As we come to the end of another week we look at some of the motoring news which you may have missed starting with the new ŠKODA Fabia
Twenty-two years after the ŠKODA Fabia made its debut, the Czech car manufacturer is lining up the fourth generation of its popular small car. It is now based on Volkswagen Group’s modular MQB-A0 platform and is the most spacious car within its segment, boasting further improved comfort features and numerous advanced safety and assistance systems. Classic and appealing brand qualities, such as value for money, high levels of functionality, and a plethora of Simply Clever features, make the new Fabia a true ŠKODA.
Thomas Schäfer, ŠKODA AUTO CEO, said: “The Fabia has been an integral part of our portfolio for over 20 years and embodies the core values of our brand like no other model. The latest generation has everything it takes to seamlessly build on the success of its predecessors. It offers more space than its competitors, perfect connectivity, advanced assistance systems and an emotive design – in other words, all you need, and a little more.”
For the first time, the ŠKODA Fabia is based on the modular MQB-A0 platform from Volkswagen Group, which made it possible to make the interior even bigger. Now exceeding the four-metre mark, at 4,108 mm, the new Fabia is considerably longer than its predecessor. The boot – which at 330 l was already the largest in the segment – has gained an additional 50 l to a capacious 380 l. Now based on the MQB-A0, the new Fabia also boasts many assistance systems that were previously reserved for higher-tier vehicles. In conjunction with the even stiffer body, the small car offers excellent active and passive safety.
The new Tiguan Allspace is gearing up for its world premiere
The Tiguan was given an update back in autumn last year, and now the countdown has started for its equally successful brother. The Tiguan Allspace is celebrating its premiere on 12 May. In addition to a fresh new design for the exterior, the long version also boasts advanced technical features: new control and assist systems guarantee even more convenience and the Tiguan Allspace now has a wide range of online-based services and functions on board thanks to the MIB3 Infotainment system.
Since its introduction back in 2007, the Tiguan has gone from a newcomer to one of the best-selling SUV models on the market. One of the main factors for this success is the 2017 launch of the Tiguan Allspace, a 22-centimetre longer version of the Tiguan. Around 1.5 million of the Long Wheel Base variant (LWB) have been sold worldwide since its market launch in 2017 until the end of March this year. The technical and visual update of the Tiguan in autumn 2020 opens the next chapter of the success story. The Tiguan Allspace has received the same treatment and now dazzles with a sharper look, digital cockpit and comprehensive connectivity.
The Tiguan Allspace is the long version of the best-selling Tiguan and offers even more space with a luggage compartment volume of up to 1,920 litres. With its optional third row of seats, it also offers enough room for up to seven people, making it the perfect choice for families.
The long version will be built at two different sites. The Tiguan L for the Chinese market will be manufactured in Shanghai, while, the LWB (long wheel base) Tiguan versions for North and South America and the Tiguan Allspace for Europe will be made in Puebla, Mexico. Volkswagen has clearly hit the mark with the LWB version worldwide, as a remarkable 55% percent of all Tiguan models rolling out of production have a long wheelbase.
The scent of the trailblazer – new Bentley Momentum Unbreakable
Made for those with unbreakable spirit, the latest offering from Bentley Fragrances is a bold and spicy, yet creamy and floral scent for men. Bentley Momentum Unbreakable blends new, high-tech ingredients with age-old perfumery traditions, to create an unbeatable new fragrance. Variations in colour, pattern and texture on the stone plated bottle, ensure that no two are ever the same – just like the stone veneers available as a custom option within Bentley’s cars.
A spritz of Bentley Momentum Unbreakable is like a step into the extraordinary – a scent for today’s cool-hunters. The urban fragrance is built around the cutting-edge Dreamwood™, a sustainable natural ingredient that reproduces the smoky, creamy scent of sandalwood. Crafted from high-tech modern materials, age-old perfumery techniques draw out the best from high quality natural ingredients, meeting the same uncompromising standards as Bentley cars.
Unbreakable is a warmer, woodier interpretation of the Momentum line, expressing all the thrilling facets of a contemporary urban adventurer. As the fragrance opens, violet leaf adds an aquatic touch to sparkling mandarin sfuma. The world’s finest mandarin oil adds a green, floral and aromatic aura. A clean flash of lavender, matched with mint-fresh, rosy geranium, is softened by powdery orris.
Spicy with facets of liquorice, dried fruit and amber, immortelle warms the heart of Momentum Unbreakable, introducing the notes that make the scent’s signature: a rich, warm palette of woods.
Truly innovative in its structure, the fragrance composed by Master Perfumers Fabrice Pellegrin and Ane Ayo, Momentum Unbreakable introduces Dreamwood™ for the first time in a Bentley Fragrance. Obtained through carbon-neutral biotechnology, the 100% natural ingredient is used in place of Mysore sandalwood, which is now a protected species in India, as a sustainable alternative with the same olfactory richness.
“Dreamwood™ adds an unexpected presence to the fragrance’s composition, bringing a richly luminous aura with the same codes found in Mysore sandalwood essential oil”, says Fabrice Pellegrin.
