Car News

Toyota GB has turned to the power of YouTube to address the nation about the Toyota recall.  The video, posted on both YouTube and Toyota's UK blog features Commercial Director Jon Williams explaining the faults and the reason for the recall of 180,000 vehicles..

Top 10 best-selling cars in September:

Ford Fiesta: 22,635

Vauxhall Corsa: 16,379

Ford Focus: 13,622

Vauxhall Astra: 13,190

Volkswagen Golf: 11,787

Peugeot 207: 9,161

Mini: 8,634

BMW 3 Series: 7,465

Toyota Yaris: 6,896

BMW 1 Series: 6,671

Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

Vauxhall have announced that as of next year, the new Vauxhall Astra range will include Ecoflex editions of the popular car. 

German car giant, BMW, is planning to build two new models of the Mini in Britain.  According to BMW and Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, the two new models would be built at the Cowley plant near Oxford.  The two new models of the Mini will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show on September 15 - and is likely to include an innovative two seat convertible.

Which? Car has proclaimed the Honda Accord as the UK's most reliable new car.  The Honda Accord scored 98.5% in the survey with the Honda Jazz tailgating in second with a reliability score of 98.2%.

The consumer advice magazine has in fact listed no less than seven Japanese models in the top ten with the remaining five other cars scoring more than 94%.

Reports indicate that British car sales for March fell 30.5% compared with last year sparking fresh calls on the UK government to step in and ease the slump. Traditionally, March is the biggest sales month for the automotive industry because of the registration plate change, but this wasn’t realised this year.

The Swedish car maker Saab, recently cut off by parent company General Motors, is to cut 750 jobs in an attempt to survive.  The job losses will be at Saab's only factory based at Trollhattan, Sweden which employs approximately 2,000 of the car makers 4,000 staff. 

Last week Vansdirect.co.uk published the top 10 most popular fleet vehicles (click here).  This week we bring you the best and worst residual performers according to Parker's Guide. 

If you bought one of these, you should get a higher percentage back when you come to sell it or trade it in*:

The world's largest car manufacturer has today announced its plans to recall more than 43,000 Yaris cars in Britain.  The recall is in response to a fault with the seat belt pre-tensioner which could ultimately cause a fire. 

If you own any model of Toyota Yaris built in 2006 and 2007, Vansdirect recommends that you contact your local dealer immediately.  If you are in any doubt, make the call.

If you're thinking of buying a new car from Vansdirect but don't know which make or model to buy, the below list may help.  According to Fleet News, the cars presented were the most popular fleet vehicles during 2008.  Fleet managers are typically concerned about initial price, total running costs and depreciation - the list is therefore a good reference point on which to base your choice of new car.