TMW - Its that time of the month - UK December and FULL YEAR sales figures

JAGUAR

DECEMBER 2012 1054 sales - DECEMBER 2013 993 sales -5.79%

YTD 2012 14109 sales - YTD 2013 16210 sales +14.89%

LAND ROVER

DECEMBER 2012 2532 sales - DECEMBER 2013 3012 sales +18.96%
YTD 2012 48626 sales - YTD 2013 54699 sales +12.49%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

DECEMBER 2012 10175 sales - DECEMBER 2013 11470 sales +12.73%
YTD 2012 127560 sales - YTD 2013 135583 sales +6.31%

MERCEDES

DECEMBER 2012 5261 sales - DECEMBER 2013 6619 sales +25.81%
YTD 2012 91855 sales - YTD 2013 109456 sales +19.16%

LEXUS

DECEMBER 2012 390 sales - DECEMBER 2013 629 sales +61.28%
YTD 2012 8404 sales - YTD 2013 9014 sales +7.26%

AUDI

DECEMBER 2012 4786 sales - DECEMBER 2013 7442 sales +55.50%
YTD 2012 123622 sales - YTD 2013 142040 sales +13.26%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +4.64%

CITROEN +6.38%

DACIA +100.00%

FIAT +20.62%

FORD +10.27%

HONDA +2.68%
HYUNDAI +3.54%
KIA +8.20%

LOTUS +86.86%
MAZDA +19.27%

MASERATI +3.24%
MIA +100.00%
MINI +1.19% 

MITSUBISHI +38.10%

NISSAN +11.46%

PEUGEOT +5.98%

PORSCHE +3.28%
RENAULT +13.28%

SEAT +16.79%
SKODA +23.28% 

SUBARU +12.26%
SUZUKI +32.92%
TOYOTA +4.83%
VAUXHALL +11.71%

VOLKSWAGEN +6.00%

VOLVO +2.76%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -21.59%

ASTON MARTIN -0.64%

BENTLEY -2.84%

CHEVROLET -13.36%

CHRYSLER -24.54%

INFINITI -27.17%

JEEP -3.34%

MG -35.55%

PERODUA -50.48%

PROTON -90.38%

SAAB -98.71%

SMART -5.38%

SSANGYONG -24.34%

• 2,264,737 cars registered in 2013, up 10.8% on 2012 and exceeding SMMT’s 2.25 million forecast for the year.

• 2013 hits highest annual registration total since 2007 as December achieves 22nd consecutive monthly rise.

• On average, an additional 600 extra cars registered per day in 2013 than in the previous year.

• UK firmly secured as Europe’s second largest car market and only one to grow consistently throughout 2013.

• 2014 market expected to stabilise with sustainable growth of around 1% over the year.

Well, another year has finished, and it does not seem that long ago i was writing the exact same thing, where the hell does all this time go, It does not seem nearly 30 years ago i left school, with all my hopes and dreams, some that have been achieved, some that have not, and lots of new ones that have made the last 30 years both great and crap.

But anyway, I digress, where shall I start, lets start with the UK lame duck, MG, considering all their protestations about 100's of sales for the brand new and not that good MG3, they still only manage 120 registrations, considering the car went on sale in September last year, and a three month delivery (apart from the 700 already in the UK) they still are far far away from decent sales, they have nothing new for this year, considering it is the 90th anniversary of Cecil Kimbers brand new marque, I bet he is spinning at 3000 rpm in his grave when he sees what has become of his once beloved brand.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), both brands have had yet another great year, with huge increases in sales and lots of new metal for sale, the new F-Type Convertible, RR Sport and his daddy the Range Rover, this year will see the hard top F-Type, concept Jaguar XS (X-Type replacement) more SUV news and possibly towards the year end or early 2015, maybe at Detroit, the XF replacement, the last few years have been predominantly getting Land Rover back on track, this year is Jaguar's turn.

The Americans are not fairing too well in the UK, it seems that US cars are not flavour of the month, and with Chevy pulling out of Europe and Chryslers being Lancia's in disguise, it shows that the UK buyer is not as stupid as they think we are. But wait, Ford, the big daddy of them all, is yet again the UK #1 brand and #1 and #2 for sales with the Fiesta and Focus (Vauxhall's Corsa not far behind), the blue oval is considered an honorary Brit, and so we buy from them in droves, just a shame that they are failing to bring the new Mondeo out, whereas it has been out in the world for ages.

