If you drive a small car, or are thinking about downsizing to a lower fuel use, more efficient smaller car for around town use, then you need to see the Hyundai Accent. This zippy little hot hatch has it all! Small on size but massive on features across the model range. We have a wide range of quality used vehicles like this one in our central Nelson Yard. Click here to find out more.
A conceptual mockup has emerged on the internet of the next generation hybrid GT86 - the platform for the Toyota / BMW jointly developed sports car?
Thanks to MotorTrend.com for this great article we found today. A little bit of speculation on their behalf, and some creative license applied, but very exciting considering how the last joint ventured developed car turned out - the iconic Toyota 86.
Stay tuned - we will follow this story with much interest.
The MotorTrend article:
When BMW and Toyota announced their intention earlier this year to produce a jointly developed, midsize sports car, it took some industry watchers by surprise. You can certainly argue Toyota needs help building up its performance portfolio, but you can't say the same for the gang from Munich, which already has a garage full of Ultimate Driving Machines.
It all starts to make sense when you look closer at the budding BMW-Toyota tie-up, which began in late 2011. It's the sort of mutually beneficial relationship that is starting to become more commonplace in the industry.
"Toyota is strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells… I believe BMW's strength is developing sports cars," said Toyota boss Akio Toyoda in January. "I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this relationship." So do we, Toyoda-san, so do we.
So while jointly developed diesels, fuel cells, and the latest lithium battery and hybrid tech likely are more exciting from a corporate perspective, enthusiasts are salivating about the sports car. Looking at the existing Toyota-BMW lineups, an upscale sports coupe makes the most sense. It could possibly signal the return of the Supra and fill yet another niche in the BMW portfolio as a stand-alone coupe different in mission and positioning than the Z4 or the soon-to-arrive 4 Series and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.
From left: Bowater Hyundai Administrator Katie Finlayson, our winner Dawn Dymond & Bowater Hyundai Parts & Service manager Peter Cantrick.
Hyundai have a policy that when you get your car serviced through their dealer network customers need to also gain a sense of reward. An incentive to keep up a healthy service schedule.
Every week they give away $500 nationally to one lucky service customer that has been in, had a service and gone online to fill out a short customer experience questionnaire on the vehicle service they have just had.
Last week local Bowater Hyundai customers Dawn & Ian Dymond came in to collect their $500 cheque. Dawn's name got drawn the previous week as the winner of cash, and as planning for a month long Caribbean Cruise with her two grown daughters was well underway, the cheque has come at a very welcome time.
It is always great to be able to give our loyal customers incentive gifts like this one - it is always so warmly received, and it is so nice to know that Nelson and Tasman gets so well represented when it comes to winning these national prizes.
Just a few months ago Marlborough Sounds locals David & Sarah Lightfoot also won with Bowater Hyundai (click here) as a part of the Santa Fe Summer Escape promotion.
Dawn and Ian had some very kind words to say about Peter Cantrick and his Parts & Service team at Bowater Hyundai.
The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive unit in the new 2012 Prius C.
As Toyota announces that five million hybrid vehicles have been sold in 80 countries throughout the world, New Zealand motorists are also embracing the technology with record sales in this country.
Toyota says that in the last 11 months it has sold a record-breaking million hybrid vehicles globally, bringing the world total of hybrids sold to 5,125,600, including 50,000 in Australia and 5500 in New Zealand.
The five million-plus hybrids sold have saved about 12 billion litres of petrol and led to around 34 million fewer tons of CO2 being emitted compared with petrol-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.
On Friday evening we held a fantastic function to launch the all new Toyota RAV4 down at Bowater Toyota. A huge thanks to the 100+ people that attended to hear all about the new RAV4 and listen to tales of adventure from local world champ Nathan Fa'avae.
As soon as we saw the marketing from Toyota NZ for this class leading new generation we knew we would be doing something special. After all, when the posters are all about "There's adventure in everyone" what else could we do but go all out and plan something special!
Nelson and Tasman is famous for the outdoor lifestyle, and also for producing some very adventurous types, so we invited the most adventurous person we knew, World Adventure Racing Champion for 2012, Nathan Fa'avae to join us.
We were very fortunate to have Nathan join us. Luckily his very busy schedule perfectly matched our function as he was enroute back to his Queenstown base returning from a race in China. A slight (and welcome) detour to Nelson meant he could catch up with his family here, and come and share some of his recent experiences with all of us.
