel’ magazine into a free iPad app which is available from the iTunes app store. It’s formal name is Alfa Romeo: The Official UK Magazine, just in case you wanted to go and download it.

The new app is interactive and showcases models like the Alfa MiTo and Alfa Giulietta through high definition videos and animations. Videos include test drives with sound effects to let you listen to its zoom appeal.

All models are displayed with 360-degree spinning images in landscape and portrait modes. Other information includes equipment lists, interior image gallery, paint colours and wheel options available for each Alfa Romeo model.

Found a little quote from the guy that would know best:

Damien Dally, head of brand for Alfa Romeo UK, says: "The new Alfa magazine iPad app is highly creative and interactive and is a key part of our integrated editorial content strategy.
"Our cars always feature the latest technologies, so to produce an app was a logical progression for our quarterly magazine, which is in its fifth year of publication. It now means our customers can catch up on the latest Alfa Romeo news and stories wherever they may be."

Lipscomb an Alfa Romeo Kent dealer are on hand to show you the app in more detail, or pop down to their dealership to physically see the Alfa Romeo MiTo in Kent among the entire range of models available.

GForces Web Management are Motor Trader Finalists

GForces web management UK have been announced as finalists for two awards at the 2011 Motor Trader Awards. NetDirector Auto eCommerce has been nominated for Online innovation of the year and NetDirector Auto V8 has been nominated for Product of the Year.

NetDirector Auto eCommerce allows web customers to browse the vehicles that the dealers have in stock via an easy search process. Just like most internet shopping you can find a desired car by a ‘car search application, by make, model, price etc. There are also enquiry forms next to each vehicle allowing customers to ask specific questions about the vehicle concerned.

NetDirector Auto V8 has been adopted by more Top200 dealer groups than any other competitor. Dealers benefit from upgrades, tracking and the flexibility for individuality coupled with outstanding automotive website design. Digital dealerships will benefit from automatic updates and the integration of new technologies with faster and more simplistic usability features.

The awards will be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on the 13th of July. Many of GForces clients have also been shortlisted for various awards which demonstrate that GForces automotive web marketing, development and management is a force to be reckoned with.

Toyota FT-86 look Fit for Australian Motor Show

The new Toyota FT-86 has been spotted as it is put through its paces at the Nurburgring. Toyota has still left enthusiasts guessing about the production vehicle and was camouflaged to maintain some aspects of surprise.

The new FT-86 sports car powertrain has been confirmed to be a mixture of Subaru's third generation 2.0 litre boxer engine and Toyota's D-4S direct injection technology. This is about as much information that Toyota has released about the engines of the new vehicle.

Toyota dealers across the UK are excited about the new model an cannot wait for the production ready Toyota FT-86 to be unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne on the 1st of July.

To find out more about Toyota new and Toyota used cars contact Hodgson new and used Toyota dealer.

Get Social with 'Toyota Friend'

Toyota has decided that owners should be friends with their new and used Toyota cars. The ‘Toyota Friend’ is the result of a collaboration with Salesforce.com Inc who have built a social network service to remind owners to carry out tasks for their Toyota cars including recharging and servicing updates.

‘Toyota Friend’ will act like Twitter and send tweets to owners of the new Toyota plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in an attempt to enter into a two way conversation. The Japanaese automaker demonstrated an example of this at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo.

The new plug-in Prius hybrid sent its owner a test message from its social media profile with a friendly reminder to charge the vehicle. When the owner plugged the car in another message was sent thanking the owner and informing him of the time that recharge will be complete.

The new service is expected to launch in Japan next year and as of yet no details of the management process has been disclosed. If you want to keep updated or have any enquiries about Toyota new and Toyota used cars contact Toyota dealer Hodgson for more information.

New Audi Avant Lighter than Ever

The new Audi A6 Avant has been displayed earlier than expected at a special event in Berlin. Orders will be available from June and the new generation model could be with you by November.

