Earlier in the year I wrote an article on the changing colour and shape of the auto industry. It didn’t really go anywhere and sort of sat around. Obviously a lot has changed between then and now. Before I drop the article that looks at the situation as it is today, I’ll publish the first article so as my summations make sense:

The Changing Colour & Shape of the Auto Industry:

toyota iq

It’s an obvious statement to make that trade shows demonstrate the effects of a market on any given industry. It’s telling, therefore, that the first of the big auto shows of 2009 was affected by the climate in more ways than the piles of snow that drifted against the entrances of the Detroit-held North American Motor Show.

At an event once regarded as a show ground for big, gas guzzling American cars, the headlines were taken by cars that ticked boxes not typically considered by the V8 lovers, with Porsche and Ferrari notable for their absence. This mirrors nicely the current shift in motor buying demographics as the auto industry finally seems to have (finally) woken up to the growing implications on their sales of both the weakening financial climate and the perilous state of climate change.

Cars such as Honda’s Insight gained attention from a liberal media already in love with the celebrity-endorsed Toyota Prius with boasts of greater Green credentials. A show ripe for introductions saw The ‘electric supercar’ Tesla, Chevrolet and Cadillac’s plug-in hybrids the Volt and Converj and Ford’s Fusion get the kind of attention previously reserved for prancing horses and stingrays.

While America still isn’t likely to take to small cars en mass, manufacturers are pushing them hard elsewhere in the world as the declining financial climate means people want more miles for their money.

We’ve faced fuel price hikes, depressions and warnings over the environment before and the auto manufacturers continued to serve gas-guzzlers but as the recent bailout requirements have pointed out: the fact that growing numbers of people have less money and no interest in big cars has heavily impacted vehicle sales.

Accordingly, the usual big name suspects at The Geneva Motor show will see their headlines poached as Fiat unveil a convertible version of their already well-loved 500, Mazda show off a new Mazda3 and, again, hybrids paint the air green.

As headlines pour off the press pages and onto television screens a major shift in advertising has seen spots for Alfa Romeo’s Mito and the all-new Ford KA dominate. While the Ford KA joins the Toyota iQ as the most important vehicles of 2009.

Between them, the KA and the iQ represent a huge investment from two giants of the auto industry in what the market (majority chunks of it at least) has been crying out for: a small car that’s cheap to run and can be considered Green. For such small cars they have a lot of weight on their shoulders with Ford’s well publicised financial troubles and Toyota posting their first full-year losses ever.

The investment that large manufacturers now seem willing to make in smaller, greener cars could cynically be regarded as last-gasp effort to save their skins but if it helps the industry recover we can expect increasing investment into more efficient and economical cars.

It’s just a shame it took a near-complete collapse of their finances for the auto industry to wake up and take note of the changing market. Let’s hope it works.

2010 Ford Mustang GT

Recognise this beauty of engineering? If you’re American it’s a certainty. However, here in Europe it’s not always going to be a case of “oh yeah, that’s the new Mustang.” Why? You tell me, Ford have always seemed somewhat reluctant to drop this beast on us properly.

Tell me Ford, is it the fact that motoring shows love them even though they’ll make the odd comment about the handling round a corner? (To that I say: don’t try taking corners at 60mph) Is it the fact that we loved and gobbled up the Ford GT so much?

Or do you just not think we deserve it so much?

Stateside, they’re offering so much incentive to take delivery of a new Mustang it’s almost a crime not to.  The 2010 model is being offered with 0% financing AND $1000 cashback. Here we get a bit of Scrappage Scheme on the new Ford Focus or KA. Well there goes all my excitement levels.

Even with it’s shirt off this muscle car delivers the goods. With 315 horsepower – seriously, when did we here that number muttered over here? – getting you from 0 – 100 km/h in 14 seconds. Sure, it’s not gonna do much for your hairstyle but when your car looks this good you could be the Elephant Man and people would still be clamouring for a lift:

We want this car, no NEED this car in the UK. I, for one, am sick of reading about “cracking little city cars.” So please, Ford Europe, wake up and give us the Mustang properly before there’s no oil left to enjoy it.

Thinking of buying a used car? You’re not the only one – while car sales are down as a whole as the economy takes a nose dive, the figures are suggesting that more people are getting behind the wheel of second hand cars or nearly-new car in efforts to get more for car for their money and avoid the fun of depreciation.

With this in mind, there are several things to consider before you head off to you nearest car supermarket or used car dealers that will save you time when you do. First of these, strangely enough, is what kind of car are you looking for? It’s best to have as clear a picture as possible. This doesn’t mean looking at sports cars when you have a family of five, think specific makes and models if you want, use the bottomless-bucket of information that the internet is to get as clear a picture of the car you want as possible.

