Norton Way Corporate Magazine - September 2020

SEPT 2020 ISSUE 69

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NORTON WAY CORPORATE • ISSUE 69 • SEPTEMBER 2020

HONDA

HONDA E – AVAILABLE NOW FOR DELIVERY IN SEPTEMBER.      4.75 The Auto Trader expert verdict

The Honda e has been a hot topic since it’s arrival to our Honda dealerships in July. The expert team at Autotrader took some time to review everything about it – here’s some of the key highlights of what they had to say.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but, please, look at this car. How could you not love it? While other brands have tempted electric car buyers with a glimpse of the future, Honda has tugged at heart strings with a vibrant, quirky nod to the Swinging 60s. The small battery means low range but short charging time. Pays your money, takes your choice…

No ‘road tax’ for 2020, no congestion charge, no Benefit In Kind tax for fleet users, low insurance, and, Parkers reckons, £1 will get you 24 miles if you’re charging at home, which is a darn sight cheaper than fuelling it for 24 miles using petrol or diesel. Go for an electric-car tariff and you could recharge for as little as £3.”

new connectivity software and screens inside, so we’ll need to wait and see what problems, if any, arise. You get Honda’s standard three-year warranty.”

Honda e Safety - 4/5

 “Honda’s fantastic advanced safety package, Honda Sensing, comes as standard on the Honda e. You get adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation which senses when you might collide with a car, cyclist or pedestrian and applies the brakes (now improved to cope with night-time conditions), lane-keep assistance, road-departure mitigation to stop you straying off the side of the road if tired, traffic-sign recognition and intelligent speed limiter which holds the speed of the car to below that stated on road signs.”

In addition, the Honda e comes with cameras instead of wing mirrors, as standard. The camera image is relayed on screens inside the car, at either end of the dashboard. The images are crystal clear, can have their angles adjusted like ordinary mirrors, and provide a better view in the dark than traditional mirrors.”

Reliability - 5/5

 “Hondas are well known for their excellent engineering and build quality, and thus their longevity. Prices are high, but so are residual values, as a general rule of thumb. The Honda e sits on a new platform, with Honda’s first application of this electric technology, plus all the

Honda e comfortable - 4/5

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 “Impressive for such a small car. Make no mistake, the e is not Ford Fiesta or VW Polo size but, rather, more like a Fiat 500, Toyota Aygo or similar. It still

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to sat-nav, DAB, Apple CarPlay, flick between apps, or turn the whole bank into a moving digital aquarium of tropical fish, swimming among the waving coral.”

Honda e Power 4/5     

“There are two options: the standard Honda e, with 136 horsepower, and the Honda e Advance, which costs a couple of grand more and has 154 horsepower and hits 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds.

The former is good for a maximum 137 miles, the latter with 17-inch wheels slicing that to just 125 miles. That range puts it on a par with the Mini Electric and far short of the Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208 or Nissan Leaf, all of which comfortably top 200 miles.

However, they all take about seven hours to charge on a domestic wallbox, whereas the Honda takes just four hours, or 30 minutes at a public rapid charging point You also get normal and sport driving modes, and can switch to one-pedal driving, where easing off the throttle acts as braking and conserves the energy. Unlike most other EVs, you can then modulate the severity of the one-pedal effect from mild retardation, to a complete stop without touching the brakes. We also like the unapologetic celebration of the charging point on the car Honda has made a feature of it, sticking the black plastic lid and housing right in the middle of the bonnet.”

feels very light and airy, the horizontal design of the dash and screens accentuating the sense of width and space.

You get USB charging points and an entire three-pin plug socket up front, and there’s a pullout cupholder. The rear seat is a simple bench but swathed in the same grey cloth used on the doors, and leg space in the rear will be fine for most adults on the short hops the Honda e is capable of on one charge. The boot is big enough only for a few bags, but we’d rather have that rear leg space anyway.”

