UK SALES YEAR END - Mazda has recorded it's 3rd year of successive growth, with new models this will continue.

• Mazda UK has recorded its third successive year of sales growth.
• 2015 saw Mazda UK achieve a year-on-year sales increase of 20.4 per cent.
• Mazda’s fully SKYACTIV range is one of the youngest model-line ups in the industry.

Mazda UK recorded its third successive year of dramatic sales growth in 2015, ending the year 20.4 per cent up over 2014 - selling more than 45,500 cars. Mazda’s growth is well ahead of the UK market, which was up 6.3 per cent at 2.63m in 2015. This follows a successful 2014, in which Mazda’s sales grew 21 per cent over 2013, while that year sales had grown by more than 19 per cent over 2012.

After a year that saw the launch of the all-new Mazda2, the all-new Mazda CX-3 and the debut of the latest version of Mazda’s iconic MX-5 sports car, which was named 2016 What Car? Convertible of the Year, Mazda UK Sales Director Peter Allibon is looking forward to another strong year of sales performance. 

“All our factories are working at 100 per cent capacity which is fantastic,” explained Mazda UK sales director Peter Allibon, adding, “so it’s unlikely that there will be a fourth year of double-digit sales increases, but there are still opportunities for UK growth.”

Allibon is forecasting that Mazda’s sales will grow seven per cent in 2016 while the UK market is expected to be flat. 

“This year is going to be one of consolidation with modest levels of growth,” he said. “We will have a full year of all-new Mazda2 sales and, of course, the all-new Mazda MX-5 was only launched late last summer so we will have a whole summer of MX-5 sales to look forward to,” said Allibon. 

Mazda3, launched just two years ago in January 2014 and it’s now the most established car in Mazda’s line-up of sixth-generation models – it was also the best-seller in 2015 with sales up 37.4 per cent at 12,600.

“Having all six of our sixth generation cars in the showroom at the same time – something we’ve been working towards since 2011 – is great for our dealers and our customers,” said Allibon. It also reinforces Mazda’s position as the franchise of choice for dealer groups looking to expand their portfolio.

“Our plan for 2016 is to focus on getting the quality aspect of everything we do right. The expectations of our customers – many of whom have come to Mazda from premium brands – are different now and we need to be able to positively surprise them with exceptional service at every touch point.”

In 2015 not only did Mazda UK launch three all-new models and two major facelifts, it was the central feature marque at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, supported its dealer network upgrade their showroom facilities and moved its UK headquarters to a building that reflects Mazda’s status as one of the most successful brands over the last three years. 

“I believe the Mazda brand and our current product range gives us the capacity to grow beyond 50,000 annual sales, but our dealer network is profitable at that level so if we do expand beyond this point we have to look at the size of our network and our own infrastructure to support those extra sales, while at the same time ensuring we continue to deliver the desired customer experience,” said Allibon.

The entire Mazda range now features SKYACTIV technology and eye-catching KODO: Soul of Motion design and with the launch of the all-new Mazda MX-5 Sport Recaro Limited Edition and the addition of the 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D diesel engine to the Mazda3 range, the early months of 2016 see Mazda continue to expand its award-winning model line-up.

Extensively revised 5dr cee’d, 3dr pro_cee’d, Sportswagon and GT to build on the 1,000,000 sold already.

• Extensively revised 5dr cee’d, 3dr pro_cee’d, Sportswagon and GT
• More than a million cee’ds sold already
• Cumulative UK sales now well over 100,000
• Range designed, engineered, built and sold exclusively in Europe
• New powertrains lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions
• Highest level of driver aids and connected car services ever in a cee’d
• New GT-Line trim package plus upgrades through the range
• cee’d from £14,905, pro_cee’d from £15,250, Sportswagon from £16,750

Kia today reveals pricing and specification details for the extensively revised cee’d family, which is set to build on more than a million sales of the range already. The revisions affect the five-door cee’d, three-door pro_cee’d, spacious cee’d Sportswagon and sporty cee’d GT and pro_cee’d GT.

In May this year Kia announced that sales of the cee’d range had hit the one million mark since the start of production in 2006. The one-millionth car to come off the assembly line was a white GT five-door destined for a Dutch customer. 

