Car and Van News

Vauxhall is hoping to persuade more customers into its electric range-extender Ampera by paying for three years of running costs.

The package will offer three years or 60,000 miles free servicing and a £2,000 fuel contribution, enough to cover three years of both electric and petrol costs for an average Ampera driver.

The eight finalists for the much-prized European Car of the Year award have been revealed.

The winner will be announced in March at the Geneva Motor Show.

Vauxhall is targeting new customers with its Cascada convertible, official pictures of which have now been released.

The car will see the brand enter its fourth new sector in around a year, following on from the Ampera range-extender, Mokka crossover and Adam small car.

Vauxhall’s new highly-personal small car the Adam will cost between £11,255 and £14,000 when it arrives in showrooms in February.

Order books are open now for the car which was unveiled in front of the Eiffel Tower on the eve of the Paris Motor Show.

SsangYong is to unveil what the brand describes as its environmentally friendly electric car concept at the Paris Auto Show later this month.

The e-XIV, which stands for ‘electric − eXciting user Interface Vehicle’, is a crossover aimed at the B or supermini segment.

Industry chiefs have again increased their predictions over the size of the 2012 new car market after another strong performance in July.

Registrations grew by 9.3 per cent, not only the fifth successive monthly rise but the biggest of the year.

Vauxhall has shaved the price of its Ampera electric car with the launch of a new entry-level version.

The Ampera Earth slices £2,225 off the price of the car, which with the Government plug-in grant is now available for £5 under the £30,000 marker.