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stretches across the width of the face. The long grille link Kia’s modern signature Tiger nose grille to the distinctive futuristic styled boomerangshaped DRL’s which in turn create solid boundary lines for the striking head lamps. The side profile displays taut lines cutting across pure, clean but refined body surfaces that seamlessly blends the contrasting volumes together. For the first time the Sportage displays a black roof – which a different colour than the vehicle’s body. Additionally, the chrome beltline kicks up onto the rear of the all new Sportage and into D-pillar. To complete the look, a large lower graphic bumper casing at the rear uses the same philosophy as the frontal technical black grille, connecting the all-new Sportage’s rear design elements and resulting in lightness in both appearance and touch.
THE ALL-NEW KIA SPORTAGE SETS NEW BENCHMARKS WITH ITS UPLIFTING SUV DESIGN
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fficial images of the all new Sportage have officially been revealed by Kia. The SUV has been carefully designed to enthuse customers with its interior and exterior design and for the first time in the models 28year history, Kia Europe will reveal a dedicated European version of the Sportage. The exterior exhibits tense and crisp lines that ripple along the enhanced body, intensifying the dramatic styling. In addition, clean but muscular surfaces join forces with intricate graphics to give the SUV a dynamic and assertive road presence. On the inside, a space has been created that is truly state-of-the-art, fusing high-tech features into contemporary style. “Reinventing the Sportage gave our talented design teams a tremendous opportunity to do something new; to take inspiration from the recent brand relaunch and introduction of EV6 to inspire customers through modern and innovative SUV design. With the all-new Sportage, we didn’t simply want to take one step forward but instead move on to a different level in the SUV class,” commented Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Design Center. Kia’s new design philosophy – Opposites United – is at the core of the all-new Sportage, influencing every aspect of its appearance and character. The principles of Opposites United will influence all future Kia designs, giving them the same basic DNA. The thought-provoking and daring philosophy strengthens the connection between design and Kia’s new brand direction, ‘Movement that inspires’. The all-new Sportage is the result of a collaborative effort between Kia’s main global design network in Korea, Germany, the US and China.
Ultra-Modern interior
The interior of the all-new Sportage plays with boldness in character, offering intuitive and innovative in technology, to create a driverorientated space that is truly state-of-the-art. A curved display with a slim touchscreen pad and detailed air vents forms add to the main part of the Sportage’s cabin. The high-tech touch screen with the advanced controller together acts as head office for the driver and passenger. Further enhancing passenger convenience, at the rear of the driver and front passenger seats are integrated hanger-type designs within the slim headrests, allowing clothing and handbags to be easily and conveniently hooked into place. The all-new Sportage’s intelligent interior space is cloaked in a combination of practicality, functionality and versatility. For the first time in the Sportage’s history, a bolder model has been specifically designed to convey a more confident, vigorous and versatile character. The all-new Sportage X-Line features a unique bumper, side sill and curved roof rack. On the inside, customers can choose between a signature sage green or black seating, as well as bold quilting and black metal wood to further bring to life the model’s confident persona. Due for global market launch later this year, more information on the all-new Sportage will be made available in due course. More information on the European Sportage, which will be available in the UK, will be released in September 2021. Contact the corporate team for more information.
New standards for exterior SUV design
The front of the all new Sportage displays a detail orientated black grille graphic which 2
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HONDA
ALL-NEW HONDA HR-V: SETTING NEW STANDARDS FOR INTERIOR COMFORT
the moment they open the door and to the minute they walk out of the car, each aspect of the dealing with the new HR-V is designed around optimal user experience first. Every interior design feature within the cockpit structure is dedicated to achieving a sense of spaciousness and airiness that connects occupants to the outside world. This begins with windows that are designed to admit as much light as possible, with the excellent outward visibility further aided by flat line of the bonnet and clear sightlines that make it easy to accurately determine the vehicle's position on the road. An important regard was given to interior comfort, therefore making sure the positioning of the interior controls was optimal. The simpleto-use layout allows all the components to be positioned in a way for it to make sure it’s all the in drivers field of vision. To offer maximum comfort for front occupants, the all-new HR-V presents body-stabilising front seats featuring mat-structure support, replacing the previous spring set-up. This helps to prevent tiredness on longer journeys and higher comfort in everyday use. The newly-developed rear seats are positioned 30mm further to the rear, giving an additional two degrees of recline compared to the previous generation HR-V. While head room is comparable to the class standard, the sedan-like seating position in the HR-V provides an additional 35mm legroom and shoulder space comparable to SUV’s a class above. The all-new HR-V e:HEV will be available later this year. Contact us to register your interest today.
