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publication date: Feb 17, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
The world premiere of Nissan’s new global compact car – the replacement of Micra – will be made at the Geneva International Motor Show. It is the first new model to be developed on Nissan’s all new V Platform. Particular attention has been made to minimising weight on the new V Platform, with the added benefits that it can bring in terms of economy and emissions. Sales will begin in Thailand in April, with European sales starting in the autumn. Relations between local highway authorities and drivers who rely on minor roads have become very frosty following this winter’s severe snow - three-quarters of AA members say the councils did a bad job keeping these routes open, AA/Populus research reveals. Worse still was the response to treating pavements. Three-quarters of AA members said their local authorities had done not very well, and a mere 2pc said the councils had done very well. In Wales, 88pc said they thought councils had done very well, reasonably well or acceptably well in treating main roads, but when it came to pavements nearly 6 in 10 told pollsters the pavements had not been acceptably cleared. The Gwent MGOC is holding its first Sunday lunch run of 2010 next weekend. They will be leaving the car park at Asda, Coryton, Cardiff around 9.45am before heading along the south Wales coastline and a stop at Ewenny Potteries, lunch at The Seabank Hotel, Porthcawl and then returning to Cardiff. The five-year old club meets on the third Thursday evening of each month at The Fugitives Club, High Cross Road, Rogerstone, Newport. More details from www.gwentmgoc.org.uk . EU politicians want a better deal for the automotive sector and freedom to support struggling companies. As Opel announces the slashing of thousands of jobs in Europe, the European regions are calling for a “new deal” for the automotive sector, hit hard by the economic crisis and overcapacity problems. EU Committee of the Regions urges the European Commission to develop a long-term industrial policy for the automotive sector. A new problem may be underlying the Toyota “throttle” recall, claims a Japanese paper. Toyota Motor Corp. likely will re-examine its electronic throttle-control system for defects, after claims in the United States that a fault with the system may have caused unintended acceleration of Toyota vehicles, reports Daily Yomiuri. In order to ensure the probe is transparent, the carmaker will ask an external research institution to examine whether the computer program used to control its throttle system is working properly, sources said. A new high speed rail line will cost the taxpayer billions of pounds, but benefit only a relatively small group of wealthy travellers. And developing a link between London and Birmingham, and then beyond, will starve other much-needed transport schemes of cash. That is the stark message Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, is delivering today at the Great Transport Debate conference in London. “For most of the people, most of the time, the car is public transport, and government policy and spending needs to reflect this,” he will say. In January, new passenger car registrations in the European Union increased by 12.9pc compared to the same month a year ago, influenced by the continuing effect of fleet renewal schemes in a number of Western European countries. Latest figures from JATO Dynamics show scrappage deals continued to tempt Western European car buyers to showrooms in January. Once again, most buyers were tempted by the Volkswagen Golf, closely followed by the Ford Fiesta. These two models increased sales by 19.8pc and 21.4pc respectively, versus January 2009, but sales were down over 4pc in Germany after its scrappage scheme ended. |
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