VW Golf Keeps its Sales Crown in Europe for 2011, Polo Comes in 2nd,Ford Fiesta 3rd

The sixth generation of the Volkswagen Golf is in its final year with a replacement due to be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show this fall, yet it still managed to sell more cars than any other model in Europe in 2011 for a third year in a row, according to data provided from JATO Dynamics.

Volkswagen delivered 484,547 units of the Golf in 2011, down 1.6% over the previous year. The German company also took second spot with the Polo that sold 356,490 cars, up 0.5%, while the Ford Fiesta with 348,465 sales (-13.3%), the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa with 313,325 units (-1.7%) and the Renault Clio with 294,172 (-13.1%) complete the Top 5.

We should note that all Top 10 best-sellers came from either German (7 models) or French (3 models) brands.

JATO Dynamics says that outside the top ten, certain models performed much better than their predecessors did including Peugeot’s new 508, which saw its sales rise almost three times achieved by its predecessor, the 407, in 2010, the new Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max, Citroën C4, BMW X3 and Kia Sportage.

Overall, the European market shrunk 1.2% over 2010 to 13,543,179 units in 2011.

Greece and Portugal recorded the largest drops with 30.7% and 31.3% respectively, while on the other side of the spectrum, Latvia and Lithuania posted gains of 72.5% and 66.0% respectively.

The top selling brand in Europe was of course Volkswagen with 1,678,279 units (+9.1%) followed by Ford with 1,087,912 (-2.8%) and Renault with 1,038,313 (-8.8%). Out of the top ten brands in 2011, only Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Mercedes ended 2011 with no reduction in sales.

“Germany is clearly leading Europe in terms of a market for new cars as well as manufacturing models which appeal to consumers across the region. This is even more impressive considering the challenges we saw in the overall European market during 2011," commented Gareth Hession, Vice President, Research at JATO.

Source: JATO Dynamics

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New Survey Shows which Owners Would Buy from the Same Brand Again

Brand loyalty among customers is something all carmakers aspire to achieve, but sometimes that's easier said than done as proved by the results of J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Customer Retention Study.

There's a lot to say about the survey that measures the rate at which automotive brands retain their existing customers and which is now in its ninth year, but we can't help but to start from the winner.

Amazingly, the brand that manages to keep most customers is Hyundai with a retention rate of 64%. The South Korean brand's feat is even more impressive if you consider that just two years ago it ranked below average with 47%!

“Hyundai’s increased retention rate is shaped by its expanding model lineup, as well as the fact that perceptions of the brand’s quality and appeal have continued to improve during the past decade,” said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive product research at J.D. Power and Associates.

Hyundai is followed closely by Ford and Honda, each with a customer retention rate of 60 percent, and BMW and Kia, both with 59%.

While not in the top 10, Jeep recorded the greatest improvement in customer retention rate from 2010 (by 17 percentage points to 51 percent in 2012).

The study found that one in three new-vehicle owners who switched brands claim that previous brand didn’t offer the type of vehicle they wanted.

J.D. Power says that while the absence of a type of model is the primary reason for switching to another brand, it's not the only one. Other key reasons include high vehicle costs to own and/or maintain, various car problems and even low resale values.

“Many automotive brands are expanding their array of models in an attempt to capture more buyers, but this isn’t enough in and of itself,” said Festekjian.

“Manufacturers need to integrate specific attributes and features that delight vehicle owners to maximize their opportunity to both retain customers and conquest from other brands. Manufacturers also need to ensure owners are satisfied with the quality, residual values and ownership costs of their vehicles,” he added.

On a positive note, the survey found that overall customer retention has improved by one percentage point in 2012 to 49 percent (vs 48 percent in 2010) with 19 of the 33 ranked brands improving their numbers and 14 showing a decline over 2010.

According to the findings, women and younger vehicle owners between ages 23 and 47 are more prone to changing brands compared to men and older drivers.

“Women and younger vehicle owners are more likely to experience changes in their life circumstances, including growth in household size or changes in income levels, that would lead them to purchase vehicles that better accommodate their new lifestyle,” said Festekjian.

Finally, according to the survey, brands that perform particularly well in keeping women customers include Honda, Hyundai, Kia and Mercedes-Benz, while Ford, Kia, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz did well with customers in the Generation Y and X demographics.