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onda engineers and designers have proposed a new plan for the interior of the new hybrid HR-V, to meet the needs of modern consumers and design a pleasing yet practical car. To reflect the values, meet the needs of modern consumers and create a desirable yet practical car, Honda engineers and designers conceived a new proposition for the interior of the next-generation hybrid HR-V. By cleverly incorporating Honda's latest structural technologies and an interior design ethos centred on the concepts of light and wind, the all-new model achieves superior levels of interior comfort and space in the competitive compact B-SUV segment. The main feature is the unique air diffusion system which introduces a new concept of air conditioning, with L-shaped vents positioned in the top corners of the dashboard delivering natural breeze to all occupants. A dial is provided to switch seamlessly between 3 modes - the normal outlet with forward-directed air flow, the Air Diffusion System which creates a new gentle flow of air, and close which shuts off the air. The combination of these features ensures a consistent internal temperature is maintained, in all weather conditions.
Creating space and comfort
The HR-V’s interior design focuses on the dealings between the occupant and the car, to fully integrate it within their everyday lives. From
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ŠKODA
Škoda To Make ENYAQ iV Electric SUV Available to Blue-Light Fleets
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koda’s first all-electric model will be available to blue-light customers from July this year. Offering a range of up to 333 miles, the ENYAQ iV will receive the brand’s bespoke emergency service conversion treatment, enabling bluelight fleets to achieve sustainability targets without compromising on performance or ability. The ENYAQ iV range consists of two variants; ENYAQ iV 60 Nav and ENYAQ iV 80. The 58kW net battery in the 60 Nav has a WLTP combined range of 256 miles, while the 80’s 78kW net battery can clock up an amazing 333 miles on a single charge. Power is up to 204hp with 310Nm of torque, giving the ENYAQ iV a 0-62mph time of 8.5 seconds
and a top speed of 99mph. A rapid charging station can charge the 60 Nav to 80% in just 55 minutes, and the 80 in 1 hour 10 minutes. As well as the ENYAQ iV’s eco credentials, the brand expects the model to appeal to blue-light fleets for its simpler maintenance and servicing. As a result of the vast reduction in moving and perishable parts – for example, the single-speed transmission – fleets will benefit from less frequent maintenance and servicing, increasing available operational time and improving efficiency. The ENYAQ iV also brings ground clearance of 186mm and 15.4- and 16.7-degree approach and departure angles while luggage capacity of 585 litres – or up to 1,710 litres with the rear seats down – provides sufficient room for blue-light fleets to store and transport vital life-saving emergency equipment such as oxygen tanks, ventilators and other essential equipment. The conversion treatment includes 360-degree lighting and a full integration of the emergency services’ communication platform within Škoda’s existing infotainment touchscreen. This ensures all functionality, such as the lighting, can be controlled through one central accessible platform. Individual requirements can also be catered for via the brand’s approved specialist convertors. The ENYAQ iV is available through Škoda’s ‘One-stop Shop’ service, offering the peace of mind of a readyconverted all-inclusive purchase package, and is offered alongside the Octavia iV and Superb iV plug-in hybrids. For more information on the ENYAQ iV range, contact the corporate team.
