The new Ford Kuga delivers an even more technologically advanced, refined and affordable SUV, making driving simpler, safer and more enjoyable for growing numbers of SUV customers in the UK.

The new Kuga offers Ford’s SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system, driver assistance technologies, an ergonomic and comfortable interior, and powerful and efficient engines including Ford’s 120PS 1.5-litre TDCi diesel that returns 64.2 mpg and 115g/km CO₂.

The new Kuga also features Ford’s Perpendicular Parking technology that helps drivers park hands‑free in spaces alongside other cars; an enhanced version of the Active City Stop collision avoidance system; and Ford’s Adaptive Front Lighting System for optimised visibility in low light. Further advanced technologies include Hands-Free Liftgate and Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive (AWD).

The new Ford Kuga follows the introduction of the larger Edge SUV earlier this year, and an updated compact EcoSport SUV last year. Ford is bolstering its SUV line-up just as it has been predicted by industry sales analyst IHS that sales in the SUV segment are poised to increase to 27 percent of all vehicles sold in Europe by 2020.

New Kuga and the Edge are among five all-new or redesigned Ford vehicles that will compete in the SUV and crossover space in the next three years.

Kuga spearheaded the company’s SUV expansion in the UK after first going on sale in 2008, and sales increased to 32,926 in 2015 – up by over 35 per cent compared with 2014 (24,353). Kuga sales in September 2016 grew by 815 units (16 per cent) year-on-year to 5,906, with 29,217 year to date sales, making it the best 10 months and September since launch.

Ford sold 43,129 SUVs in the first three-quarters of 2016 – more than a 30 per cent improvement on the same period last year.

“SUVs have grown from a tiny niche in Europe to one of the most significant automotive trends of the past decade,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. “Every time someone predicts SUV sales will cool down, they are proven wrong. That’s because SUVs have widespread appeal with men and woman, young and older people.”

Women are increasingly entering the classic car market and becoming savvier investors in the process, according to new research by classic car insurance broker Footman James.

The research, which polled over 2,000 adults, revealed 1 in 4 women would now consider buying a classic car – clearly showing the classic car club is no longer reserved for the stereotypical middle-aged man.

Footman James’ data has also revealed that over the past two years, the number of female classic car owners has risen by 40%, with female customers expected to account for 11% by the end of 2016.  The average age of a female owner has fallen consistently over the last few years, now standing at 52 years old.

Footman James’ records showed that the top classic car makes owned by women were Morris, Volkswagen, MG, Mazda and Land Rover. Birmingham was found to the city with the highest number of female owners.

Top 5 towns/cities with female owners 

Proving that women really do have an eye for detail, when asked to select models that have risen most in value in the past year, female drivers correctly identified two of the top five classic cars that have seen the biggest increases – while men were only able to identify one. Women successfully picked iconic sports car Lamborghini Miura and outdoor favourite Land Rover Defender – which saw increases in value of 62% and 43% respectively over the past twelve months.

The remainder of the top five classics was made up of the Peugeot 205, the VW Golf MK1 GTI and the Fiat Dino, with the 1966 classic surging in value by 113% in the last year alone.

Rising classic car values in past year:

Footman James’ research also found that on average men spend more each year maintaining their classic spending £1,700 compared to the £1,500 forked out by female buyers.

The findings also showed that motivations for entering the classic car market seem to differ between women. More than one in five (21%) said that nostalgia would influence their decision to buy a classic model, while just under a fifth (17%) would be attracted by the investment returns on offer or encouraged by recommendation from a family or friend (19%).

Visitors to the free Regent Street Motor Show will be offered test drives in the latest low emission electric vehicles

As well as marvelling at machines from the dawn of motoring, visitors to the free-to-view Regent Street Motor Show (5 November) will be able to sample cars from motoring’s future.

For as well as scores of veteran cars – all at least 110 years old and preparing for the annual Bonhams Veteran Car Run supported by Hiscox on the following day – London’s premier shopping street will be packed with the latest pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars, vehicles that are the key to personal mobility in a future when conventional petrol and diesel cars will be museum exhibits.