Honda e Features - 5/5      “If the Honda e looks appealing from the outside, wait until you sit in it. A bank of large screens flows the width of the windscreen and houses myriad functions, apps and activities. Bookending it on either side are the screens for the ‘mirrors’.

You can look at information about the state of battery charge and how to preserve it, switch

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NORTON WAY CORPORATE • ISSUE 67 • JULY 2020

GWR KIA

Kia e-Niro Supply Increases Due To High Demand Since its launch in 2019, the 282-mile range e-Niro has seen significantly higher demand than stock; Kia reported a year ago that its 900-strong annual allocation had sold out in less than a month.

Its work with Kia Motors Corporation in Korea to increase the UK supply will help with the growing list of back orders and cut lead times to their shortest-ever level; particularly benefiting fleets and enabling both drivers and fleets to benefit from the 0% Benefit-in-Kind rate for zeroemission vehicles this tax year.

Customers who order a MY20 e-Niro – which offers additional battery and trim variants – can now can expect to receive their car in September, in time for the new ‘70’ registration plate change or during Q4.

The increased UK supply will also enable dealers to provide more vehicles on demo, providing businesses with an opportunity to se how the vehicle could fit in with fleet daily life.

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CONTACT US TODAY TO ORDER YOUR E-NIRO

Kia has also sourced additional supply of its Soul EVs for the UK. Launched in July, the new Soul EV Paul Philpott, president and CEO, Kia Motors (UK), commented: “With the additional e-Niro availability coming to our shores it places our dealer partners in a better position to satisfy the huge demand we have received for the vehicle. What’s more, the recently launched Soul EV adds to this ability to give our customers what they want, when they want it.”

Earlier this year, Kia revealed its accelerated plans for electrified vehicles. The new strategy – dubbed ‘Plan S’ to mark the brand’s shift away from focusing on internal combustion engine vehicles – will see Kia offer a line-up of 11 fully electric vehicles by 2025.

Since then, it’s outlined how sales in Europe are central to this; every new Kia model launched in Europe will offer an electrified powertrain and is aiming for more than 20% of its European sales to be fully electric by this time by 2026.

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GWR KIA

Mild-Hybrid Power, Connectivity and Tech Upgrade for the Kia Stonic Kia Motors has introduced significant upgrades to the Kia Stonic compact SUV, strengthening the car’s position in the European B-SUV segment.

The upgraded Stonic offers drivers a range of efficient new ‘Smartstream’ powertrains, with innovations that enhance efficiency. Among these, the Stonic is now available with Kia’s new petrol 48V mild-hybrid ‘EcoDynamics+’ powertrain, and is also equipped with the company’s new ‘clutch-by-wire’ intelligent Manual Transmission.

The new EcoDynamics+ powertrain is offered on both 100 ps and 120 ps versions of the new engine, with a Drive Mode Select system letting drivers of each version customise their drive with ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Normal’ modes.

The upgraded Kia Stonic also features major revisions to its existing range of petrol engine options, maximising efficiency, lowering CO2 emissions, and improving driveability.

The interior and exterior design of the Stonic remain largely unchanged, however owners have even greater scope of colour options than before, with new body and roof colours and combinations, and a new wheel choice.

Inside, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment and 6

navigation system can be specified with Kia’s new ‘Phase II’ UVO Connect telematics features. Safety and driver support are further enhanced with the adoption of a range of new high-tech advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Introduced to the European market at the end of 2017, the Stonic has since become Kia’s fourth best-selling model annually in the region (following the Ceed model family, Sportage and Picanto). Total European sales to-date comes to more than 150,000 units.* The upgraded Kia Stonic goes on-sale in Europe during the third quarter of 2020, with Kia’s industry-leading 7-Year, 100,000-mile warranty included as standard on all models.

The UK on-sale date, pricing and specification will be announced nearer to the on-sale date in Q4 2020.

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Please note: Images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect UK specification.

