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New car lines
publication date: Dec 17, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
 | The Tata Indica
Vista EV, the electric car developed by Tata Motors' UK subsidiary, Tata Motors
European Technical Centre (TMETC) engineers, is being readied for production at
an assembly facility in the West Midlands, UK.
Starting in December 2010, a
limited number of Tata Vista EV vehicles will roll out of the Coventry plant and will be supplied to selected customers, chosen from the public
working in and around the West Midlands, for trial and technology evaluation
purposes within the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) sponsored CABLED programme.
| By the end of the first quarter 2011, a total of 25 Vista EV vehicles will be
supplied for the 12 month trials programme.
In a public
announcement by the DfT/OLEV on 14th December 2010, the Plug-In Car
Grant scheme was detailed and vehicle manufacturers who qualified for the PICG
scheme, including Tata Motors with the Indica Vista EV, showcased their
vehicles. Under the scheme, qualifying manufacturers will receive a grant of
25% of the purchase price up to a maximum of £5000 (five thousand pounds) for
each new vehicle sold between January 2010 and March 2012.
The Tata Motors
Vista EV, a final production version of the Vista EVX which bagged two trophies
at the recent Royal Automobile Club's Brighton to London Future Car Challenge,
is a fully-electric 4-seater family car with impressive performance
characteristics such as 110 miles range and a top speed of 71 mph, making it
ideal for city driving as well as commuting and motorway cruising, alongside
conventionally powered vehicles.
The Tata Vista EV
will be launched in the UK market, and other selected European markets, in
early summer 2011 and will initially be available to fleet customers in limited
numbers to develop a robust customer base and after-sales programme, in readiness
for a more comprehensive launch in 2012.
With the market
introduction of the Tata Indica Vista EV, Tata Motors continues its commitment
to innovations in low carbon technologies. Investments in The Tata Motors
European Technical Centre, the Centre of Excellence for Green Technologies,
through collaborative research and internally funded programmes will bring
forward the next generation of low carbon and sustainable vehicles.
| | | |  | Renault
is significantly cutting prices for 2011.
Some of the big
winners, or perhaps more aptly, ‘losers', compared to October 2010 prices are
many of its best-selling versions.
Among them, there is £1,415 off the
Dynamique TomTom dCi 150 version of Laguna Hatch at £20,485, and £1,315 off the
equivalent Sport Tourer. Their striking
two-door sister also ushers in the New Year with som e healthy cuts, with Laguna
Coupé GT Line TomTom 2.0 dCi 180 £1,970 less than before, at £25,000. | The now
top-of-the-range GT Line TomTom V6 dCi 235 Auto is even more of a bargain, with
£2,300 off of its former £30,800 list price.
The flagship of the
Renault range, Grand Espace, also joins the New Year celebrations with £2,050
sliced off the Dynamique TomTom 2.0 dCi 150, now £26,550.
Further down the
range, up to £1,055 has been trimmed off Dynamique TomTom versions of Mégane
Hatch, with an average of £410 off of the entry-level Expression versions too.
The svelte Mégane Coupé has also slimmed down, with a sizeable £1,060 taken off
the Dynamique TomTom 1.4 TCe 130, now £17,995, and a typical cut of £430 on
Expression.
Brits are well-known
for enjoying the odd open-air drive on a crisp winter morning, so what better
time to snap a drop-top than by opting for a Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet, which also
sees its prices lowered by up to £1,750 in the case of the flagship dCi 160, at
£24,580. Buyers seeking something equally stylish but a little more compact, could
opt for Wind Roadster, now £500 less, starting at £15,000.
Other models
offering significant price cuts are the Clio three-, five-door and Sport Tourer
range, typically between £500 to £600. Some highlights include the new
entry-level three-door Expression for £10,250, a grin-inducing £790 less than
the previous Extreme, again without removing any kit.
The high-selling
Scénic range is also several pounds lighter, with £170 off the entry-level 1.6
Expression and £370 off the Grand Scénic Expression TCe 130.
| | | |  | The Vauxhall Countdown' offer represents a 20 per cent
discount off the list price, before options, on a majority of Vauxhall's most
popular models and is available on new cars purchased between December 27, 2010
- just over a week before the new VAT rate kicks in - and January 31, 2011.
So what kind of
discounts can customers expect? |
Opt for an Astra 1.4 (100PS) Exclusiv, a
popular model in Vauxhall's best-selling range, and the on the road price
tumbles by over £3,190. Choose the Agila range and savings start from £1890,
making it a particularly tempting buy for customers on a tight budget.
Plump
for the Corsa, and buyers could save up to £3400 off the on the road price,
depending on model.
Move up-market, and
the discounts become even more generous. The British-built and engineered Astra
Sports Tourer, which only launched to dealers three weeks ago, will attract
discounts of between £3,300 and £4,685, making it an even more attractive
proposition for buyers after style, practicality and performance.
Choose a top
of the range Insignia VXR and its on the road price drops by £6,165 to just
over £26,150.
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