The new model has been made 70kg lighter than the original thanks to the construction being based on 80% steel and 20% aluminium. Materials have made a clear difference as the vehicle size, and luggage capacity has been maintained.

Four engines are available with the new A6 Avant. These include the entry level 2.0-litre TDI 177PS, 3.0 TDI in 201bhp and 242bhp and a 3.0 TFSI petrol engine. With these come a variety of transmissions.

A new and used Audi Blackburn dealer are especially excited about the super powered 313PS twin-turbo V6 TDI engine joining the engine range by the end of the year. Audi Northwest sell a wide range of new and used cars in Lancashire and are offer friendly advice at their Audi centres.

Renault Twizy Available to Reserve

You can now reserve the new Renault Twizy so that you can be one of the first to won it when it is launched. The funky little two seater city car is priced at £6,690 which has impressed motorists and Renault dealers.

It can go for distances of around 62miles on a single charge which takes three and a half hours. The electric motorcar is similar to a scooter but with safer functions, including wraparound bodywork and side deflectors. The new Twizy is safe like a car yet enables drivers to experience open air motoring.

The Renault Twizy electric car is currently on show at the 2011 Barcelona show if anyone is wants to go over and have a sneak peak. The Renault Brighton dealer, Dinnages is excited to showcase the unique Twizy at their Renault Sussex dealerships.

Social Media is Key to Successful Web Management

Motor Trader will hold their first social media conference on the 2nd of June 2011 at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey. The Social Media and You: Driving Your Online Dealer Business conference will be interesting for any car dealer that wishes to be successful through the internet.

Alex Rose, Google’s industry manager for the automotive sector will advise dealers on web management for their sites, by using social media to drive traffic.

Tim Smith, commercial director at GForces, will be talking about the advantages of automotive marketing with a focus on increasing the visibility of car dealer’s site with SEO marketing.

Business development manager of Marshall Motor Group, Christopher Walkinshaw will be talking through how they managed to revamp their site to improve online presence.
Other guest speakers will also be advising car dealers on how best to make use of the internet. This will prove to be an extremely insightful event for those that attend.

Project E-Gas Powered By Audi

Audi have announced that in the future their cars will run on compressed gas. The new e-gas project refers to new TCNG engines that will be powered by e-gas.

There is a lot of technical information that I haven’t quite got my head around but Audi are contributing to the installation of wind turbines in the North Sea. In some magical, technical way that I am not going to pretend I understand this energy will be used to produce hydrogen and methane.

Audi are going to start the production of their plant this summer in Germany. The turbines are said to produce 53GWh yearly.

The second hand Audi market has nothing to worry about as of yet as the production of the new Audi A3 TCNG will be a long way off yet. For more information about new and used cars in Preston contact Audi Northwest, a new and used Audi Preston dealer.

Volvo DRIVe Reduces CO2 Emissions

Anyone looking for a fuel efficient, environmentally friendly car? Look no further, JATO has done the research for us. Volvo have come out on top as the most improved car brand of 2010.

The new DRIVe range promotes CO2 emissions that are lower than 120g/km, e.g. Volvo V70 and three of these models emit less than 99g/km e.g. Volvo V50. The Volvo models that emit less than 99g/km offer even more savings, they are exempt from London congestion charge and road tax.

Volvo has explained that they have not compromised the style, durability and performance to achieve the improved carbon emissions.

Pop down to your local Volvo dealer in Kent for more information about the new DRIVe range and look out for the low emitting Volvo V50 in Kent.

GForces Web Management Sponsors CPOP

GForces Web Management UK Company is sponsoring The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power which celebrates power and speed from the 15th to the 17th of July 2011 in Cheshire.

The event is also known as CPOP and hosts a variety of events to suit all audiences and age ranges. There will be motor racing and power boating events and supercar and superbike displays.