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NISSAN

FLEETWORLD ROAD TEST: NISSAN JUKE Like sister car, the Renault Captur, the first Juke can be credited with spearheading the B-segment crossover sector, with its distinctive styling.

For the second-generation Juke, it’s more of the same stylingwise, although it has been more toned down. At the front, the large headlights remain, although they are now slickly integrated with the slim driving lights, which move from the top of bonnet. At the side, the large wheel arches are still there, but seem to fit in with the overall design better – but the standard N-Connecta 17inch alloy wheels do look a bit lost under them.

The back looks more conventional, with the high-set vertical lights, boot space is a more practical 422 litres, with a wider opening.

Inside, the driving position is comfortable, even for the tallest driver and the N-Connecta trim includes key equipment such as an 8-inch touchscreen and navigation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto and a rear parking camera. Rear space is better than before, but is still only just adequate. The Captur feels more spacious in the back.

The high window line makes it feel claustrophobic too.

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On the road, the 1.0-litre Dig-T petrol engine is willing, reasonably refined and, on our test car, married up with a precise, six-speed manual transmission – although there is a DCT automatic option for those who don’t want to change their own gears. It returns 47.1mpg on the WLTP combined cycle, with just 112g/km WLTP emissions.

Far better to drive, the steering is quicker, making changes of direction faster. Considering the Juke’s tall footprint, it handles tidily too, with a lack of body roll.

The new Juke improves on almost every one of the firstgeneration car’s failings, which makes it a serious option in a keenly fought class full of new rivals.

THE VERDICT

Additional space and an improved drive are Juke highpoints and should prove attractive to fleets.

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NORTON WAY CORPORATE • ISSUE 69 • SEPTEMBER 2020

PEUGEOT

Peugeot e-Expert Electric Van: Price, Specification and Details The Peugeot e-Expert has been launched with a choice of battery sizes, three load lengths, two body styles and a range of up to 211 miles.

It's on sale now, with prices running from £25,053 for the entry-level panel-van version to £34,070 for the crew-cab model. That's excluding VAT but including the discount from the UK government Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG).

Without the grant the ex-VAT prices are £32,965 and £42,380.

Like other pure-electric and plugin hybrid vans, the e-Expert has been created with urban users in mind, in the context of increasing pollution legislation and low-emissions zones implementation in cities. The e-Expert joins the smaller Partner and larger Boxer in Peugeot’s zero-emissions commercial vehicle line-up.

At first glance, the e-Expert is almost indistinguishable from its diesel counterpart. Apart from the charging port on the front wing, blue-tinted badging and unique grille, the electric van is visually identical. Inside, the instrument display has been tweaked to show things like energy flow and consumption, battery level, and an on-board computer detailing trip information and remaining range.

Peugeot e-Expert specifications and trim levels

The e-Expert range, priced from is made up of three trim levels: S, Professional and Asphalt. The entrylevel S is available in the Standard wheelbase length only, but with a choice of 50 or 75kWh battery sizes.

Standard kit on the S includes DAB radio with Bluetooth, cruise control with a variable speed limiter, remote central locking with deadlocking, daytime running lights and a full steel bulkhead.

Next up is the Professional, which can be had in Compact length with the 50kWh battery, Standard length with the 50kWh battery, Standard length with the 75kWh battery or Long length with the 75kWh battery.

Equipment-wise, Professional adds a seven-inch capacitive colour touchscreen with DAB, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a coffee-break alert. Also included is a dual passenger bench seat with fold-up outer seats, a fold-down writing table in the central seat back and added storage features.

The Professional is also available as a six-seat crew van, in the Standard body length and with the 75kWh battery only. The range-topping Asphalt trim level, meanwhile, is available as a panel van with the Standard body length and 75kWh battery only.

Equipment reserved for the Asphalt includes 3D navigation with voice recognition, a head-up display, lane-departure warning, speed-limit recognition and a 180-degree rear parking camera and front and rear sensors.