The cee’d is sold only in Europe and is made there at the company’s Žilina plant in Slovakia. Most of the design and engineering work is done at the company’s Frankfurt studios and technical centre, and the diesel engines are made at Žilina.

In the UK, cumulative cee’d family sales sit at 105,000. Kia sold 62,519 versions of the first-generation range, which was on sale from 2006 to 2012, while the current model has claimed close to 45,000 customers. It is Kia’s third-best-selling car in Britain, after the Sportage and Picanto. Around two-thirds of sales are of the five-door model.

Kia expects to sell 13,500 versions of the upgraded cee’d family in its first full year, with 9,100 going to fleet and business customers and 4,400 going to retail customers. 

The best-selling version among fleet buyers is predicted to be the five-door 1.6 CRDI diesel with grade 2 trim, thanks to its combination of improved power and torque with lower fuel consumption and emissions. The retail favourite is likely to be the petrol 1.4 SR7 special edition.

The cee’d has played a significant role in Kia’s sustained and sustainable growth in the past nine years. In Europe it accounts for 21 per cent of all Kia sales. The UK is the company’s largest and most profitable European market. 

First deliveries of the new cee’d family will be arriving in UK dealerships on October 1, priced from £14,905 (cee’d), £15,250 (pro_cee’d) and £16,750 (Sportswagon).

Kia offers 19 versions of the five-door cee’d in the UK, nine of the pro_cee’d and 12 Sportswagons. Depending on body style, there are up to eight trim levels – 1, SR7, 2, 3, 4, 4 Tech, GT-Line and GT.

Every car in the cee’d family comes with the best warranty in the business – seven years or 100,000 miles, including labour, subject to terms and conditions. The warranty is fully transferable to the next owner if the car is sold before the time or mileage limit expires.

Pricing:

cee’d
1.4 1	£14,905
1.4 CRDi 1	£16,195
1.6 CRDi 1	£16,795
1.4 SR7	£15,750
1.4 CRDi SR7	£17,040
1.6 GDi 2	£17,795
1.0 T-GDi (98bhp) 2	£17,945
1.6 CRDi 2	£18,895
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 2	£20,330
1.0 T-GDi (118bhp) 3	£20,120
1.6 CRDi 3	£20,695
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 3	£22,130
1.6 CRDi 4	£22,295
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 4	£23,730
1.6 CRDi 4 Tech	£24,295
1.0 T-GDi (118bhp) GT-Line	£20,220
1.6 CRDi GT-Line	£20,795
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT GT-Line	£22,230
1.6 T-GDi GT	£23,605

pro_cee’d
1.4 SR7	£15,250
1.6 GDi 2	£17,295
1.0 T-GDi (98bhp) 2	£17,445
1.6 CRDi 2	£18,395
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 2	£19,830
1.0 T-GDi (118bhp) GT-Line	£19,720
1.6 CRDi GT-Line	£20,295
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT GT-Line	£21,730
1.6 T-GDi GT	£23,105

cee’d Sportswagon
1.4 CRDi 1	£17,395
1.4 SR7	£16,750
1.6 CRDi 2	£19,895
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 2	£21,330
1.0 T-GDi (118bhp) 3	£21,120
1.6 CRDi 3	£21,695
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT 3	£23,130
1.6 CRDi 4 Tech	£25,495
1.6 T-GDi GT	£23,105
1.0 T-GDi (118bhp) GT-Line	£21,220
1.6 CRDi GT-Line	£21,795
1.6 CRDi 7-DCT GT-Line	£23,230

CHINA - The latest Qoros, the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T launches in China.

Modern distinctive design, ideal for an active city lifestyle, commanding driving position, excellent connectivity, high safety standards

New international car brand, Qoros, is revealing its third series production car, the new Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T, at the 2014 Guangzhou International Auto Show. 

The pinnacle of the range, the compact City SUV is designed and engineered to appeal to consumers with an appetite for living life to the full, and who are looking for a car to fit into their active, premium, city lifestyle. With its distinctive, modern design it has the flexibility to balance the requirements of the urban commute with the pursuit of weekend leisure activities in the countryside. 

The new compact urban SUV is scheduled to go on sale before the end of December 2014 with prices starting from RMB 140,000.