Go Ultra Low, a joint Government and car industry backed campaign to encourage more drivers to switch to electric vehicles, will take a major role in the event by showcasing a range of electric vehicles from leading manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen.

With the entire length of Regent Street from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus closed to traffic for the day, visitors can wander freely amongst the exhibits and talk to experts from Go Ultra Low about an electric future.

Even better, they can have a short test drive in one of the cars on some of the roads around Regent Street.

Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low, said: “We’re delighted to be part of the Regent Street Motor Show again this year. Last year’s event demonstrated how far motoring has come over the last hundred years, showcasing both the old and the new. This year visitors will have the chance to get up close and personal with some of the latest electric vehicles on the market, and even take some for a test drive.

“Electric vehicles offer drivers many benefits such as running costs from as little as 2p per mile, no road tax and exemption from the London Congestion Charge. No wonder over 70,000 motorists across the country have made the switch. There are now more than 30 vehicles to choose from, so whether you’re looking for a small city run around, a family saloon or something a bit sportier, there’s an electric car for you.”

Transport for London (TfL) will again be present at the show to encourage the take up of ultra low emission vehicles.

Staff will be on hand to showcase the latest technology deployed in TfL vehicles and highlight the benefits of making the switch from diesel or petrol to ultra low emission vehicles, including saving people money and contributing to cleaner air for future generations.

As well as the cars, the Low Emission Motoring Zone at the Regent Street Motor Show will allow visitors to explore a selection of the Capital’s public transport that span decades of illustrious heritage.

Lilli Matson, TfL’s Head of Strategy and Outcome Planning said, “Events like Regent Street Motor Show are a fantastic way for us to engage with people about the benefits of ultra low emission vehicles. The Mayor has made it clear that radical action needs to be taken to improve air quality. The pioneers purchasing ultra low emission vehicles are at the vanguard of an essential environmental revolution.”

First held in 2005, the Regent Street Motor Show has gone from strength to strength. Last year, the event welcomed a record 450,000 visitors and even more are expected this year.

As ever, among the biggest draws will be the 100 or so veterans ready to make the 60 mile trip from Hyde Park to Brighton’s Madeira Drive as dawn breaks on Sunday 6^th November.

Intriguingly, among those cars will be many powered by petrol, some by steam… and even a couple powered by batteries. We might think electric vehicles are the latest thing, but they’ve been around for well over a century.

As well as the cars of yesterday and the cars of tomorrow, visitors will be able to gaze at dozens of classic cars, supercars, historic racing cars and bikes. There’s entertainment from the Steve Colley Stunt Bike display team, the Top Gear simulator – you can find out what it’s like to drive Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 car – and regular street theatre performances from the West End Kids.

And, of course, there’s plenty of opportunity to get a little early Christmas shopping done, too.

Nissan has completed its acquisition of a 34% equity stake in Mitsubishi Motors and became its largest shareholder.

MMC will also become part of the global Alliance with Nissan and Renault. With the addition of MMC, the Alliance will be in the world’s top three automotive groups by global volumes, with sales of 10 million units in fiscal year 2016.

Nissan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn announced that Nissan and MMC would collaborate on joint purchasing, deeper localization, joint plant utilization, common vehicle platforms, technology-sharing and an expansion of the companies’ combined presence in both developed and emerging markets.

“The combination of Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors and Renault will create a new force in global car-making,” said Ghosn. “It will be one of the world’s three largest automotive groups, with the economies of scale, breakthrough technologies and manufacturing capabilities to produce vehicles to serve customer demand in every market segment and in every geographic market around the world.”

Nissan offered its assistance at the request of Osamu Masuko, president and chief executive officer of MMC, following the company’s fuel economy crisis. The two companies have cooperated on kei-cars for the Japanese market over the past five years.

“We are committed to assisting Mitsubishi Motors as it rebuilds customer trust,” said Ghosn. “This is a priority as we pursue the synergies and growth potential of our enlarged relationship.”