Battery, range and charging

The e-Expert will be offered with a choice of batteries. The first is a 50kWh unit, which Peugeot claims will return 148 miles' range on the WLTP cycle. That’s an increase of about 20 miles on the Peugeot’s initial predictions announced when the van was revealed late last year. There’s also a 75kWh version, which can do up to 211 miles on the same cycle – again, a jump of around 20 miles on previous estimates.

Depending on specification, the e-Expert can charge in as little as five hours from a home wallbox (e-Expert 50kWh using an 11kW charger) – and can achieve an 80% charge in 30 minutes using a 100kW public rapid charge point. The larger-battery van will charge in seven hours and 30 minutes (11kW) and 45 minutes (100kW) respectively.

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Performance and drive mode

Buyers can optimise the van Eco limits power for maximu for everyday use. The final s performance “when transpo Peugeot claims the e-Exp mode) and has a top speed o signal at speeds of less than

es

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n’s range by using the various drive modes. um mileage, while Normal is recommended setting is labeled Power, and prioritises orting heavy loads”. pert will do 0-62mph 13.1 seconds (in Power of 80mph. The van also projects an audible 18mph, to warn pedestrians of its presence.

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ŠKODA

Škoda scala Skoda has introduced a new SE Technology variant to its Scala range with high equipment levels to appeal to more business drivers and fleet customers.

Standard specification includes an Amundsen infotainment system with 9.2-inch touchscreen control and Care and Connect, SmartLink+ and Infotainment online (1 year).

Front and rear parking sensors and cruise control are also fitted as standard, along with rear LED lights with dynamic indicators.

In terms of design, the Scala SE Technology comes equipped with 16-inch Alaris alloy wheels, chrome window surround and Silver haptic decorative insert on the dashboard.

Based on the standard specification of the SE model, the SE Technology model is fitted with additional equipment with a value of £2,100, but is priced at just £400 more than the SE.

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The Scala SE Technology is equipped with a develops 150PS. Skoda says it will add further en Customers can choose between a six-speed speed DSG, which is equipped with Stop/Start te Technology (ACT). The system shuts down the tw load is low, thereby reducing fuel consumption. T four cylinders are active by a related indicator in th the speedometer and tachometer.

Ordering for the new SE Technology opens fr deliveries expected in September. The 1.5 TSI 15 £20,825 while the DSG version has a P11D value 12

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1.5 TSI petrol engine that ngines to the trim later in the year. d manual transmission or a sevenechnology and Active Cylinder wo middle cylinders when engine The driver is aware whether two or he multifunction display between

rom August 24, with the first 50PS model has a P11D value of e of £22,095.

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MAZDA

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE MAZDA MX-30 

Mazda embodies the idea of Jinba Ittai at the heart of its vehicles, giving inspiration to designs that create a sense of oneness for its drivers.

Arriving early in 2021, Mazda's first fully- electric vehicle the Mazda MX-30 has been designed with the idea of creating a connection between the environment, driver and car.

Launching later this year, the latest development of the MyMazda app will see the introduction of Connected Services across Europe with functionality that removes any barriers between the car and driver to create a seamless ownership experience. With the latest app development, Mazda plans to add functions that are only possible with an electric vehicle, such as notifications if a driver forgets to plug in the charging cable and the ability to control charging using a timer, plus monitoring the charge progress and range indicator for added peace of mind.

CONTACT US TO ORDER YOURS TODAY

Currently exclusively available to the Mazda MX-30, users will be able to choose up to three destinations at once and remotely share the locations (including from third-party apps) directly to the navigation system. Compatible with both Android and Apple devices, the convenient functionality allows drivers to plan a trip when not in the car on their device and immediately have the guidance available once the vehicle is turned on.

In addition to the latest upgrades, the MyMazda app enables MX-30 drivers to locate their nearest charging station, view key information such as plug types, opening hours and address, plus send the destination directly to the navigation system within seconds. Drivers will also be able to benefit from accessing real-time information on charge point availability*.