Hat tip to Aikiv!

Story References: J.D. Power via Gizmag

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Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Gone Wald

While not many in numbers, Wald International believes that some owners of the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe would like to give the luxurious convertible a more bespoke tuner look.

The Japanese firm's offering is a styling package is named "Black Bison Edition", which starts off with an assortment of aero parts made of carbon fiber.

These include a new front bumper with mesh vents and LED daytime lights on both corners, pronounced rocker panels, decorative trims for the fender vents, a boot lid spoiler and a rear apron with a diffuser plus different mirror caps.

A sports suspension module that brings the convertible Rolls Royce closer to the ground and a new set of multispoke alloy wheels that offer a more aggressive stance rounds out the tune.

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Refreshed 2012 Toyota Prius Priced from £21,350 in Britain

Toyota has released UK pricing on its subtly facelifted Prius hybrid that goes on sale this March. The 2012 model is offered in three trim levels with on-the-road prices ranging from £21,350to £24,620.

Revealed last September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the 2012 Prius gains some modest improvements inside and out.

On the exterior, there's a newly designed front bumper that houses new daytime running lights, clear headlamps featuring a revised LED lamp configuration, different tail lamp graphics and a new choice of alloy wheel designs.

In the cabin, there are new front seats, new upholstery and softer-touch surfaces, while Toyota also raised the equipment levels, most notably with the Toyota Touch touchscreen control system that is now standard on all grades.

Toyota also claims to have made changes to the suspension and steering column to improve comfort and steering feel.

There are no changes to the Prius' hybrid setup that mates a 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle petrol engine with a CVT and an electric motor to deliver a combined cycle fuel economy of 72.4mpg UK with CO2 emissions of 89g/km (70.6mpg UK and 92g/km respectively for models riding on 17-inh alloy rims).

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Norwegian Firm Converts Ferrari FF into a Bio-Ethanol Supercar

Bio-ethanol E85 (up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) conversions are nothing new in the auto industry but you don't see it happening everyday on brand new supercars of the likes of the Ferrari FF, which is why this project caught our attention.

According to the reports, the conversion to allow the Ferrari's V12 engine to run on E85 fuel comes from Norwegian firm Customized.no and it costs just €1,500 or nearly US$2,000.

On regular fuel, the 6.3-liter lump delivers 660PS (651bhp) emitting 360 gr/km of CO2 emissions and accelerating the FF from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 3.7 seconds.

We have no way of officially confirming the numbers (nor if it will void the manufacturer's warranty…), but it said that when running on E85 fuel, the FF's V12 churns out 887PS (875bhp) and emits under 100g/km while reducing the sprint time to 100km/h below 3 seconds.

In any case, in the rare chance that you happen to own a Ferrari FF and are interested in the conversion, we'd strongly advise you to ask the company for more details.

Story References: TheCarFinders via Worldcarfans

 

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Polk Study Says Median Age of U.S. Vehicles Reaches an All-Time High

According to a study published by global automotive market intelligence firm Polk, cars and trucks in the United States are aging - and at a pretty fast rate.

The average age of cars and light trucks currently in operation the U.S. has increased to 10.8 years. Cars have recorded a relatively small surge in age, from an average of 11 years in 2010 to 11.1 years in 2011, while the median age of light trucks, pickups and SUVs rose from 10.1 to 10.4 years.

The report says that the slowdown of the economy in 2008 and 2009, and the uncertainty it has since created among consumers, has resulted in low volume sales these two years.

Despite the fact that more trucks were sold during that period than passenger cars, their average age increased faster – a trend which Polk analysts estimate will change due to the increasingly high sales of smaller SUVs.

On the other hand, last year marked the end of the declining vehicle numbers that begun in 2008. The study shows that, compared to July 2010, the number of vehicles that were operational in July 2011 had increased by 500,000 units, to 240.5 million.

As always, there are two sides on each coin. Polk global aftermarket practice leader Mark Seng explains: “The increasing age of the vehicle fleet, together with the increasing length of ownership, offers significant business growth opportunity for the automotive aftermarket. Dealer service departments and independent repair facilities, as well as aftermarket parts suppliers, will see increased business opportunity in need of vehicle service.”

