Lifestyle: Motoring – The British Convertible; Land Rover; Nissan

ARE British drivers falling out of love with one of the motor industry’s enduring classics – the convertible?

New research tends to indicate that it might – which I venture to say marks a defining moment in the UK’s motoring heritage.

British drivers have always had a fondness for open-topped motoring; how else do you explain the vast number of great convertibles attributed to British manufacturers down the years.

It is a curious phenomenon, especially considering the vagaries of the traditional British summer.

But then we Brits have always been a plucky breed and not likely to be put off from enjoying a popular pursuit at the mildest precipitation (cricket excluded).

Nevertheless, new research from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders appears to suggest that the honeymoon might be over.

The SMMT has estimated there are currently more than a million convertible cars on UK roads.

Hardly grounds for concern you might think.

However, while the motor body recorded 64,519 convertibles being registered in 2003, a decade later this had reduced to 27,222. This despite a raft of new models and a car market which has just displayed 29 months of consecutive growth.

One contributing factor is thought to be a recent change in consumer habits. In the past five years the dual-purpose and multi-purpose vehicle markets have grown by 87% and 59% respectively.

All of which tends to suggest that British drivers are letting their heads rule their hearts and opting for practicality and versatility rather than having fun.

The SMMT concludes that during the economic downturn, consumers have turned to the more affordable and efficient vehicles in the mini and supermini segments.

Since 2007, the mini segment has nearly tripled. In total, 813,000 cars were registered in the supermini segment in 2013, marking a 5.5% increase over 2007.

Unfortunately, the same time span has seen the specialist sports car segment shrink by 27%.

When you consider some of the classic sports cars produced by British manufacturers down the years by such evocative names as Jaguar, MG, Austin Healey, Lotus, Triumph, Morgan etc etc – this is a very sad turn of events for any motoring enthusiast.1968 Jaguar E-Type

But wait…maybe it’s too soon to sound the death knell after all.

In a footnote to its study, the SMMT concludes that with economic confidence returning to the UK, the specialist sports car segment could be starting to see an upturn.

Figures show the segment grew by 3.1% to nearly 50,000 units in 2013.

It points to the popularity in particular of two convertibles – the Citroen DS3 Racing Cabriolet and Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe.

One of a new breed of fabric-roofed superminis, the Citroen DS3 Cabriolet has accounted for around 10% of the model’s sales so far this year.

While over the past 25 years, the Mazda MX-5 has become synonymous with open-top motoring winning fans the world over, wooed by its traditional British looks and Japanese reliability.

Since it was launched in the UK in 1990, Mazda has sold 108,974 examples, with registrations remaining strong into 2014.

While it is good to see manufacturers supporting the segment with new models, let us hope it is not too long before another innovative firm conjures up a world-beating British classic that is capable of taking its place among history’s elite.
 

Land Rover lets its new Bear do the talking

Land Rover's new Adventure Ambassador, Bear Grylls NOW you might think that Land Rover would need to underline its rugged reputation about as much as Ferrari needs to reinforce its status as a racing thoroughbred. But apparently not.

The company has just announced that it has recruited British adventurer Bear Grylls as its new long-term brand ambassador.

Land Rover states: “One of the world’s most recognised faces of survival and adventure, Bear embodies Land Rover’s ‘Above and Beyond’ spirit, having climbed Mount Everest and led ground-breaking expeditions from Antarctica to the Arctic.”

Grylls will support Land Rover’s marketing activity at a global level and is set to play an integral part in the global launch of the new Discovery Sport next week.

Speaking on his appointment, Grylls said: “I’ve used Land Rover vehicles throughout my life, during my military career, on countless expeditions and then while filming, from deserts and jungles to the highest mountains. They always deliver a rugged reliability that you can always count on when the chips are down in hostile environments.

“Land Rover is all about adventure, and adventure has always been in my DNA. For the toughest challenges, a Land Rover is always my vehicle of choice, which is why I’m so proud to be associated with the brand.”

He joins a roll call of Land Rover adventure ambassadors that have included explorers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Ben Saunders.

As part of his ambassador role, Grylls will mentor Land Rover’s Next Generation Explorer, 22-year-old Alex Woodford, during a high-adrenalin adventure later this year.  In February, Ms Woodford triumphed in the snow-laden Discovery Adventure Challenge where she competed against four other young explorers in a series of testing challenges including a technically demanding slalom drive on the slopes, a test of strength and technique with a 180kg sled pull, and a fast and furious kayak race across Lake Geneva.

Mark Cameron, Brand Experience Director at Land Rover, said: “There are not many people out there that live and breathe the Above and Beyond spirit more than Bear Grylls. He regularly tackles the biggest adventures on this planet, which is why he’s such a good fit with Land Rover. We look forward to working with him and taking our customers on the adventure of a lifetime with Bear.”

In one of his first projects with Land Rover, Grylls appears in a short video that alludes to the brand’s adventurous capabilities. The teaser film leads up the reveal of the new Discovery Sport on September 3.

Nissan gets fast and furious with new 370Z NISMO

The Nissan 370Z NISMONISSAN has strengthened its NISMO road car range with the release of a comprehensively updated 370Z NISMO.

The high performance coupe follows on the heels of the firm’s flagship GT-R NISMO and incorporates a host of design and engineering improvements.

Nissan claims it is the sportiest and most focused 370Z to date.

The firm said that in keeping with all Nissan NISMO models, the new 370Z NISMO encapsulated the essence of performance motoring and placed the driver at the heart of the action.

The new car has been extensively reworked; the makeover intended to deliver a sharper and more engaging driving experience.

The front bumper has been completely redesigned and features a larger air intake, additional air inlets ahead of the wheel arch and new LED daytime running lights. Other updates include the introduction of black headlamp bezels, special red NISMO trim at the base of the bumper, redesigned side sill and door mirror and special NISMO badging.  The revised 370Z NISMO also features new 19-inch Rays alloy wheels finished in black and silver.

At the rear, Nissan has introduced a new bumper and spoiler design intended to improve the car’s aerodynamics. The new car features a smaller rear spoiler that works in tandem with the new front bumper to create significantly more downforce when driving at speed.

The force is more evenly distributed over the front and rear axles, intended to give a more balanced feeling on the road. Nissan said its calculations confirmed that the new aerodynamic system introduced on the 370Z NISMO gives the car more downforce than any of its sector rivals.

It features a host of design and engineering updates, and incorporates new features developed for GT-R NISMO flagship. There is also improved refinement, with better seating and enhanced levels of equipment across the range.

The car goes on sale in Europe from next month. Nissan say individual market prices and specifications will be announced closer to the launch.

Drive safety.

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