GForces are leading the digital dealerships and have a high interest in motoring events. They are using their automotive marketing expertise to guide CPOP with their SEO marketing campaign. They are pleased to promote an event that they believe in and help generate even more revenue for the weekend event.

Renault Clio Promotes Eco Drive

I have always been a big lover of the Renault Clio and today I find myself liking it even more. They have released a new Eco Pack which is available with their Expression trim.

The new Renault Clio Expression Eco delivers an astonishing 78.4mpg combined and emits a low 94g/km. This categorises it as the cheapest sub-100g/km CO2 emissions supermini in the UK.

Not only that, but the new model will be exempt from road tax and the London Congestion Charge. Looks like Renault have really thought about the motorist with this one and are helping their customers with the rising fuel costs.

The Eco Pack is complete with new features including revised engine settings, ultra-low resistance tyres and aerodynamic wheel trims. For more information contact Dinnages, Renault Sussex dealer. The used and new Renault dealer has been really helpful with my queries in the past.

Next Stop Broadway for the Audi A7

Audi definitely pulled out the stops to promote their new Audi A7 this year in New York. They used an impressively large, 15sq ft billboard to run adverts in Times Square, New York City.

The campaign ran during the 2011 New York Auto Show to generate more interest around the launch of the new model. Every hour, twenty one minute ads about the new A7 ran capturing a wide audience of commuters and tourists that pass through there on a daily basis.

Thousands of city goers will have been faced with the giant billboard. Audi have made a bold statement to portray the dramatic design of the new A7, coupled with the tagline ‘A boldly designed car deserves a boldly designed world’. Would be nice if they did something like that in Piccadily Circus.

Not sure that the new A7 will be in my price range but has made me think about needing an Audi. I think I will pop down to my local new and used Audi dealer to see what I can get my hands on. They have a few new and used Audi Lancashire dealerships but Preston is closest to me.

Alfa Romeo - Codename C-SUV

I was shocked to learn that Alfa Romeo currently only sell four models in Europe. This is soon to be a figure of the past with the new Alfa 4C set for launch in 2012 and the C-SUV in development stages.

Amusing as it is but I thought I should clarify that the new C-SUV is the codename for their future SUV range in case you hadn’t yet cracked the code. They believe that the new C-SUV will make their range more sought after by an American market.

The Alfa Mito and Alfa Giulietta are said to have lent the new SUV some of their looks and personality. I’m sure however that the engine will be something slightly different in order to support a four wheel drive coupled with a chassis designed to support a sporty character.

Sketches and rumours surrounding the new Alfa model are circulating but factual information is very scares at this point. Lispcomb, Alfa Kent dealership is looking forward to the new vehicle joining their already impressive forecourt. Hopefully Alfa will divulge some insight soon.

Lotus Will Rock You!

There are going to be a few unique concerts happening across the UK backed by Lotus and Brian May to support Kerry Ellis’, Anthems album.

Rock legend and Queen star Brian May has supported Lotus with the unveiling of their new Lotus Esprit range, therefore it seems fitting that Lotus returns the favour.

Kerry Ellis is best known for her West End performances, namely We Will Rock You. Now we can start to see the connection between sponsor, Lotus, producer, Brian May and artist Kerry Ellis.

Lotus are proud to be involved with what has been described as an 'Anthemic-Orchestral-Rock-Musical-Theatre Fusion'. In particular Lipscomb, Lotus dealer has been warming their vocal chords ready to sing along to the album whilst driving a Lotus in Kent I’m sure.

Plug-in your new Toyota Hybrid Prius

As stories flood out about the new Toyota hybrid us motorists in the UK can only look on whilst it is launched in the US first. The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug in will launch next year in a few American states. An online order system for ‘Priority Registrations’ has been released allowing customers to become one of the first owners of these models.

The Japanese automaker have faced a tough start to the year due to the earthquake and tsunami but they look determined to roll out their new Toyota hybrid plug in. 15 states may have been chosen to slowly launch the model as they produce a supply for the demand they expect.

