Peugeot Announce New RCZ Pricing

French motoring giant Peugeot have announced the pricing details for the new RCZ which is due to be released in the UK in January. The car is a follow-up of the previously successful first generation RCZ released in May 2010. The company celebrated 30,000 first generation RCZ's coming off its production line in June of this year. 

Prices for the new RCZ will start from £21,595 for the entry-level version of the car. Peugeot will continue to offer two different trim levels, Sport and GT. 

Sports models include 18-inch alloys, dual-zone air-conditioning, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and rear parking sensors. Other additions to the face-lifted RCZ include automatic lights and options including leather and Alcantara upholstery.

GT models of the RCZ feature all of the sport trims features plus 19-inch alloys, a sports steering wheel and gear-lever. The GT trim will get the leather upholstery as standard, owners will be able to choose the optional Cohiba Brown colour. The GT version of the car will cost from around £23,995.

The coupé has been given a mid-life facelift with changes to the interior and exterior. The front end of the car has been restyled to bring it in line with the latest Peugeot design theme which was first released on the 208 supermini. The alloy wheels of the RCZ have also received a redesign. The interior has also been updated in design and Peugeot now offer a greater variety of trim colours and personalisation options. 

A high performance variation of the coupe, the RCZ R, was announced Paris motor show. The performance car will launch in the UK towards the end of 2013. 

Toyota Recall Again as Troubles Continue to Mount

Toyota have revealed they are to recall another 2.7 million cars globally just four weeks after announcing the recalling of 7 million cars worldwide for other manufactured faults. This time the fault includes the determination of the steering system and water pump issues. Toyota have said that the 75,000 owners have been affected in the UK.

Models recalled include the Prius, Corolla and the Camry among 9 total models being identified as potentially faulty. Toyota however said that the recall was precautionary and no one has yet to report an accident or damage from the described faults. All the models are also previous generation cars and all new cars on sale today are not affected. 

The news has come as yet another blow to Toyota as ongoing recalling efforts are damaging the reputation of the company. Since 2009 the latest announcements means close to 22 million Toyota’s have been recalled after 2 separate unrelated issues saw the recalling of 12 million cars in 2009 and 7 million last month.

Owners will be contacted by Toyota to arrange for the cars to be taken to an approved dealer to be fixed. They work to be carried out should take about an hour. 

"Nobody is perfect. Vehicles nowadays are very complicated," said Koichi Sugimoto, an auto analyst with BNP Paribas in Tokyo. He Added "The company is taking appropriate measures to fix the problems, so I don't think this will cause significant damage to Toyota's reputation."

More information from the BBC

Renault Zoe Available to Order

The Renault Zoe is to be launched in Spring 2013 but customer with their heart set on the car can pre-order now for £49. The small electric car could potentially rival the likes of the Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 as one of the most popular city cars.  

Renault say the Zoe will cost £13,650 after the deductions based around the government’s electric car grant scheme. This makes Zoe significantly cheaper to buy than other electric cars on the road which could potentially prove a popular reason to buy the car. The car is cheaper primarily because of Renaults battery rental scheme. An owner can pay £70 per month for the battery and avoid the costs of replacing expensive spent batteries.

Renault have also claimed that the battery motor in the Zoe will give the best range of any electric car in the UK with 130 miles travel possible on a full battery charge.

The Frenchcar giant says this is the first electric vehicle in the UK market to be designed solely as an electric car and not an adaptation of a fuel based model. Renault’s Fluence ZE and Kangoo ZE have been developed from existing platforms and the Renault Twizy is classed as a quadracycle.

New Mercedes A-Class Proving Popular

Mercedes have said the sales of their new A-Class are booming. The car has become the most pre-ordered car in the company’s history with over 70,000 sales in Europe alone.  The pre-orders equate to 1 in every 10 people ordering a car that turned up to a pre-launch event.

Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche also took the opportunity to identify Mercedes’ absence in key markets such as the small SUV market and said this is making the form lag behind key competitors Audi and BMW. However he did say that they plan to gain ground in these markets within the next 5 years and they aim to be the world’s leading premium car manufacturer by 2020. 

The cheapest on the road price is £18,945 and deliveries of the car are expected soon. So expect to see this beautiful looking car on the roads near you soon. 

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Lamborghini Gallardo gets a Facelift

One of the most iconic cars in the world gets a facelift. The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is often considered the go-to car when people think of a richer side of life. Pictured is the Spyder version, which is fancy motoring talk for convertible, the standard face lifted version of the Gallardo was shown off at the Paris Motor Show a few weeks ago. 

The new Gallardo Spyder has a more aggressive look which is highlighted by the more angular shaping of the car. The front bumper supports a linier and triangular shape than before and the design is highlighted even more at the rear. Other new features include large air intakes in-front of the front wheels. The alloy wheels have been redesigned and the 19-inch ‘Apollo’ wheels are offered in both black and polished metal finishes.

Just like the standard Gallardo Coupe version, The Spyder can be ordered with an optional style pack. This effectively adds a glossy black colour to the front and rear grilles as well as the underside of the front spoiler and parts of the rear. Further customization will be available using Lamborghini’s new ‘Ad Personam’ program.

The face lifted Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder will arrive in UK showrooms from November. Chances are you’ll have to be pretty wealthy to be able to accord a car lease for it.