Are you looking for a car with greater fuel economy over speed and nippiness? Do you want something that’s more suited to inner-city life – smaller and a doddle to park? Maybe a motor that gives out low emissions and is, therefore, better for environment and your road-fund bill?

Bills are as important when it comes to deciding on your next car as they are anything else. The budget is key and this goes beyond the ticket price on the car. Do your research before heading down to the dealership. How much will the car you’re looking at cost to insure? What can you expect in terms of fuel costs and road-fund licence? With the wealth of websites offering used cars out there it’s easy to find the relevant information to better help you decide and with the added bonus of doing so from your own home.

The internet has now become one of the most powerful tools available in helping you to decide on a used car. In fact, many of them do a lot of the work for you with searches that can help you drill down by vehicle type, budget, location and even by “green” value.

Having developed a clear image of the car you want, found a couple of possibilities online at your nearest used car dealer, what about your current car? With many dealers offering part-exchange deals, the best deal possible is likely to be found in the Scrappage Scheme. Thanks to a new government incentive you’ll be able to exchange your old car for a healthy two thousand pounds, sure to take a chunk out of the purchase price of your next car – new or used.

So, armed with knowledge of the cars you want to look at, the details of the scrappage and what you can get for you old car it’s time to find a dealer. When looking for a second hand car it’s best to head for an established dealership with a good reputation – they’ll want to keep it. Make sure that extras such as warranties are priced competitively and appropriate to the car. Establish what the warranty covers, for how long and how much to avoid any unwelcome surprises later on down the road.

Timing is also important. Don’t look at a car in the dark or in the rain, things like scratches and minor dents, body damages can be missed in poor lighting and remember to testdrive your car first. Check the service history and, for that extra peace of mind, you can run a Car Data Check.

Then comes the price. Remember, many car dealers have allowed for bargaining within the price so give haggling a go. Don’t go overboard and try lopping several thousand off the price but it they won’t budge on the price of the car, get as much for your money as possible in extras.

It may seem like a lot of work but given that you’ll be driving your car daily and it’s not exactly pocket money pricing, it’s worth it. Do your homework on the car you want, establish a budget and haggle to get as much for it as you can. Get everything covered and you’re going to get a lot of fun in your new car for many miles to come.

Over the past few years the whole pc gaming industry has really exploded. It has turned into a bit of a phenomenon with specialist TV channels broadcasting gamers competing in online tournaments.

Companies are scrambling to get involved in this industry and there’s some serious money involved now. In the same way that many companies offer pc accessories that make working easier on the fingers and joints and offer faster typing speed – anyone who’s used the flat Apple keyboards will agree on that one – products are springing up that help gamers improve their game.

As gamers look to improve their skills they are increasingly on the look out for gaming accessories that will give them that extra edge and the market is stacked with high-end peripherals and accessories. The question is, are they actually worth it and are they all that different to the equipment you get with your pc in the first place?

For PC gamers there is a whole host of gaming mice available – offering advantages over the standard equipment in terms of not only precision and responsiveness, but are ergonomically designed for added comfort – no bad thing considering how long gamers can spend on just the one game. The best bet, it seems, is to look for one that has rubber coated buttons to stop fingers from slipping.

Gaming mice are generally designed so that unlike normal mice they don’t skip, as this would be extremely annoying if it should occur during a game. The Razer DeathAdder, for example,  has been designed to give ‘pin-point’ accuracy and comfort at the same time. Razer also offer a wireless mouse, however, which one you choose is often down to personal preference – some people prefer wired some prefer wireless! Tomato, tomato.  Razer claim that their wireless mouse has the industry leading polling rate which means that it has a high refreshing rate and is highly responsive, something which, in gaming terms, does actually mean something.

In terms of other accessories, one of the most popular items seems to be gaming headsets. Gone are the days when game sound effects were generated by one man and his keyboard and the level of detail is now part of the game itself. Headsets make it easy to enjoy all these aspects in a way that won’t upset the neighbours.

There are now so many on the market with prices that vary from low to high – which one you choose depends on your own skill level and dedication to gaming and there really is a difference between a set of dedicated gaming headphones and a pair that cost a couple of quid from you nearest catalog store. Good headsets make you feel as though you are actually in the game and they are great for pc games such as Call Of Duty – as you can hear exactly where the enemy fire is coming from giving you an edge over gamers without headsets.

Arguably, the best headsets are ones installed with surround sound – it means you can get completely immersed in the game and appreciate every little nuance of the soundtrack.

