New 2015 Mazda2 arrives

This is the new 2015 Mazda2 (Demio) The new Mazda2 was all but revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March in the guise of the Mazda Hazumi Concept, but now the real new Mazda2 has arrived, or at least it has in Japan. But Mazda are captioning the photos – which are clearly of the Demio – as the Mazda2, so we can be pretty sure not much is going to change when the Demio gets the Mazda2 badge in the UK and Europe. That means the same Kodo design language Mazda has introduced across its range recently with a shield grill flowing in to the headlights, big wheel arches and horizontal lights at the back – all very much like the Hazumi.

FCA issues warning on logbook loans

VULNERABLE people who use their car as security to take out a loan are finding themselves squeezed even harder financially and even threatened, the City regulator has found. The Financial Conduct Authority warned it will put firms offering logbook loans out of action if they do not "dramatically" improve their standards, after finding evidence of poor behaviour including little or no affordability checks being carried out and some applicants being encouraged to manipulate details of their income. It said lenders are failing to properly spell out exactly how expensive such debts will be, with the true cost often masked by an emphasis on "low" weekly repayments and key terms and conditions buried in small print.

Ford Marks 30 Years Of Diesel Power

THE MIGHTY Blue Oval is marking 30 years of diesel power this year. 1984 saw the introduction of Ford’s derv-powered Fiesta and, to illustrate the power of the black pump, the firm now sells almost 119,000 of them. According to the carmaker, today diesel power represents 38.5 per cent of all Ford car sales, making the introduction of its first mainstream diesel car a significant landmark.