Why anyone would buy the hideous BMW 1-Series is beyond me, there are far better looking cars, it must be that blue roundel and ancient but false assumption of reliability, it seems that the German brands are far from reliable, just check out independent reports about those, SAAB will not be on the chart next year, which will be sad, but hopefully it will return under its new owner (NEVS), and Proton, Perodua, Ssangyong and other weird and wonderful brands will continue and flounder, until they come up with something truly amazing, I, for one, wont be holding my breath.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year, and I wish that 2014 brings you all that you wish for and with the motoring world, a whole host of great new metal for the coming twelve short months.

JON MOWER

TMW - What to look forward to in 2014

2013 was a great year for The Motoring World, Our first year, The return of Datsun and SAAB, brand new niche cars from Rolls Royce, Bentley and its return to motorsport and the Bentley Boys, the ever increasing sight of SUV's on the roads of the world, and a world that is slowly but surely creeping out of its financial situation that started nearly 5 years ago.

So what do we have to look forward to next year, an huge amount, some truly stunning supercars, more SUV's in varying sizes and engines, some famous hatchbacks, small and fun mini cars and a whole host of sports cars, below are just a small sample of some the cars that we expect to see the light of day either to buy or launched to conceptual stage.

Family cars

Audi A3 E-tron (summer 2014)
Hybrid model of our 2013 Car of the Year blends hot hatch pace with CO2 emissions of 35g/km.

Hyundai i10 (early 2014)
City car gets the latest family look and greater refinement.

Kia Soul (early 2014)
Promises improvements to refinement and driving dynamics.

Mazda 3 (January 2014)
Will be lighter than today’s 3, thanks to Skyactiv technology.

MINI (early 2014)
New model gets revised dashboard and engines and bodywork.

Peugeot 308 (January 2014)
Lighter than current car, with a much classier cabin.

Renault Megane (early 2014)
Face-lifted range gets Renault family look and new petrol engine.

Skoda Rapid Spaceback (January 2014)
Shorter version of Rapid, but has more boot space than a VW Golf.

Smart Forfour (autumn 2014)
Next-generation city car will be available with either conventional engines or electric powertrains.

Vauxhall Corsa (autumn 2014)
Revamp of current car will introduce three-cylinder engines.

Volkswagen e-Golf (summer 2014)
Golf gets a 113bhp electric motor with 118-mile zero-emission range.

Volkswagen e-Up (early 2014)
Electric Up is the quickest model in the range; 100-mile range on one charge.

Estate cars

Honda Civic Tourer (early 2014)
Swish-looking estate gets a bigger boot than rivals from Ford, Skoda and Volkswagen.

Peugeot 308 SW (autumn 2014)
Estate will get the same three-cylinder engines that are due in the hatch next year.

Seat Leon ST (January 2014)
New model will beat Astra and Focus Estates on boot space.

Executives

Audi S3 Saloon (early 2014)
Hot version of Audi’s new 3 Series rival gets 296bhp, four-wheel drive and does 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds.

Infiniti Q50 (January 2014)
G Series replacement gets new name and engines, including a V6 petrol-electric hybrid.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class (spring 2014)
All-new executive car will be offered with a hybrid powertrain.

Luxury

Audi A8 (January 2014)
Updated model gets styling tweaks and changes to engine line-up.

Bentley Continental GT V8 S (early 2014)
More powerful versions of the GT have re-tuned suspension and steering.

Tesla Model S (early 2014)
Luxury electric car will go up to 300 miles on one charge.

MPVs

Citroën Grand C4 Picasso (January 2014)
Seven-seat MPV gets more practicality and efficiency.

Small SUVs

Audi RS Q3 (January 2014)
Evoque rival gets 306bhp engine and four-wheel drive.

Ford Ecosport (spring 2014)
Fiesta-based SUV will get a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

Jeep Cherokee (early 2014)
Freelander rival will borrow Fiat diesel engine to boost UK sales.

MG CS  (Late 2014 Concept)
Based on MG5 underpinnings too little, too late.

Mercedes GLA (December 2013)
A new rival for the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque.

Porsche Macan (spring 2014)
Cayenne’s baby brother will share underpinnings with the Audi Q5.

Skoda Yeti (January 2014)
Family favourite gets a face-lift, plus more standard equipment.

Ssangyong Korando (early 2014)
Bigger than the current model, but likely to get same engine line-up and two- or four-wheel drive.