For PC games, gaming keyboards offer great comfort. Some come with wrist rests which are ideal for long gaming sessions. Apart from being designed for improved comfort gaming keyboards also come with more controls and buttons to give you more options whilst gaming.

If PC gaming means the odd game of GeoChallenge on Facebook or a quick game of Hearts when there’s time to kill, then the high-end pc gaming accessories aren’t likely to gain or require a second thought other than “that looks impressive.” However, for the serious and dedicated gamers, the range of dedicated gaming mice, keyboards and headsets make a lot more sense and add to the enjoyment of gaming and, with such a wealth of choice, there’s sure to be an accessory to suit every level of abilitly and dedication.

When the term “self storage” is uttered, minds usually turn to packing away old personal belongings or moving house but, as downsizing becomes the order of the day, increasing amounts of businesses are making use of storage facilities.

It’s not just downsizing that leads businesses in search of storage facilities.  Having more staff than space and needing to continue storing old archive records,  also sends business to the yellow pages, google or equivelent and hunting for somewhere they can keep records and data under lock and key while providing space for a new team members desk.

There are storage facilities located across the country, it’s hard to ignore the things as they spring up at the edges of towns,  that will give you somewhere to store your old archive records so that you can free up some space in the office. But what makes the difference between a company you’d think twice about and one you’d get peace of mind from using?

When looking for a secure storage unit make sure that you choose one that is monitored by 24hour CCTV so that you know your records are being watched should anyone try and break in. You could even phone up the storage company to chat to them about their security if this is a major concern for you.

Another thing to consider is packaging. Any good storage company will ensure that their storage containers are clean, free from dust and protected against possible water damage. However, even for your own knowledge you want to make sure that you package up your archive records to prevent them from any unforeseen damage. Again, some storage companies offer a packaging service which may be the better option as they are experts in this field and will know what needs to be done to ensure that your goods are safe.

If you have arranged to have your goods transported to the storage company make sure that you tell them which boxes to place towards the front – some files may be fairly recent and you may possibly need to access them at some point. If they have been placed at the back of the container it will be more hassle to get to them.

Another thing you could consider is making a list of all the records that you have packaged up and then list what records are in each box – so that when you do need to access them you know where to look.

With plenty of demand and minimal outlay in costs from their end, storage units can work out fairly cheap these days so it’s always well worth hunting for one that offers a great deal or a little extra incentive – think collection and delivery of goods – and genuinely wants you business.

If that’s still not enough, then perhaps the time has come for a larger office. After all, there’s only so much you can keep in storage.

When you sit down to start a new mission on Call Of Duty or Gears of War you want to get the most out of your gaming, given that you’ve dropped upwards of £30 for the benefit it’s only resonable. If you’re settling down for a bit of wholesale masacre and destruction at the cosy hour 9 in the evening – a bit of consideration for those next door would lead to better relations with your neighbours. Problem is, turning down the volume means that you’re not getting the most out of the game – after all, the money game developers spend on sound effects is far from small.

Rather than turning down the volume to prevent complaints from a significant other, to stop local babies being awoken to the sound of frantic gunfire and to keep hostilities with next door away from the in-game level of warfare, investing in a gaming headset has become close to essential. But, rather than simply appeasing the neighbourhood, is it worth it from a gaming point of view too?

Well, simply: yes.

Gaming headsets allow you to get the most out of your gaming, you don’t need to turn the volume down so you can ensure that you will hear every single sound, from an enemy creeping up behind you to a helicopter landing in the next field. Some headsets are fully-integrated with surround-sound which allows you to position yourself in the game – it is a totally different experience to what you would get without them and, arguably, better thanks to the total emergence effect.

Research you on the matter will reveal a whole host of gaming headphones out there, from simple headphones to innovative wireless headsets that are voice compatible for Xbox Live – another essential in maximising your online gaming experience. Basic headsets will offer you an immersive sound experience whilst allowing you to chat to fellow online gamers. As well as offering you the complete gaming experience you will also find that you improve your skills as you will be in ‘full-gaming’ mode and will be able to hear very little nuance. The top-of-the-range gaming headsets are designed to offer you the absolute gaming experience and are definitely designed for the hardcore gamers out there.

There have been a number of gaming accessories introduced over the past few years which are all designed to benefit social gaming – an element of interaction that has both taken off and influenced the design of consoles and games in doing so. Live interaction lets you compete against people online so that you can test your gaming skills against the best in the business throughout the world – often to much cursing and crushing a deafeat. There are also special television channels which are designed to solely accommodate gaming. As a result of the television coverage there are also gaming championships and tournaments.

