New Peugeot 208 production cut as sales disappoint

Peugeot is cutting back on production of the new 208 as its sales fail to reach expectations, just six months on from launch. It’s not enough when Europe is ion the midst of an economic crisis and car buyers are polarised between ‘budget’ cars that offer more for less than mainstream offerings and ‘Premium’ models that are bought on the back of a preconceived notion of more kudos. That leaves car makers like Peugeot (and Renault, Citroen, Vauxhall, Ford, Opel, Fiat…) between a rock and a hard place, unable – or unwilling – to compete with the offerings from Korea and saddled with a brand that doesn’t have the ‘class’ of an Audi or a BMW or a Mercedes or even a VW.

New Nissan Qashqai to be designed & built in the UK

Nissan Qashqai - 1,000,000 already built in Sunderland The Nissan Qashqai created the crossover niche almost single-handedly, and has gone on to be Nissan’s best-selling model. Now in its facelifted iteration, the Qashqai has been a huge money-spinner for Nissan. Fortunately for UK PLC, the Nissan Qashqai is built in the UK – in Nissan’s Sunderland plant – where a million Qashqais have been built, with 80% going for export.

Take a Volvo, you’ll feel better in the morning

It’s time to put away the Benadryl and the Claritin--Volvo has its own over-the-counter solution for allergies. Filters in some Volvos clean the air in the passenger compartment, and they also remove particles that cause allergies. Because of this, five models--the S80, the V70, the XC60, the XC70 and the S60--are recommended by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association.