Large SUVs

BMW X4 (spring 2014)
Expect ‘son of X6’ to cost around £3k more than equivalent X3s.

Land Rover Discovery (November 2013)
Face-lifted model gets better fuel economy and more equipment.

Nissan X-Trail (July 2014)
More stylish than current car; available as five- or seven-seater with two- or four-wheel drive.

Ssangyong Rexton W (December 2013)
Budget seven-seat off-roader gets 2.0-litre diesel engine.

Toyota Land Cruiser (December 2013)
Seven-seat SUV gets a face-lift and revised dashboard design.

Coupes

Peugeot RCZ R (early 2014)
The company’s most powerful production car ever gets 270bhp.

Open-tops

Audi A3 Cabriolet (winter 2013)
Longer, lower and lighter than the current car. S3 version will follow.

BMW 4 Series Convertible (early 2014)
New 4 Series loses its roof; keeps same range of engines.

Hot hatches

Seat Leon Cupra (autumn 2014)
Promises understated looks, but more power than the VW Golf GTI.

Volkswagen Golf R (spring 2014)
Choice of three- or five-door 296bhp hatch; 0-62mph in 4.9secs

Sports cars

BMW M4 (autumn 2014)
New range-topping coupé follows M4 Concept revealed in Frankfurt.

So, there you go, a taster of what is to come next year, from the small and cheap to the outlandish and uber expensive, and everything in between, but one thing for sure is that the automotive world will be a force again next year, and not just from the usual suspects, expect the Chinese to pick up momentum and make small inroads into the world auto market, but rest assured they are coming, like the Japanese in the 60's and the Koreans in the 80's with big brands behind the Chinese names and extremely healthy bank balances they can compete and will get better and will be, before long, names that trip of our tongues like Ford, Rolls Royce and Mercedes do now.

Have a great 2014.

Info courtesy of CAR MAGAZINE

Jon Mower

TMW - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all at The Motoring World.

As 2013 draws to a close, we can look back on a number of huge stories in the motoring world, The Jaguar F-Type, Corvette Stingray, Viper, the continued dominance of the VAG group and the unsteady state of Peugeot Citroen and the return of DATSUN.

SAAB has made a return, MG continues to fail in the UK, the Chinese have proved they can build great cars, along with a new brand Qoros, the new MkIII MINI, Golf MkVII, FIAT's continued takeover of Chrysler along with the stunning Alfa 4C.

Just a tiny amount of news and its only just the start, 2014 is looking like a massive year for the automotive world, we should get first looks at at least three brand new cars from Jaguar Land Rover, BMW's hybrid sports car the i8, The Bentley SUV, New Lambo SUV, and a number of exciting developments from Mercedes, AUDI, Lotus, Citroen and Nissan, again, just a tiny hint of what is to come.

So, from The Motoring World, thank you for taking a few minutes of your valuable time to have a read of my blog, and all things motoring, and please where ever you are, who ever you are, and what ever you do, thank you and have a great Christmas Holiday and I wish you all a great 2014.

Jon Mower

TMW - Its that time of the month again - UK November sales

JAGUAR

NOVEMBER 2012 1071 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 1017 sales -5.04%

YTD 2012 13055 sales - YTD 2013 15217 sales +16.56%

LAND ROVER

NOVEMBER 2012 3782 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 3806 sales +0.63%
YTD 2012 46094 sales - YTD 2013 51687 sales +8.87%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

NOVEMBER 2012 9704 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 10307 sales +6.21%
YTD 2012 117355 sales - YTD 2013 124113 sales +5.76%

MERCEDES

NOVEMBER 2012 6671 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 7867 sales +17.93%
YTD 2012 86594 sales - YTD 2013 102837 sales +18.76%

LEXUS

NOVEMBER 2012 443 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 616 sales +39.05%
YTD 2012 8014 sales - YTD 2013 8385 sales +4.63%

AUDI

NOVEMBER 2012 8214 sales - NOVEMBER 2013 9617 sales +17.08%
YTD 2012 118836 sales - YTD 2013 134598 sales +13.26%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +10.75%