While the touchscreen has a functional value, it has also been developed to appeal to the

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senses and enhances the perceived quality of the cabin environment. Based on analytic data on human characteristics, the touchscreen display is designed to create a unique mood for the driver before setting off on their journey. When the power is switched off and the driver gets in the car, a graphic appears on the touchscreen, which subtly changes in appearance depending on the time of day and temperature to stimulate a relaxed ambience. Once the car is switched on, the screen reverts to the air conditioning controls.

The Mazda MX-30 has been designed to deliver the intuitive responses, natural feedback and involving handling you’d expect of a Mazda.

Electric G-Vectoring Control Plus (e-GVC Plus) enhances chassis performance by using motor torque to optimise the front-rear load shift for improved stability and the MX-30’s SkyactivVehicle Architecture is specifically tailored to

compliment the smooth power delivery of the e-Skyactiv drivetrain. The dynamic focus also extends to a throttle pedal that delivers a seamless transition between linear power delivery and smooth regeneration on lift off, equally, the braking system offers a seamless transfer between energy regeneration and An electric car that delivers the kind of traditional driver engagement you’d expect from a Mazda matched to new levels of digital connection, the Mazda MX-30 is a multi-level example of car and driver as one.

*Availability and functionality varies by country

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MAZDA

Mazda MX-30 Order Books Now Open The order books for the Mazda MX-30 is now open. Ahead of the UK arrival model in early 2021, Mazda UK has revealed some early details and specs about their first fully electric car. The MX-30 crossover is initially available in First Edition form, priced at £27,495, and features a 35.5kWh battery, giving a range of around 124 miles. AC charging can be carried out at a maximum speed of 6.6kW while DC rapid charging capability enables charging at up to 50kW. Mazda also says that handling will be in keeping with its internal combustion engine models. The MX-30 includes electric G-Vectoring Control Plus (e-GVC Plus), which uses motor torque to optimise the front-rear load shift for improved stability, while the MX-30’s Skyactiv-Vehicle Architecture is specifically tailored to complement the smooth power delivery of the e-Skyactiv drivetrain.

Standard interior equipment includes a head-up display, 8-way electric adjustable driver’s seat, a colour 7-inch TFT dial display, a leatherwrapped steering wheel and chrome trim accents.

Technology features include Mazda Connect, navigation, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Mazda Radar Cruise control and a driver’s knee airbag.

Styling on the First Edition includes a black roof and metallic grey upper side panels plus a choice of free-of-charge single colours, covering Ceramic Metallic or Polymetal Grey Metallic. It can also be ordered with either £950 three-tone Ceramic Metallic or a £1,250 three-tone Soul Red Crystal Metallic.

Drivers can also benefit from a new charging deal that sees NewMotion signed up as Mazda UK’s preferred partner for home charging solutions for MX-30 owners. Owners will also be able to add NewMotion’s dynamic power management to their charging package, which helps manage home energy consumption. This feature monitors the total electricity consumption in your home and dynamically adjusts the charge speed of your car.

If there is enough capacity left, the charge speed increases automatically.

MX-30 drivers will also be able to access NewMotion’s UK public roaming network of more

than 2,500 charge points, including over 1,000 rapid chargers; the full network in Europe covers some 155,000 charge points across 35 countries.

The tie-up with NewMotion also covers charge point installations at Mazda dealers, covering a mix of 22kW AC and 25kW DC chargers to provide fast charging, including for Mazda customers who already drive plug-ins.

Jeremy Thomson, managing director, Mazda Motors UK, said: “A battery electric vehicle conceived and created with Mazda’s well-renowned focus on distinctive styling, innovative technology, driver-focused dynamics and class-leading interior quality, the MX-30 will be a standout addition to the rapidly evolving EV marketplace. Part of Mazda’s multi-solution approach to efficient vehicles, the launch of our first pure electric car is a milestone moment for the brand and a landmark moment for our dealers and customers here in the UK.” UK pricing for the full Mazda MX-30 range will be announced later in the year.

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