Ford cuts 2010 prices by up to 15%

Ford has cut prices of its big cars by up to 15% By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 26 March 2010 12:00 Ford today announced sweeping price cuts across its large car range – lopping up to 15% off the price of models such as the Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy. The news comes after Ford raised price four times in the past year.The Blue Oval has drawn criticism in the past for artificially high list prices, which have penalised business buyers. In the UK, company car tax is calculated by the P11D price which is based on the list price, not the transaction price, and 70% of large Fords are bought by fleets.Private buyers have historically scored large discounts on big Fords, as did corporate buyers – making many question the need for higher list prices.

SEMA 2008 show report: Volkswagen Passat CC

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 07 November 2008 09:00 Volkswagen’s sobriety took a back seat at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week – it pulled the covers off a pair of muscle-bound Passat CCs, a racy 295bhp Tiguan and a grunty diesel Jetta aimed at cajoling the American market into turning its back on gasoline. The unambiguously named Performance CC – designed by Volkswagen’s California-based design centre – gets a shot in the arm from a three-stage turbo boost to its 2.0-litre TSI engine. In Eco mode you get a modest 222bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, GT mode hikes those outputs to 252bhp and 268 lbs ft, while the Full Power stage unleashes 311bhp and 313 lb ft.

No M4 relief road 'before 2020'

A "RELIEF ROAD" for the M4 in south Wales is unlikely to be constructed before 2020, a leading transport expert has told Welsh Assembly Members. A new stretch of motorway south of Newport could be back on the cards after the UK ministers announced the possibility of Welsh Government borrowing the money needed for the scheme. However the re-emergence of proposals to ease traffic on Wales' heavily congested western gateway prompted fierce debate during a committee hearing in the Senedd.