CITROEN +6.83%

DACIA +100.00%

FIAT +18.16%

FORD +9.43%

HONDA +2.78%
HYUNDAI +4.99%
KIA +8.87%

LOTUS +56.91%
MAZDA +16.24%

MASERATI +2.71%
MIA +100.00%
MINI +2.34% 

MITSUBISHI +42.43%

NISSAN +11.60%

PEUGEOT +4.72%

PORSCHE +3.40%
RENAULT +10.19%

SEAT +15.85%
SKODA +20.62% 

SUBARU +6.73%
SUZUKI +32.10%
TOYOTA +3.97%
VAUXHALL +10.26%

VOLKSWAGEN +3.99%

VOLVO +1.27%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -22.82%

ASTON MARTIN -2.30%

BENTLEY -2.36%

CHEVROLET -13.49%

CHRYSLER -22.89%

INFINITI -25.20%

JEEP -6.72%

MG -44.27%

PERODUA -47.97%

PROTON -90.34%

SAAB -98.71%

SMART -1.80%

SSANGYONG -22.47%

Another great month with a near 10,000 increase on the month and 191,000 so far for the year, and with less than a month to go before we get the full year sales, it is already looking like being a great one, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Vauxhall and Dacia are definitely the ones that have had a great year, and with Skoda and SEAT already surpassing 2012 sales, both of which were records then, it seems the UK's love of nice new metal on the drive is not going to change any time soon.

As you can clearly see, the top five sales successes in November are also the same as for the year to date, Vauxhall is really turning a corner in the UK after years of losses and sales declines, the amazing offers and lifetime warranty combined with 0% finance is really tempting buyers, will the announcement that Chevrolet, its US sister brand, will pull out of Eastern Europe from 2015, see a change to these offers, I cant see that happening as it is working so well, the ageing Corsa, which is due for imminent replacement is still outselling far newer and cheaper cars.

Chevy have so far sold just over 11,000 cars in the UK this year, a figure they will not repeat, as buyers will leave the brand to go elsewhere, which is where Vauxhall could wring their hands with glee, MG on the other hand, what is happening there, a supposed new car with major advertising across TV, Press and online media, and they sell 75, really, why bother, the MG fan-boys get quite agitated when anything negative is said, but when the truth is told it is bound to hurt.

Jaguar is having an off month with sales slightly lower in November but YTD sales are still way above last year, and in the US a sales figure in excess of 100% increase on the same month last year, with no new products due (F-Type Coupe has been launched but not as yet available), Jaguar will hope to carry on good sales until teh new XS, XF and XJ along with the Q-Type from 2015, and teh new four cylinder engines from Wolverhampton from late 2014/early 2015, Land Rover continues to improve, and like Jaguar have little imminant, 2015 will be another big year for the LR brand with a significant amount of new products being launched.

Great stuff from Le Container

Christmas is coming early for one of Sheffield’s new MG dealers.

Eric Stead (Garages) is holding a special early Christmas party this weekend, complete with all the Christmas trimmings, to mark the official opening of the new MG dealership.

Trevor Stead, the firm’s Managing Director, said: “We’ve already taken orders for five MG3s and it’s a car that has really caught peoples’ imaginations. It offers such great value for money and word is now spreading fast.

“We’re now fully up and running and thought it would be a great time to celebrate, so we’ve laid on an early Christmas party.

“There will be mince pies, mulled wine and carols and we have three £100 Christmas hampers to give away in a prize draw as well as a Christmas lucky dip for the kids.

“Usually buying a new car isn’t on list of things people plan to do in the run up to Christmas, but we’ve been very busy with the new MG3.

Alongside an MG3 3STYLE demonstrator, Eric Stead also has new petrol and diesel MG6 GTs and an MG6 Magnette on show.

Eric Stead, in Ecclesfield in the north of Sheffield is one of two MG dealers in the city. Grant & McAllin in Rother Valley Way covers the south of Sheffield and is planning an opening event in January.

MG will run scared of new brand Qoros and its cheaper pricing in China

• The Qoros 3 Sedan will go on sale in China at a starting price of RMB 119,900
• Qoros’ first production model spearheads New Premium concept
• A Style Accessories Concept debuts, signaling the intention to meet the growing trend of personalization

At its first ever appearance at the Guangzhou Motor Show, new international car brand, Qoros, today announced the China specification and pricing for its first series production model, the compact Qoros 3 Sedan.

Delivering international standards of quality, safety, specification, design and technology, the Qoros 3 Sedan represents a New Premium.  The car received very positive response following its global unveiling earlier this year at the Geneva and Shanghai Motor Shows.

The Qoros 3 Sedan will go on sale in China with a line-up of six variants, ranging in price from RMB 119,900 to RMB 167,900.

