PEUGEOT 208 TOPS 20,000 UK SALES

THE Peugeot 208 has surpassed 20,000 model sales in the UK following its commercial launch in 2020.

The achievement comes as the French brand also celebrates 10,000 sales across its hybrid and electric vehicles, with the company set to offer an electrified variant across its entire line-up by 2025.

The award-winning 208 was first revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and has since become one of Peugeot's most popular models, having won the 2020 European Car of the Year award.

Its full electric variant, the e-208, makes up more than 20 per cent of all 208 models sold since launch.

With over 4,000 vehicles sold since the beginning of 2020, the e-208 is the most popular electric offering across the range and provides a range of up to 217 miles from full charge.

NEW MOTOR ATTRACTION OPENS

THE Great British Car Journey, the UK's latest visitor attraction, has opened its doors in Derbyshire.

Born from an idea spawned by a 32-year-old Austin Maestro, the attraction is aimed at making the once ordinary extraordinary and is packed with British marques and models that dominated the roads for nearly a century.

Models like the Morris Minor, Ford Capri, and everything before, after and in between, are among more than 130 vehicles now filling a former wire works factory on the banks of the River Derwent in Ambergate.

Great British Car Journey founder Richard Usher said: "Four years ago, when I owned and managed Blyton Circuit, a gentleman approached me asking if I'd like to buy his 1989 Austin Maestro in mint condition with just 10,000 miles on the clock.

"My first thought was ‘no', but it then got me thinking about when I last saw an Austin Allegro, Metro, original Mini, or even a Ford Cortina on the road.

"These were cars that were once on virtually every street in Britain and sold in their millions."

FORD CHALLENGES BRITAIN'S SMALLEST TOWN

FORD is challenging the population of Britain's smallest town, Fordwich in Kent, to switch to electric - and the new all-electric Mustang Mach-E.

It follows research which shows that a large majority of those in the countryside (82 per cent), small towns (79 per cent) and villages (76 per cent) would not feel confident purchasing an EV as their next vehicle, if the ban on petrol and diesel cars came in next week.

And the past few days have seen all 380 Fordwich residents be among the first to try out the new Mustang Mach-E as part of a three-day mass test drive around the Kent countryside.

Other findings from the research, taken from Ford's Go Electricconsumer sentiment report, reveals a lack of confidence and information on EVs, particularly in rural areas and small towns.

Just over half of those living in small towns, villages and the countryside felt they had enough information to make an informed decision about buying an EV compared with 85 per cent in cities and urban areas.

To encourage Fordwich residents to make the switch to electric in the long term, Ford has also partnered with British Gas to install a public charging point in the town.

BRITAIN'S CARS GETTING OLDER

VEHICLEnumbers on UK roads fell to 40,350,714 in 2020, according to Motorparc data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

It is the first time the total number has fallen since the global financial crisis of 2009.

As the pandemic stifled new vehicle uptake, the average age of cars on UK roads is now the highest on record at 8.4 years.

Van uptake, however, has grown to the highest level in history, accounting for 11.4 per cent of all vehicles on the road.

The latest data illustrates that, for the second consecutive year, there were more than 35 million cars registered on UK roads (35,082,800), although that figure represents a modest -0.2 per cent dip as Covid impacted new volumes entering the market.

Light commercial vehicles (LCVs) - the only vehicle type to see an increase - saw 1.7 per cent growth over the past year, up to a new record high of 4,604,861 vehicles.

Many of these have been instrumental in supporting the nation during the pandemic, providing support to the NHS and delivering food and goods across Britain.

Meanwhile, the number of heavy goods vehicles on our roads declined by -3.1 per cent to 589,445 units. Bus and coach numberssaw the most significant fall at -10.7 per cent to 73,608.

FREE ACCESSORIES WITH NEW V-STROM

SUZUKI is giving buyers of its V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 650XT machines £500 worth of free genuine accessories, until the end of June.

This is in addition to the Japanese brand's current 3, 3, 3 offer, which allows customers, with a £300 deposit, to choose from a three-year HP or PCP deal at three per cent APR representative.

Customers can opt to put their £500 towards a variety of accessories, from luggage - including top boxes, panniers, and tank bags - to protective components such bash plates and engine bars or styling items like graphics kits and touring screens.

The V-Strom 650 uses the company's 645cc V-twin engine and features traction control, low RPM assist, and Suzuki's easy start system.