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publication date: Jan 11, 2012
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author/source: Robin Roberts
The shortlist for the 2012 European Car of the Year award has been announced.
There were 35 cars on the original list, but the first round of voting from the 59 jury members has whittled the list down to just seven. They are the Citroen DS5, Fiat Panda, Focus Focus, Opel/ Vauxhall Chevrolet Volt/ Ampera, Range Rover Evoque, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Up. There is the possibility of new car makers' mergers on the horizon in 2012. Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group may seek to combine with another automaker to increase efficiencies and cut development costs, Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of both told journalists at the Detroit motor show. Volvo is on the lookout for a partner to help it gain scale effects for its next generation of compacts once the model lifecycle of cars such as the upcoming Volvo V40 station wagon expire in 2017. Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn expects U.S. sales of the electric Nissan Leaf will double to at least 20,000 this year as the car goes on sale in more states. Nissan sold 9,674 Leafs last year, but the car was initially available in only seven states. It's now available in 30 states. Storms which battered parts of the UK brought a 28 per cent increase in car insurance claims over the first five days of January, compared with the same period last year when most of the country was under a deep snow blanket. An analysis of AA Insurance statistic shows broker recorded 991 claims over the first five days of January and if scaled up the equivalent of over 5,600 car insurance claims nationally could be related to the weather. An online survey carried out by Swinton, the UK's leading high street retailer of car insurance, found that a staggering 52% of drivers do not keep a breakdown kit in their car for emergencies. A quarter of motorists admitted having car trouble during the winter season but more than half still do not carry basic breakdown supplies, such as a torch, water, or fuel. Results showed that 69.7% of people who experience a break down are most likely to call their breakdown provider first, closely followed by 13.1% who would call their partner, and 8.1% who admitted that dad would be their first port of call during a crisis. |
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