The full model line-up is as follows:

The Qoros 3 Sedan targets young, modern, metropolitan consumers who are ambitious, aspirational and always connected.  They are proactive, independent-minded and seek quality.

The Qoros 3 Sedan has been designed, developed and engineered by an international team of engineers with expertise gained from world-class western automotive brands.  Thanks to a comprehensive development programme conducted under the leadership of this experienced team in conjunction with a number of globally renowned systems and technology providers, Qoros is about to start sales of the most advanced car ever developed in China.

Along with the launch of the Qoros 3 Sedan, Qoros is developing its dealer and aftersales service networks following the opening of its first dealer in in Nanjing in early November.

Style Accessories Concept

Alongside the production Qoros 3 Sedan, Qoros also unveiled its ‘Style Accessories Concept’ at the Guangzhou Auto Show.  The new concept incorporates a number of exterior design enhancements.  Each has a functional purpose as well as providing a distinct accent to the Qoros 3 Sedan’s elegant styling.

The Style Accessories Concept includes small spoiler extensions to the front and rear bumpers, subtle side skirts and a rear wing on the trunk.  These are conceived not only provide a sportier look but also to optimise airflow under and around and over the car to improve aerodynamics and fuel economy.  Striking, large 18-inch 20-spoke alloy wheels feature an eye-catching matt smoke silver finish and are wrapped in low-profile tyres that neatly fill the more prominent wheel arches that are also part of the styling enhancements.

The Style Accessories Concept is indicative of a comprehensive range of accessories being developed for the Qoros 3 Sedan that will be available to order exclusively from Qoros retailers in China in the second half of next year.

Design

The production Qoros 3 Sedan spearheads the introduction of a simple, timeless, elegant design which will feature across all future Qoros models.  The clean, simple styling – adopting a horizontal theme and inspired by European automotive design – benefits from deliberately striking accents such as the LED daytime running lights and taillights, and the large, bold alloy wheels.

Advanced touchscreen multimedia system

The horizontal theme continues inside.  The passenger cabin is an unusually generous space thanks to the widest body (1,839 mm) and longest wheelbase (2,690mm) in its class.  The focus of the dash is the eight-inch capacitive touchscreen for the Qoros MMHTM (Multi Media Hub), fitted as standard across the range, which eliminates the plethora of buttons and switches that blights the interior of many modern cars.  Designed to minimise driver distraction, this highly intuitive system was developed in-house at Qoros.  It is operated through simple finger swipe gestures, and can be navigated very easily without the complex multi-layer menu structures of rivals’ systems.

Cloud-connected features

Qoros MMHTM is also the portal through which users can access the comprehensive range of QorosQloudTM cloud-based services (standard on Experience models and above, optional on Essence), such as enhanced navigation, vehicle status and social networking features.  This technology, which integrates seamlessly with users’ smartphones and other connected devices, allows the Qoros 3 Sedan to become part of the customer’s digital world like never before.

World-class safety

The Qoros 3 Sedan is the first car developed in China to achieve a maximum five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating.  It is one of the safest cars ever tested in the programme’s 16-year history, and is the best performer so far in 2013.

Power and refinement

The Qoros 3 Sedan is powered by 1.6-litre VVT gasoline engines in either naturally aspirated or turbocharged form, and both are available with six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch transmissions.

The 1.6-litre turbo yields 115 kW (156 ps) power and maximum torque of 210 Nm, and when matched with the six-speed dry dual-clutch transmission, accelerates the Qoros 3 Sedan to 0-100 km/h in 9.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 217 km/h.  Fuel consumption is rated at just 6.4 l/100 km.

The naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre unit delivers 93 kW (126 ps) and 155 Nm.  With this engine paired to the six-speed manual transmission, the car accelerates to 100 km/h in 11.6 seconds.  Fuel consumption is just 6.1 l/100 km, or an impressive 6.0 l/100 km when married to the dual-clutch gearbox.  Both engines deliver exceptional drivability.

The chassis set up sees MacPherson struts at the front and twist beam axle at the rear, which endows the Qoros 3 Sedan with a compliant and comfortable ride, yet positive handling when a more dynamic response is required.  In conjunction with an exhaustive development programme that results in extremely effective NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) management, occupants can enjoy a quiet and refined driving experience.