Sitting 67mm higher than the 3 Hatch, City SUV drivers benefit from a more commanding driving position that delivers a sense of control, safety and security. For day-to-day city driving the City SUV provides better visibility for the driver, while the increased ride height ensures easier entry and egress. 

For out-of-town leisure activities, the new model offers higher ground clearance, larger wheels and robust body protection. The higher ride height enhances driveability and manoeuvrability to give the driver more confidence on rough or uneven road surfaces.

Developed by an international team of experienced specialists and new, young automotive talent from China, the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T exhibits the top quality engineering and excellent safety standards with which Qoros is making a powerful global impression.

The City SUV is being manufactured in the brand’s new highly-efficient and environmentally-sustainable assembly plant in Changshu, 80km north-west of Shanghai, on the same production line as the 3 Sedan and 3 Hatch.

Exterior design

The new Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T features a bold evolution of distinctive signature Qoros design cues, although aesthetic enhancements give the car a unique character and reflect the individualistic preferences of its target customers.

For the compact class, the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T features a comparatively long wheelbase (2694mm), generous width (1854mm), and a short rear overhang (815mm). These elegan proportions suit perfectly the vehicle’s bold, high stance (1504mm), distinctive body cladding and detailed styling.

At the front, additional cladding and a front skid-plate give the face a more rugged, masculine look. The round fog lights are set into boldly-contoured recesses that wrap around the bumper, details that provide energy and poise.

The side profile features bold wheel arches – defined by protective body cladding which continues along the side sills and doors – along with larger wheels and tyres and the larger two-part, two-colour roof spoiler.

The deep rear bumper (part body colour, part graphite) features twin exhaust pipes which are set into a new silver rear skid-plate to provide added protection when traversing poor road conditions.

Reinforcing its increased ride height, the City SUV is offered with large alloy wheels. As standard, 17-inch alloys are fitted on Active, Style and Style Plus models and 18-inch designs on the range-topping Excite model.

The Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T will be available in a range of five exterior paint colours – all available without extra cost: Crystal White (solid), Starlight Black, Diamond Silver, Shimmer Grey and Sunrise Red (all metallic).

Interior

In common with all Qoros models, the City SUV’s cabin is dominated by a clean, horizontal design theme that emphasises the spacious interior. The hip-point of the front seats is raised by 10mm, so the driver’s eye-level is 67mm higher than in the 3 Hatch, giving a commanding view of the road.

When launched in China, the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T will offer customers a choice of four trim specifications – Active, Style, Style Plus and Excite.

Standard features on all versions of the City SUV include the brand’s innovative Qoros MMH™ (Multi Media Hub) infotainment system, Bluetooth® for hands free calling and wireless music streaming, all-round electric windows, electric exterior mirrors that feature turn indicator repeaters, and dual exhaust pipes.

Interior feature highlights on the entry-level Active models include keyless start, 17-inch alloy wheels and manual air-conditioning.

The Style models will also benefit from the six-speed QorosTroniq™ 6DCT automatic transmission, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, cruise control and a rear parking camera, as well as advanced QorosQloud™ 3G connected services with enhanced navigation and networking.

Buyers of Style Plus models also receive leather seats with the front seats heated and electrically adjustable, plus automatic door mirror folding, a tyre pressure indicator and a powered tilt/slide sunroof.

Top-of-the-range Excite models add Xenon headlamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and keyless start, ‘dusk-sensing’ auto on/off headlights, a rear parking camera with dynamic guideline and distance sensors, and full cabin ambient lighting.

As befits a model designed to deliver optimal lifestyle practicality to active customers, the standard 60:40 split rear seatbacks fold individually to optimise cargo carrying flexibility. Folding both seatbacks down increases cargo capacity to 1,105 litres when loaded to the roof. Style Plus and Excite models incorporate a rear seat ski-hatch.

In addition to the 2.8-litre glovebox (air-conditioned on Excite models), there are numerous further storage compartments, including in the front centre console and front arm rest, as well as wide door pockets in all four doors and front seatback pockets.

Refinement in the interior is optimised thanks to extensive NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) and acoustics development, which was a high priority for Qoros’ vehicle development team. It succeeded in controlling and suppressing vibrations and noise from within the vehicle – engine, transmission and other components – as well as those triggered externally, such as tyre roar and wind noise.