People are getting serious about gaming and therefore will want to do all they can to improve their own performance. The sheer range and technology involved in gaming headphones and headsets now allow you to concentrate on enjoying and improving your game thanks to a full emergence that doesn’t shake the walls at maximum volume and land you with an asbo.

The Seat Ibiza is a sort of cross between the VW Polo and the VW Golf. As Seat are owned by Volkswagen many of the recent Seat Ibizas have been built on the same platform as the Polo and therefore they share many of the same characteristics. However, more recent Ibiza’s have adopted some of the Golf’s sporty styling and good engine performance as well which meant the Ibiza became a cross between the two.  The Polo has become slightly more conservative and family-friendly so it doesn’t act as a direct competitor to the Ibiza – which makes sense seeing as Volkswagen own both cars.

So, would you choose to buy a new Seat Ibiza over the much-loved Golf or Polo?

The VW Golf has such a strong brand image and is strongly linked to good performance, build quality and reliability – and to Golf enthusiasts there will be no comparison. However, Seat’s are now also seen as being reliable and the Ibiza in particular is really well-styled.  A basic new Ibiza will cost around £8,995 whereas a basic Golf will set you back around £13,580 – with prices going up to over £21,000 for a top-spec Golf. The question is whether the extra money is worth it? VW Polo’s are slightly cheaper than the Ibiza at just over £8,000, so for just under £1,000 you can get a better-looking and better-performing car – without the VW badge.

The new-shape Ibiza is larger than previous models – which means more space – and there are far more different trim levels available, such as the Ibiza Sport which features a leather steering wheel, striking chrome double-fronted fog lights and 17” alloy wheels! There is also a Seat Ibiza SC – standing for Sports Coupe, which is basically a sportier Ibiza with even better styling and performance!

The Ibiza’s bodywork is modern and dynamic which means it appeals to a younger audience and is a popular ‘hot hatch’ rivalling the likes of the Ford Fiesta.

So if you are looking for a reliable and well-styled hatchback and can’t afford a VW Golf I would definitely go for a Seat Ibiza over the Polo- a better-looking, more stylish car that costs just a fraction more.

The new Seat Ibiza sits nicely between the Polo and the Golf – and in a way offers the best of both cars, if you can forfeit the VW badge then the Ibiza is a suitable replacement.

In the last couple of years Audi have really come up trumps when it comes to producing hot, stylish and sought after cars. Two of the best in their collection is the stunning Audi R8 and the trendy Audi TT.

The TT is definitely the most affordable of the pair as the R8 will leave a huge dent in your wallet – £80,000 in fact – but when you look at it I’m sure you will think that every last penny was worth it. Just to have that sublime piece of engineering sat proudly on your drive on a summers day attracting the admiring glances from passers by will be worth it – let alone the driving sensation you will experience the moment you tenderly place your foot down on the accelerator.

Since hitting showrooms across the country the Audi R8 has caused quite a stir, it has impressed with its performance, its power and its looks. Some have even stated that it is a top rival for the like of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage – high praise indeed!
The R8 is stylish, cool and if you knew someone who had one you would be tripping over your tongue trying to get in it. It’s dynamic, streamlined and explosive.

Everything from the grille on the front to the design of the doors just works. It fits together like the perfect puzzle. It screams class and is just waiting to power up the motorway.

The TT- recently re-styled- is another piece of design genius that Audi have managed to conjure up. More affordable at around £25,000 the TT is one hot car. Not as fierce as the Audi R8 but still good-looking enough to capture the glances of passers by.

The Audi TT’s sleek curves, sporty alloy wheels and sensational efficiency have helped to make this vehicle a motoring icon already. Look at the TT as the R8’s little sister, it’s not as powerful, it is slightly prettier and more curvy.

The design team at Audi have managed to get these two cars so right which has resulted in them selling two of the best-looking cars on the market.

The R8 has suddenly had to make people think before they embark on their supercar shopping trip – rather than going for the norm, the Porsche 911, people are having to think as the Audi R8 gives them a super-car headache. It will probably be the best headache they ever have!

The new Kia Cee’d was designed with one thing in mind: pleasing European motorists. Yet things that are designed by committee usually emerge into production as something that hints at many applications but achieves none – putting a faint smile on most faces but really pleasing none. The saying “you can’t please all the people all the time” must have come from somewhere yet seems to go ignored. So how do you go about pleasing as many people as possible, say a whole continent, for example?

Kia, the South Korean car maker, currently sitting happily as the fastest growing car company in the UK, set out with just that task in mind when it came to designing the Kia Cee’d.