Dark velvety patchouli – one of the Master Perfumer’s favourite materials – bolsters the woody facets of the creamy, sensual sandalwood note. Its smokiness is underlined by Haitian vetiver and papyrus, wrapping the long-lasting trail of the scent in an aura of mystery…
The one-of-a-kind bottle design is inspired by the soaring, vertical skyline of a modern metropolis. Tall, rectangular and faceted like an emerald-cut diamond, it is made of luxuriously heavy, customised glass, with a unique, textural stone plated front. It draws inspiration from a finish crafted by Bentley Motors to customise its interior offerings: the stone veneer is a fusion of century-old craftsmanship and cutting-edge technologies. The result is variations in colour, pattern and texture which are almost impossible to imitate.
In a striking expression of the name of the fragrance, the stone plate of the Momentum Unbreakable bottle is made of mica schist, a crystalline rock containing reflective slivers of mica. Each plate is 100% natural, making every bottle a one-of-a-kind piece. The slate-grey stone plate is etched with Bentley’s iconic logo and the name of the fragrance.
The back of the bottle is clad with an interpretation of the marque’s signature knurling. Introduced in 1919 in the second car built by W.O. Bentley, this trademark brand motif was conceived to both tactile and graphically elegant. The knurling pattern is embossed in a matte black plate covering the back of the bottle from base to neck, which is crowned with a matte black cap.
Decorated with the iconic Bentley logo and the name of the fragrance hot-stamped in silver, the slate-grey box is embossed to replicate the same textural effect as the bottle’s stone plate.
Fragrance family: Woody floral spicy
Top notes: Violet leaves, mandarin sfuma, lavender
Heart notes: Immortelle, geranium, orris
Base notes: Dreamwood™, vetiver from Haiti, papyrus, patchouli
Bentley Momentum Unbreakable Eau de Parfum is offered in a 100ml bottle – RRP £69.50
Mitsubishi UK heritage auction concludes with world record hammer price of £100,100 for its Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen
The Mitsubishi Motors heritage auction drew to a close on the evening of April 30, 2021 and, after values had climbed steady throughout the month of April, there was a flurry of last minute action as the auction deadline for each lot approached.
Unsurprisingly, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Tommi Mäkinen Edition was the most sought-after car in the auction, with a top bid of £100,100 setting what is a record hammer price for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (previously around £99,000 for a delivery-mileage Evo IX set in the US in 2017).
Presenting the Bentley Home Collection for 2021: Featuring cutting-edge new materials and unique finishes
Bentley Motors and Bentley Home are proud to present their latest collaboration: The 2021 Collection. Four bold new furniture designs are revealed today each featuring a carefully chosen combination of unique materials and finishes that blend innovation, technology and fine craft. The Aldford Table, the Ramsey Sofa and Loveseat and the Styal Desk, elegantly sport a unique lacquered finish and an exciting new fabric produced from marble powder among a choice of finishes.
Defined by precious and cutting-edge materials, and the desire to push craftsmanship to new levels, the 2021 Bentley Home Collection represents a new vision for the brand, aligned to the ambitions of Bentley Motors, to be the most sustainable luxury automotive brand in the world. Strong, distinctive lines and timeless shapes characterise the new furniture designs by Carlo Colombo in close collaboration with Bentley Design, and introduce Bentley Home’s new Degradé lacquering and new MARM \ MORE® marble powder fabric.
Degradé lacquering is key to the overall aesthetic of the 2021 Bentley Home Collection, and brings a sense of quintessential luxury that is both customisable and instantly recognisable. Degradé involves an incredibly intricate and complex process to achieve the high standards required by Bentley Home’s customers. Before the Degradé essence can be created, a coat of varnish is hand-applied to protect the wood. A master craftsman must then use an airbrush to apply the colour by hand, with just the right dose of lacquer, gradually drawing away from the wood to accentuate the colour gradient and faithfully replicate every detail of the natural shading. After this long process, a round of polishing is required to give the product body, depth and solidity. Four coats of varnish are then applied before a final round of polishing.
The elegant finish is brought to life in a variety of options: Deep Ocean, Midnight Walnut, Black Kenya, Dark Shadow, Rust Degradé, Silver Degradé and Bronze Degradé. Each of these options is characterised by subtle nuances which range from black, to distinctive metallic colours that make each hand-painted product unique and unrepeatable. Each product within the new collection features the Degradé essence, and this technique can also be applied to past Bentley Home designs too.
Pricing & Grades confirmed for full range of Third-Generation All-New Nissan Qashqai
Nissan have confirmed the On-The-Road pricing and grade levels for the full range of the third-generation, all-new Nissan Qashqai.
On sale now with first customer deliveries in early summer, the all-new Qashqai range starts from just £23,535 in Visia specification, rising to just under £38,000 for range-topping Tekna+ Xtronic Automatic versions. At the heart of the range, N-Connecta models start from £28,305 OTR.
For customers wanting to be the first all-new Qashqai drivers on the road, a limited number of generously-specified Premiere Edition models are still being offered from £29,275 RRP for the 1.3 DiG-T 140PS Mild Hybrid Manual (6-speed), or £31,795 for the 1.3 DiG-T Mild Hybrid 158PS Xtronic automatic model.