We will look forward to receiving a confirmed date for the 140mpg Toyota Prius plug-in. Contact Toyota Newcastle dealer Hodgson for more information about new and used Toyota models.

Ford Partners with Google!

Ford and Google have become partners to use Google’s Prediction API system in their vehicles. The partnership wants to make cars even smarter in order to encourage greater driving experiences.

This incredibly clever technology is being engineered to prevent us drivers from having to sit in traffic where possible. By matching driving patterns the Prediction API is said to predict where and how you will drive.

After a record of driving data has been gathered the car should be able to remember certain characteristics. For instance if you start the engine at 8:00 am for work then the technology will suggest a route that should avoid congestion and adjust the powertrain accordingly to get the best fuel efficiency.

Before you get too excited this partnership is very new and the technology is only in the first stages. This means it will be nowhere near production stage for a good few years. I wonder if the much loved Ford Focus or Ford Fiesta will be used to debut the new technology or if it will be an entirely different model.

Ford Focus ST heading for launch next year

The new Ford Focus ST that made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in 2010 is undergoing extreme testing to make sure it is ready for launch next year. It looks like Ford have a list of boxes to tick before they are happy to put the model into production.

The main focus is performance, driving dynamics and improved fuel economy for drivers. 60 prototypes of the new Ford Focus ST are undergoing tests across Europe and North America to aid engineers in their fine tuning process.

The new model will be complete with Ford’s new 2.0-litre turbocharged and direct-injected Ecoboost engine and will only be available with a six-speed manual gearbox. Dinnages, a Ford Sussex dealership look forward to the new Focus arriving in their dealership next year. For more information contact the new and used Ford Sussex dealership.

Alfa MiTo hits Showrooms

So the little Alfa MiTo goes on sale with a much better range this month. Alfa Romeo dealers look forward to promoting the new range and believe it Alfa have offered a more simplified range.

The MiTo offers 3 new engines: 1.4litre 78hp 8v, 1.4-litre MultiAir 105hp and a new diesel, 1.3 JTDM-2 85hp. The new entry level petrol engine helps reduce motoring costs and the new diesel engine produces 95g/km of CO2, which excludes the car from London congestion charge and road tax.

The new trims have streamlined the original range, these include: ‘Progression’, ‘Sprint’, ‘Distinctive’ and ‘Quadrifoglio Verde’. Features include cruise control, rear parking sensors and sports pedals. Pop down to Dinnages, Alfa Maidstone dealer to find out more about the new Alfa MiTo.

Toyota Dealer Thrilled with Top Position

Toyota dealer, Hodgson is thrilled with the news that Toyota has been awarded top position among car brands for Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands in the sixth edition.

Across all industry sectors they managed to take 27th place. The Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands are ranked annually recognising economic and competitive dynamics that establish the value of the brand.

I am happy that Toyota has received some good news after their troublesome few months due to the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Toyota is still facing tough times but this recognition should hope to motivate the brand.

Hodgson sell new and used Toyota cars at their Toyota Newcastle and Gateshead dealerships. They are thanking their loyal customers and have their fingers crossed that motorists will continue to believe in Toyota.

Audi Takes Third In Le Mans Cup, Belgium

The new Audi R18 TDI made its debut at Le Mans Cup at Spa-Francorchamps. Audi Sport team Joest managed to take away third, fourth and fifth position. The team were so pleased with their podium win and I’m sure they will be looking forward to the next race as they begin to feel more comfortable with their new car.

Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish faced a few hick-ups along the 1000 kilometre race they forced them to make more pit stops than expected and lose value due to minor incidents. Quite impressive that they faced many challenges yet still finished third.

Thousands of spectators attended the race and like Audi Northwest, new and used Audi dealership they will all be expecting great things from the next race. The Blackburn Audi dealer is confident that the team are only just getting warmed up.