Rather than going for a low-competition area, Kia decided to take on the big guns and set their sights on tackling the much coveted Golf-category. According to the marketing bumph, the new C’eed was designed by Europeans, tested on Europeans and made in a brand new purpose built factory in Europe. It’s even named for Community of Europe and European Design.

To ensure all-round satisfaction and to put their money where their mouths are, the South Korean manufacturer also decided to offer something they felt the European market really wanted – assurance. With the Cee’d it comes in the form of a seven year warranty. The longest on the continent, so that’s that base covered.

So, with all that effort put into aiming at pleasing the European market, did they manage it? The motoring pundits were certainly impressed with the C’eed; it rated higher than its direct competition in magazines across Germany and Austria including cars like Citroen’s C4 and the all-conquering Honda Civic.

In Denmark, the new Kia picked up the first ever 6 out of 6 rating from the motoring magazine ‘Motor’ while in Sweden the Cee’d had the highest second hand value among all the cars it tested through the years. Desirable even when used, then.

Awards were also scooped from magazines such as Auto Express and Auto Car and the perhaps slightly less known, Camping Fritid – a camping magazine from Denmark of course.

Since it was launched, Kia have made a few tweaks and changes to attract as many interested eyes as possible. First they took away two of the doors and launched the Pro Cee’d, then they chopped the roof off it and launched a convertible version before putting the doors back on, slapping on a bigger boot and launching an estate in the form of the SW and now there’s talk of taking out the engine and putting in a wind turbine.

Well, not quite. Kia are set to launch the eco Cee’d with a mild hybrid tuning of the cars diesel engine with battery power management which means regenerative braking that charges the battery when slowing down and does all sorts of clever things to cut emissions and save fuel during stop-start city driving.

With the new Cee’d Kia went after making a car that was designed for Europeans and, in practice, have achieved just that. The question now is whether in doing they’ve eliminated the other big car market – the US. Though, with numerous concept cars being unveiled that seem tailor made to the American market, Kia could well be aiming at becoming the biggest grower State side too.

Follow-ups, re-launches, call them what you will but usually the re-introduction of a new version of an old favourite in motoring terms tends to point to one of two things – that the manufacturer is out of ideas and desperate to rekindle some of the original’s magic in terms of sales and appeal and, unfortunately, the relative failure of the new addition.

It’s a cynical approach, sure, but there is history to look back on and say “see!” Take the attempts to reintroduce two sixties favourites: the Mini and the Beetle. Neither really had anything to do with the original aside from the name and a scant, passing resemblance. The new Mini, for example, is hardly mini and the Beetle is hardly the low-budget funky little thing it once was.

So, the, what of the latest of re-launches, the rebirth of Fiat’s 500? It ran from 1957-75 placing the majority of its tenure on the tarmac in the sixties. It certainly has all the style and attitude of a sixties classic. It was compact – some could happily say “dinky” – had the daintiest of engines and pretty much ran on air.

Nothing Fiat threw into the motoring world since has had the same appeal, inspired as much adoration or proved as popular as the 500 so if any car from their stable was to be re-launched, rather the 500 than the Panda, right?

While obviously not identical to its name sake, the new 500 does share more than a passing similarity and retains all the quirkiness that made its historical counterpart the hit it became. It’s also priced comparatively low and, something that’s bound to prove popular with the equivalent generation to those that bought the original 500, kicks out precious little emissions and gives back plenty of miles for petrol intakes.

There’s plenty to like in the new 500. It really doesn’t look like anything else out there and, in an age where most modern cars resemble electric razors and are only separated by badge, this is a big plus. For a small car, the 500 is a sturdy little motor and there’s no chance of feeling endangered by overtaking lorries, stiff breezes or sneezing mice as if often the case with other small cars.

Fiat have also taken a few steps to widen the appeal of their ‘new’ little car. They’ve covered the petrol head fan base by handing the keys to Abarth and saying – one can assume – “go nuts.” Then, to go for the a different appeal altogether, got together with a toll manufacturer and tin of pink paint to create a special edition of the 500 in line with the anniversary of Barbie, giving the car a new colour scheme inside and some crystal-hubcaps. Because, presumably, they can.

At this year’s Geneva motor show, as the car-buying public clamoured for more fuel efficient cars that didn’t hold back on looks, Fiat grabbed headlines with their perfectly-timed launch of the new 500 Convertible. Already possessing the car that the motoring public wanted all they had to do was take the roof off for this funky little runner to get more interest.

As Fiat take out all the stops to make sure their ‘new’ classic hits as broad an appeal as the original at what is, in economy terms, the perfect time, all the signs are in place for this one to achieve the same, if not greater, success and out-do the original Fiat 500.