IMI Magazine

News: Bulletin Board

Merc honoured for kinetic recovery work
Winner of this year's RAC Dewar Trophy for technical excellence is Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd. The company was chosen from 20 other submissions for its work on a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) for F1 racing.

The RAC Simms Medal went to the team that broke the world's oldest land speed record in last year's British Steam Car Challenge.

Though KERS has not been adopted for the current F1 season, the RAC judging panel said the Mercedes-Benz version was the best for the "harsh and demanding environment" of F1. The system had to be able to operate with an engine that may rev up to 18,000rpm, without upsetting brake balance or performance. KERS also had potential for road-going vehicles.

For the steam car speed attempt, a 15-strong team designed a 380bhp turbine with 12 water tube boilers, fuelled by liquid propane. The car, driven by Don Wales and Charles Burnett, achieved the new world record at Edwards Air Force Base in California, with an average speed of 139.843mph for a measured mile.

Chairman of the judging panel, John Wood, described it as "a triumph of determination, persistence and absolute refusal to give up in the face of adversity". (see Phillips File, page 63)

Car sales on course for 1.98m
Incentives offered by manufacturers to buoy up the market following the closure of the government's scrappage scheme are helping to take the sting out of the anticipated slump in new car sales, according to Michael Gartside, auto analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Commenting on UK car sales showing 13.5% growth earlier this year, Gartside said: "Positive drivers are an improving economic climate, strengthening fleet sales, lower than anticipated levels of unemployment, some housing market recovery and better credit availability."

Though he predicted a fall-off in sales for the remainder of the year - particularly the final quarter - Gartside said the market was on course to achieve full year sales of 1.98m units, just 08% down on 2009.

Call for 'holistic approach' to biofuel
The European Commission has been urged to admit that mistakes have been made over biofuel policy after a poll among UK consumers revealed a virtual 50:50 split of opinion over biofuel's eco-friendly credentials.

TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, which carried out the poll, said public scepticism stemmed from publicity over fuels made from commodities like palm oil, rape seed and soy, which could be otherwise used for food. Critics maintained that this practice increased food prices and demand for arable land and disputed whether it offered any carbon savings.

"The EC rushed into a biofuel policy against the advice of scientists and environmentalists and is now repenting at leisure," said the website's editor Faye Sunderland. "We need a new holistic approach, looking beyond carbon emissions and taking into account all greenhouse gas emissions and the use of industrial and agricultural chemicals."

Lexus makes it 10 years running
Lexus has come top of the JD Power customer satisfaction rankings in the UK for the 10th consecutive year. The marque scored 846 out of a maximum 1,000-points for vehicle quality and reliability, appeal and service satisfaction. It was followed by Honda (825), Jaguar (818), Mercedes-Benz (817) and Toyota (814).

According to Power, vehicle owners who are highly satisfied (scores of 900 or more) with their service experience are around four times more likely to return to their dealer than those who secure 800 points or less.

"If dealerships want vehicle owners to return, it's crucial to make sure there's a focus on customer needs and that the repair work is completed correctly the first time," said Martin Volk, senior research manager at J.D. Power.

The study measures customer satisfaction in four categories: vehicle appeal, which includes performance, design, comfort and features; quality and reliability; ownership costs, which includes fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction.

While most brands increased their satisfaction ratings compared with last year, strongest gains were achieved by Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Nissan.

This year's survey was based on more than 17,000 online interviews with UK motorists who had owned their cars for an average of two years.

Honda best for customer retention

Honda and Toyota dealers - along with those representing the German prestige brands - are the most successful in retaining customers for servicing and repair, according to latest research from Trend Tracker.

Honda is top for the second year running, with dealers retaining 39.5% of cars of all ages. Together, Audi, BMW and Mercedes' dealers retained 38.8%, followed by Toyota with 35.6%.

At the bottom end of the scale is the XPart network, which took over the maintenance of Rover and MG after the demise of MG Rover in 2005. It scored only 16.1%. Fiat dealers retained a lowly 16.7% and the Nissan network 22.9%.

Most other makes were much nearer the all-marques average of 27.8%.

Across all brands and ages of cars, independent garages accounted for 38.4% of servicing and repair. Trend Tracker director Chris Oakham said it was particularly significant that independents accounted for around 50% of MOT tests, "which, of course, trigger repair and parts work".

'Elektrobay' powers up
Mercedes-Benz and Smart are preparing for the widespread uptake of electric vehicles in the UK with the installation of recharging points across their dealer networks. So far, 20 Elektrobay recharging units, produced in the UK by Brighton-based Elektromotive, have been installed at seven locations as part of a pilot project, and further expansion of the scheme is planned later this year.

Smart has started public trials of the latest version of its Fortwo electric model, with users offered free use of the Elektrobays. They are located at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, the company HQ in Milton Keynes, and dealerships in Brentford, the Midlands and the showroom on Edgware Road, London.