QorosQloud™ connectivity and touchscreen infotainment

QorosQloud – the portal to an exclusive suite of connected services – will be included as standard on Style, Style Plus and Excite models in the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T range. QorosQloud is part of Qoros’ strategic objective to be innovative and creative in meeting the lifestyle needs of the modern, metropolitan consumer.

Accessed in the City SUV via the advanced eight-inch Qoros MMH™ system (see next section), QorosQloud services can also be accessed from a dedicated website and apps for Apple iOS and Android. 

As a result, QorosQloud is integrated across customers’ connected devices and enhances the way they interact with and incorporate their car into their digital lives. 

This creates a closer connection than ever between the driver, the vehicle, the dealer and the digital world. It enables motorists to remain ‘always-connected’ to navigation and traffic information, their social networks, and the car’s condition, maintenance and service requirements.

From early 2015, a new incarnation of QorosQloud – QorosQloud 2.0 will be available. This further enhances the simplicity of the user experience for the driver, making it more intuitive and fun to use.

In the car, QorosQloud is accessed through the innovative Qoros MMH system that is fitted as standard to every Qoros. With an eight-inch capacitive touchscreen, it is one of the first touchscreen infotainment systems in the world to be specifically designed to maximise the opportunities and capabilities of multi-touch gestures.

Qoros MMH was designed and developed to safely manage information displays for minimal driver distraction and to optimise ease-of-use while on the move. The innovative user-interface is based on the finger ‘swipe’ concept of modern smartphones.

Those who enjoy high quality music to enhance their journey are well catered for across the entire Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T range, with a four-speaker 100-watt audio system fitted to the Essence models as standard, and a six-speaker 150-watt audio system for the rest of the line-up.

Powertrain

The new City SUV will be available with the brand’s powerful, efficient 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine as standard.

The European-developed turbocharged 1.6-litre 16-valve VVT (variable valve timing) engine suits the extra flexibility required for city and country driving. The engine produces 115 kW (156 bhp) power and 210 Nm torque over a broad rev range between 1,750 and 5,000 rpm.

As standard, this engine is paired with the six-speed manual transmission in the Active model, accelerating the City SUV from zero to 100 km/h in 10.1 seconds. 

Also with six speeds, the smooth shifting QorosTroniq™ 6DCT transmission is standard on Style, Style Plus and Excite models. With this gearbox, acceleration to 100 km/h is achieved in 10.8 seconds and top speed is 208 km/h.

Fuel economy is amongst the very best in the compact class, achieving 6.8 l/100km with the manual transmission and 6.9 l/100km with the DCT (NEDC cycle).

Vehicle dynamics

The vehicle dynamics of the new Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T have been developed to fully exploit the new car’s higher chassis, wider track (up by 9mm at the front and 2mm at the rear compared to the 3 Hatch) and longer wheelbase (up 5mm), while also being tailored to deliver driving characteristics to rival those of compact SUV’s developed by leading European brands.

Like the highly acclaimed 3 Hatch and 3 Sedan, the City SUV’s suspension features MacPherson struts at the front and an OMEGA-shaped twist beam at the rear to provide an ideal balance of responsive handling and a compliant ride.

Several chassis modifications ensure that the City SUV has similar ‘DNA’ characteristics to the 3 Hatch in terms of ride, handling and steering, despite its higher centre of gravity.

Stopping power is provided by 305mm ventilated disc brakes at the front and 285mm solid disc brakes at the rear. Anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) systems were developed in conjunction with TRW specifically for the Qoros 3 family of vehicles.

Safety

The City SUV embodies the same Qoros Crash Management System philosophy as the 3 Sedan and 3 Hatch, each of which carry a maximum five-star ranking from Euro NCAP.

In September 2013, the City SUV’s stablemate, the Qoros 3 Sedan, secured the accolade of being the first car developed in China to achieve the maximum five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests and was also ranked the ‘safest car’ of 2013.

ABS (anti-lock braking system), EBD (electronic brake distribution) and a driver-set speed limiting device are standard across the range, as are ISOFIX child seat mountings with top tethers on the right and left rear seats.

Additional standard safety equipment on all City SUV models, apart from the entry-level Active, will include: ESC (electronic stability control), ETC (electronic traction control), BA (brake assist), and CBC (cornering brake control), automatic brake disc cleaning, a seat belt reminder for the driver (and front passenger on Excite models).