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Audi R8 V10 Falls Victim to the Stretch Limousine Industry

From the creators of the Ferrari 360 stretch limo comes yet another controversial supercar conversion, this time based on the Audi R8 V10.

Carbonyte UK will work in conjunction with Limo Broker to create the world's first super-stretched R8 and which it says is destined to become the signature model for the Limo Broker brand that also owns the Ferrari 360 Modena limousine.

The British company said that work on the Audi R8 V10-based model has already commenced with the launch expected to take place by the end of summer 2012.

In the meantime, Limo Broker's released the design renderings and a virtual video that outlines the concept behind the limo, while also providing an impression of how the finished vehicle will look like.

The limousine will be able to seat up to eight people and will retain the production sports car's 5.2-liter V10 engine with 528bhp.

Scroll down for a video and pictures of both the Audi R8 and Ferrari 360 limousines.

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Suzuki Moves Ahead without VW and Signs New Diesel Engine Deal with Fiat

Regular readers will no doubt remember the clash between the Volkswagen Group and Suzuki Motors with the Germans refusing to let go of their 19.9 percent equity stake in the Japanese company and Suzuki taking the matter to the international court.

While the issue remains unresolved, Suzuki has already moved on and today, the company announced that it is further expanding its business relationship with the Fiat Group, which also owns Chrysler.

The two parties reached an agreement for the supply of Fiat's 1.3-liter Multijet four-cylinder turbo diesel with 75-horses to Maruti Suzuki, which is the Japanese company's Indian subsidiary.

Fiat India Automobiles Limited (FIAL), a joint venture between Fiat and Tata Motors, produces the diesel engine at a plant near Pune in Maharashtra State.

Under the deal, Fiat will supply up to 100,000 1.3L MultiJet 75hp SDE engines per year, starting from January 2012 and for a maximum period of three years. Fiat noted that these volumes will be in addition to the 1.3L MultiJet SDE engines already licensed by Fiat and manufactured by Suzuki Powertrain India Limited.

The 75HP diesel unit will be used on Suzuki branded vehicles produced in India exclusively for the local market.

 

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Toyota Introduces Updated 2012 Land Cruiser with V8 Turbo Diesel in theUK

After the recent presentation of the updated Toyota Land Cruiser in its home market of Japan and then in North America, the full-size 4x4 model has now been introduced in Britain where it goes on sale this March.

Available exclusively with a revised V8 turbo diesel and a single trim level, the 2012 Land Cruiser is priced at £62,285 on-the-road (equal to US$95,900 or €75,000).

On the outside, the large 4x4 sports a new fascia with a different bumper, grille and headlamps with LED daytime running lights, along with restyled taillights and exterior mirrors with LED turn indicators. Furthermore, the UK model gains new black roof rails, side mouldings with chrome details and new 20-inch alloy wheels.

The cabin gets new seats that are air conditioned/heated up front, a central cool box, heated steering wheel and improvements in the quality and appearance of the trims and finishes throughout.

The 2012 model is offered with the new Toyota Touch Pro multimedia and navigation system with a digital tuner, Bluetooth and a rear-view camera as standard, while the Japanese company offers an optional in-car entertainment package with two eight-inch seatback-mounted monitors that are said to be resilient to screen “jitter” when the vehicle is on the move.

Under the hood, the Land Cruiser's 4.5-liter turbocharged V8 diesel engine has been modified and now features a diesel particulate filter (DPF) along with new fuel injectors in the common rail system to comply with Euro 5 standards.

The V8 is rated at 268bhp (200kW) at 3,600rpm, and has a maximum torque of 650Nm (479.4 lb-ft) delivered between 1,600 and 2,800rpm.

Finally yet importantly, Toyota has introduced a slew of handling and driver-assistance systems. These include:

• Turn Assist, that reduces the vehicle’s turning radius when driving through tight off-road bends
• Crawl Control, with five speed settings for tackling steep climbs or descents
• Multi-terrain Select, with five selectable modes to tailor vehicle performance to different off-road conditions
• Multi-terrain Monitor, providing a 360-degree view of the area immediately around the vehicle via four external cameras
• Tyre Angle Display, displayed together with the predicted tyre path guidelines on the Multi-terrain Monitor, showing changes in steering angle between zero and 45 degrees
• Variable Flow Control power steering, with a unique, dedicated off-road setting

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