TMW - Its that time of the month again, October UK car sales

JAGUAR

SEPTEMBER 2012 845 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 944 sales +11.72%
YTD 2012 11984 sales - YTD 2013 14200 sales +18.49%

LAND ROVER

SEPTEMBER 2012 3465 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 3965 sales +14.43%
YTD 2012 42312 sales - YTD 2013 47881 sales +13.16%

JAGUAR LAND ROVERS COMPETITORS

BMW

SEPTEMBER 2012 9959 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 8493 sales -14.72%
YTD 2012 107651 sales - YTD 2013 113806 sales +5.72%

MERCEDES

SEPTEMBER 2012 6522 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 8346 sales +27.97%
YTD 2012 79923 sales - YTD 2013 94970 sales +18.83%

LEXUS

SEPTEMBER 2012 504 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 719 sales +42.66%
YTD 2012 7571 sales - YTD 2013 7769 sales +2.62%

AUDI

SEPTEMBER 2012 9232 sales - SEPTEMBER 2013 10720 sales +16.12%
YTD 2012 110622 sales - YTD 2013 124981 sales +12.98%

RISERS ON PREVIOUS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ABARTH +14.85%

CITROEN +7.31%

DACIA +100.00%

FIAT +18.16%

FORD +10.29%

HONDA +3.45%
HYUNDAI +5.94%
KIA +9.83%

LOTUS +38.52%
MAZDA +16.24%

MIA +100.00%
MINI +4.17% 

MITSUBISHI +44.66%

NISSAN +12.18%

PEUGEOT +5.50%

PORSCHE +2.15%
RENAULT +7.26%

SEAT +15.25%
SKODA +19.31% 

SMART +2.90% 
SUBARU +0.76%
SUZUKI +30.40%
TOYOTA +6.38%
VAUXHALL +10.50%

VOLKSWAGEN +4.33%

VOLVO +1.18%

LOSERS THIS YEAR (YOY CUMULATIVE)

ALFA ROMEO -26.05%

ASTON MARTIN -3.30%

BENTLEY -1.77%

CHEVROLET -12.87%

CHRYSLER -23.13%

INFINITI -20.32%

JEEP -10.49%

MASERATI -0.73%

MG -53.74%

PERODUA -44.66%

PROTON -90.10%

SAAB -98.70%

SSANGYONG -24.90%

Again 2013 is looking to beat all expectations, with another month where the full year totals have been revised upwards, the trend is also looking to continue into next year and 2015, with a number of significant new cars due over that period, and offers that continue to attract buyers, I cant see this changing anytime soon.

The same brands as last month, again, shows negatives, with the US manufacturers baring the brunt of the drops in sales over last year, MG with the new MG3 surprisingly sold LESS cars in October than last year, go figure that one out, especially as Motorpoint had another batch of cars registered, next month however will tell if the MG3 is actually selling well or not, and to quantify that, Lotus sold only a few cars less than MG, but that was 1,300% up on last year, with only 2 sold then and 28 now.

A new brand has entered the Frey, >MIA< a French company devoted to producing all electric cars, has registered 5 cars in the UK, mini van like with sliding doors and a central driving position, with some decent stats like, 3 hour charge times, numerous colour options, 100kph top speed, 125km range, and a boast of 10,000kms for the cost of two normal fuel fill ups, it deserves to be looked into, but not in white, it does no favours to the little car in white, however in black with alloy wheels and full leather interior, it does look a little special.

Our favourite two brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, have yet again, posted impressive results, with both brands showing double digit percentage increases for the year to date, and October, BMW had a very poor October, strange considering that they have reasonable new products to sell, Both Jaguar and Land Rover have new metal recently released, and with a significant amount of new products coming on stream in the next few years, JLR's sales can and will only go one way, and that's up, this with new facilities in India and China, new engine plant in the UK near to completion and major expansions either on going or in the planning for its other UK plants, JLR is ready to meet that challenge.

Again the usual half dozen are in the top spots, but the Focus in October took a rather large hit, and was beaten by the ageing Corsa, even the not so fresh Astra and Qashqai still are big hitters, and the less than capable Insignia agains draws some big numbers, the new Golf remains a popular buy whilst the visually challenged Juke, Fiat's cute 500 and BMW's 3-Series round out the top ten, the main surprise is that the Diesel market is increasing, in a market where petrol powered cars are now on a par with diesels in a number of models, this along with cheaper fuel and cheaper cars, makes the diesel option less of a draw, yet they are still out selling petrol power.

Jon Mower

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