As part of this strategy, Nissan has nominated four representatives to the Board of MMC, including Ghosn as chairman-elect.

Terry Hogan, co-founder of Motoring.co.uk

Research undertaken by Motoring.co.uk found that the vote to leave the EU has not impacted buying decisions that come when purchasing a car.

More than 70 per cent of consumers surveyed by the website said that Britain’s decision had not affected the type of car they would purchase and a further 73 per cent said that the result had not changed when they planned to purchase.

However, the survey found that 22 per cent of consumers believe that the referendum has impacted how much they would be willing to pay for a car. Despite this, 76 per cent claimed that the result has not affected how the plan to finance a car.

Terry Hogan, co-founder of Motoring.co.uk, says: “Since the vote to leave the EU in June, speculation about how the UK’s economy will be affected has plagued the headlines and automotive is no exception.”

He continued: “Despite some car manufactures stating they will increase prices, the majority of vehicles now being purchased via attractive finance package coupled with lower interest rates means any incremental increase in car prices won’t be felt as much over three or four years.”

He added: “The survey results clearly show that UK car buyers are looking for value for money and are ready to purchase, if they consider it a good deal for them. We are delighted to see that the majority of our users are undeterred by the Brexit vote and is great news for our manufacturer and agency partners.”

Imagine if you could take the kids to school, commute to work or drive across town to do some shopping without ever hitting a single red traffic light.

Technology is currently being trialled with Ford cars to make “riding the green wave” a day-to-day reality. Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory uses information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to display to the driver the best speed to travel at to get a green light.

Ford is trialling the technology as it helps to demonstrate the benefits of connected cars for UK Autodrive – the nation’s largest self-driving and connected car trial. The 16-member, publicly funded £20 million project is developing and trialling vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle‑to‑infrastructure technologies that could make driving less stressful and time-consuming, and improve fuel efficiency.

“There’s not much worse after a long day than to hit one red light after another on the drive home, and be forced to stop and start again at every junction,” said Christian Ress, supervisor, Driver Assist Technologies, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “Enabling drivers to ‘ride the green wave’ also means a smoother, continuous journey that helps to improve the flow of traffic and provide significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption.”

Daily drivers in the UK alone spend two days each year waiting at red lights, and similar technologies already enable cyclists in Copenhagen and Amsterdam to avoid red lights. If drivers find hitting a red light unavoidable the system displays how long until the light turns green.

The Mondeo Hybrid cars provided by Ford are also trialling Emergency Electronic Brake Lights, which warn when a vehicle up ahead suddenly brakes hard – even if the incident occurs out-of-sight – up to a distance of 500 metres.

Technologies that will be trialled next year also warn drivers when another vehicle is blocking the junction ahead; when an ambulance, police car or fire truck is approaching; and prioritises vehicles arriving at intersections without traffic signs or traffic lights.

Trials are taking place on both public roads and closed circuits in Milton Keynes and Coventry during the next two years.

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK has revealed details of its new industry-leading Approved Used Car Programme.

Under the heading “Because It’s New To You”, the enhanced programme offers a minimum two-year vehicle warranty with no mileage limitations and two years’ roadside assistance, providing 24-hour support for motoring emergencies in the UK and Europe. An Approved Used Mitsubishi will also benefit from free vehicle health checks for life, MOT protection cover, a 30-day vehicle exchange plan and a guaranteed service history.

The scheme includes an independent vehicle history check, a Mitsubishi multi-point inspection and seven-day drive-away insurance.

There is also a range of flexible finance options on offer, with vehicles available on hire purchase and personal contract purchase with a fixed rate of 9.9% APR representative.

Mitsubishi’s award-winning Outlander PHEV is available for just £199 a month, plus deposit and final payment, for a pre-owned 2015 model or £299 a month, plus deposit and final payment, for a used 2016 model.

Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, said: “We are really proud to unveil our impressive new Approved Used Car Programme, which gives people even more reasons than ever to choose a Mitsubishi. The improvements we’ve made to our Approved Used Car Programme will ensure people can drive away happy in the knowledge that not only have they bought a quality, reliable vehicle but that it also comes with all these key benefits, offering them complete confidence.”

Britain’s most bizarre car auction will take place in Hampshire this week with lots including a dilapidated Batmobile, a giant bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese and a Nissan dressed as a dog.

The unusual sale is made up of a wacky assortment of vehicles that successfully completed the Bangers4BEN 2016 rally – an annual drive across the Continent in aid of BEN, Britain’s automotive industry charity.

This year’s epic trek saw 38 teams and 41 cars drive the 850 miles between the UK to Maranello – the home of Ferrari – and back, in just four days.

Among the competing vehicles – all of which will be included in the charity auction – was a Zombie-fighting Ford Fiesta, a Ford Ka covered in fur, the Bolognese-covered Beetle and a 1999 Daihatsu HiJet dressed up as Scooby Do’s Mystery Machine.

Previous auctions have seen the Bangers4Ben cars go on to have second lives on TV, as promotional vehicles or even be used in other banger rallies.

This year among the ragbag assortment of the weird, wonderful and woeful were a handful of rare and collectible gems, which will also go under the hammer.

These include a very early example of the BMW-built MINI, registered in August 2001 which is already seen as something of a classic, with or without its current Jurassic Park themed wrap.

Another future classic is the early Mercedes-Benz SLK. Once someone’s pride and joy, the drop-top Merc is wrapped in white with the Italian flag and will be sold with no reserve.

Organisers hope the sale will push the total amount raised by this year’s rally past the £50,000 mark.

The auction takes place at BCA in Blackbushe at 1pm on Friday, October 28^th. BCA will also donate its commission from the sales to BEN.

Andy Entwistle, Managing Director of Blackball Media, the company which organises the rally, said: “Bangers4BEN has grown to become a real highlight of the UK automotive calendar. But all the silliness is for a serious cause, with all the proceeds from the event going to help fund BEN’s fabulous work to support thousands of individuals and families connected with the UK automotive industry.

“Hopefully, those attending the auction will bid generously and help us raise as much money as possible for this brilliant charity.”

Trade buyers wishing to bid for lots in the auction can do so online by using their BCA account. Private buyers can register and bid in person at the auction. Full details of the cars on offer can be found at www.british-car-auctions.co.uk.

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK is launching a new high-specification special edition of its award-winning Outlander PHEV called the Outlander PHEV Juro.

For the same price as the Outlander PHEV GX3h+ on which it is based, £32,749, the limited edition Juro offers the added convenience of a touchscreen CD/DVD infotainment unit with TomTom satellite navigation, smartphone integration and DAB radio as standard, while the exterior is enhanced with an Outlander bonnet emblem.

As you would expect from the UK’s best-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Juro comes fully loaded with a host of other features, including cruise control, 18” alloy wheels, heated front seats, the Mitsubishi PHEV appand dual-zone climate control.

The Outlander PHEV can travel up to 32 miles in electric mode alone – more than enough to accommodate most daily average journeys – and has effectively defined the emergence of the UK’s plug-in hybrid sector.

In 2013, the year before its arrival, the total plug-in hybrid market across all marques stood at just 989, but Mitsubishi has sold more than 25,000 Outlander PHEVs in the UK since the pioneering 4×4’s launch here in 2014.

Motorpoint has landed its very own square on the Monopoly board.

The UK’s largest car supermarket, which is headquartered in Derby, is the only automotive retailer to feature on the Derby edition of the iconic board game.

Satvir Atwal, General Manager of Motorpoint Derby, said: “We are all huge fans of Monopoly as children so it’s great to be able to come full circle and as a company take one of the transport squares on the Derby Monopoly board. We can’t wait to have a go later and collect £25 every time someone lands on our square.”

Councillor Linda Winter, Mayor of Derby, added: “I have always found Monopoly highly enjoyable and I am absolutely thrilled that there is now an official Derby version. I am sure this board will put Derby yet further on the map.”