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MAZDA
MAZDA MX-30 IS CROWNED ‘BEST ELECTRIC COMPACT SUV’ IN THE 2021 DIESEL AND ECO CAR MAGAZINE AWARDS
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he Mazda MX-30 has been named Best Electric Compact SUV by Diesel and Eco Car Magazine in their annual awards. Commenting on the MX-30’s award, Diesel and Eco Car Magazine Editor, Ian Robertson, said: “we’re big fans of the MX-30’s neat design, which pays tribute to the RX-8 sports car with its freestyle doors. It’s a looker inside too, where the attractive styling melds with eco-conscious materials like cork and door trims featuring material made from recycled bottles”. Adding, “while the 124-mile range has come under fire, but as an urban run around most owners will put it on charge overnight and it works well and offers rapid charging, too. A smaller battery helps the MX-30 undercut rivals on cost, giving it an extremely attractive £26,045 starting price, plus weight is kept low, helping the MX-30 drive with precision and little body roll.” The MX-30 is Mazda’s first battery electric production car - a stylish and versatile crossover EV with an AC synchronous electric motor and a 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery that delivers a range of 124miles. It comes with AC charging up to 6.6kW and DC rapid charging designed to meet 125A Combo Charging standards. Having clearly made an impression on Eco Car Magazine, the MX-30’s styling reflects a unique expression of Kodo design that emphasises the cars beauty as a solid mass, while the freestyle doors and framed glasshouse hint at the open spaciousness of the cabin. The distinctive, stylish and sustainable cabin features high-quality materials and a driver focused interior, while the use of environmentally-friendly materials has been carefully matched to meticulous quality and finish. Available to order now, all Mazda MX-30 models are currently offered with a free home wall box charger with standard installation**. Available across three generously equipped model grades – SE-L Lux, Sport Lux and GT Sport Tech, standard equipment on all UK MX-30s includes LED headlights with daytime running lights, reversing camera, Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Intelligent Speed Assist, navigation and head-up display. Each MX-30 comes as standard
with a Type 2 AC charging cable and a socket for DC rapid charging, which can deliver up to 80% charge in approximately 36 minutes**. Commenting on the Mazda MX-30’s recognition by Eco Car Magazine, Managing Director, Mazda Motors UK, Jeremy Thomson, said: “our first all-electric Mazda heralds an exciting start to Mazda’s second century in business. And to win an award like shows that the MX-30’s style, design and quality is getting noticed. It’s very encouraging that the MX-30 is resonating with Eco Car Magazine against a talented field of rival EVs”.
we’re big fans of the MX-30’s neat design, which pays tribute to the RX-8 sports car with its freestyle doors. It’s a looker inside too, where the attractive styling melds with ecoconscious materials like cork and door trims featuring material made from recycled bottles. Ian Robertson Diesel and Eco Car Magazine Editor
*inclusive of OLEV plug-in vehicle grant. **36 minutes charging time is based on an ambient temperature of 20°C. The exact charging time depends on various conditions at the time of charging, e.g. the type of charger, battery condition, charging patterns, as well as the battery temperature and ambient temperature. In cold conditions, both battery and ambient temperature will impact the charging time required and, in certain situations, this may lead to a significant increase in the charging time.
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THE BEST ELECTRIC COMPACT SUV IN THE 2021, MAZDA MX-30
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PEUGEOT
PEUGEOT E-EXPERT – ONE OF THE BEST VAN ALL-ROUNDERS IN ITS CLASS? John Kendall of Fleet World Magazine gives his thoughts on the 100% electric Peugeot e-Expert. “In only nine years, the Government reckons that every single new car and van on UK roads will be powered by electricity – which makes it difficult to understand why they recently cut the grant available for cars, vans and charge points. So, if you were thinking of trialling an electric van, there is less financial help available. Luckily the Peugeot e-Expert is one of those on the Government’s list of large vans that are eligible for the reduced grant, along with its siblings the Citroën e-Dispatch and Vauxhall Vivaro-e. That means that the Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG) will pay for up to 35% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £6,000. E-Expert prices start from £26,965 after PiVG for the standard-length S variant with 50kWh battery pack. Peugeot claims a range of between 122 and 148 miles for this model. Our test van, an e-Expert 75kWh Auto Asphalt offers a range of between 177 and 211 miles according to Peugeot. The extra range comes at a cost though, as it rises to £36,380 after PiVG. It’s not all about range though as Asphalt trim is a couple of trim levels up from S and includes items such as Connected 3D navigation with colour touchscreen. Peugeot’s Safety Pack, which includes: Lane Departure Warning System, Speed Limit Recognition and Recommendation, Driver Attention Assist and Smartbeam Headlights, Moduwork dual passenger seat with under-seat storage, alloy wheels with locking wheel nuts, metallic paint and Peugeot’s Look Pack, which includes body colour front and rear bumpers, side rubbing strips and exterior door handles, front fog lights and LED daytime running lights. Anyone familiar with the Expert, launched in 2016, will know that the van is a far stronger competitor to the VW Transporter and Ford Transit Custom than its predecessor. If anything, the e-Expert, voted International Van of the Year 2021, with its siblings, is better still. It offers a fully electric variant that the Ford cannot, with an electric range and price that the VW cannot match. It drives like a diesel-powered Expert, in other words very well, but without the rumble of a diesel engine. If you want a quiet life in a van, buy an electric 10
model. Load volume is unchanged at 5.3m3, although payload takes a hit with maximum indicative payload of 1,000kg, compared with 1,458kg for the 120 S&S 6-speed manual 1400 model. The e-Expert behaves like an automatic and Peugeot has fitted an automatic style gear selector, which sits alongside a mode selector switch (Eco, Normal and Sport), where the gear selector would normally be at the base of the dashboard. Obviously maximum range is available in Eco mode. Performance is brisk, accompanied by the whine of the electrical systems, but the lack of noise can take pedestrians by surprise and driving with extreme caution in car parks is advisable as the e-Expert does not appear to have a low speed alarm. E-Expert was designed to have an electric powertrain from the outset, which may explain why it offers such a good range compared with its electric rivals such as the Mercedes eVito, and VW eTransporter. If you are considering an electric van, the e-Expert is a good place to start looking. Like most of its rivals, it is an expensive option, but if you operate in the London ULEZ or one of the other emissions zones that is introducing charging for older diesel models, it would help to shorten the payback period.” John’s Verdict: ‘e-Expert is one of the best electric van all-rounders in its class, offering good range and a quiet and comfortable driving experience. It loses out on payload, but is a good introduction to electric vans.
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NISSAN
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All-New Qashqai – A Collection of Car Expert Reviews
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esigned, engineered and manufactured in the UK, the all-new Nissan Qashqai is available with a new electrified petrol mild hybrid powertrain, and boasts a sleeker and roomier design than its predecessors. Highly anticipated and now available to order, some of the nation’s Car Experts have got their hands on the new model for a test drive. Read on to find out what their overall verdicts are. AutoExpress – 4 out of 5 Verdict: The new Nissan Qashqai is an eminently usable and usefully practical family SUV. It might only be so-so to drive, and while there’s more tech much of it could still be better, but it nails the basics that some family SUVs don’t, making it an affordable and relatively successful evolution of the Qashqai formula for this third generation. However, we can’t help but feel it needs more in the way of electrification, so we’ll look forward to driving the e-Power model in the future.
What Car? – 4 out of 5
Verdict: The latest Qashqai is a strong contender in the family SUV class. We reckon the middle of the range is where the best value lies, because the cheaper trims (especially Visia) are stingily equipped and range-topping models are rather pricey.
CarExpert – 8 out of 10
Verdict: An all-new Nissan Qashqai is timely – any manufacturer building an SUV knew it had to try and beat the Nissan first, and several rival brands were beginning to do so. The new model is not particularly revolutionary but it does what Nissan claims it wanted to do – keep all the good bits and add some new and better bits. The car still drives well, offers lots of space and a quality of fit and finish that compares with most of the competition. The technology additions
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NISSAN are generally useful and the safety package top-notch. As a result, don’t expect to see the Qashqai falling out of that new car top ten any time soon.
Autocar – 4 out of 5
Verdict: It not only looks good and is well equipped (there’s a list of standard active safety systems that’s longer than a crash-test dummy’s arm), it also features one of the most intelligently designed and neatly packaged interior layouts in the business. This is a car that’s been designed with family use at its heart. Factor in the inevitably tempting finance deals and it's not hard to foresee Qashqais continuing to fly out of showrooms. The competition is crowding in, but with these updates, it's difficult to see any knocking the Qashqai off its top spot just yet.
Auto Trader – 4.5 out of 5
Verdict: Nissan claims to have invented the whole mid-size crossover genre with the original Qashqai and, even in its last year on sale, the previous version was by far the best-selling vehicle in a massively competitive class. This all-new one doesn’t mess with the formula but combines customer feedback with sharper design, improved tech and new mild-hybrid engines to improve the package still further. An electrified e-Power ‘range extender’ hybrid version will follow in due course, too. Designed, developed and built here in Britain, the Qashqai is a deserved family favourite, this new one set to continue Nissan’s top ranking in the crossover field.
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As Business Sponsors of the UK's First Net Zero Awareness Week, SmartestEnergy will be hosting a 'Net-Zero Week Festival' with a packed schedule of seminars on Thursday 22nd July 2021. Tune into the seminar 'How UK businesses can leverage advanced EV charging capabilities' to hear the latest updates about our innovative vehicle-to-grid (V2G) proof-of-concept project, which the partners below are collaborating on at Norton Way Nissan: Register your interest in attending online: www.smartestenergy.com/info-hub/events/netzero-week-festival-2021/
V2G Proof-of-Concept Project Partners
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Norton Way Corporate Department Unit 1 Arlesey Business Park, Mill Lane, Arlesey, Beds SG15 6RF Tel: 01462 754 700 www.nortonway.com
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