Mazda Offer RX8 For Hire

Mazda's latest offering of a RX8 192 bhp on Motability Contract Hire is without doubt their craziest deal…ever!!

192_ps_large.jpgMore suprisingly though is that Mazda's PR machine isn't exactly shouting about it, leaving its own dealer network to spread the good news. Clearly there's a surplus of RX8 192 PS in both cloth and leather in the system and this is one sure fire way of shifting the metal.

If your in receipt of the higher rate Mobility allowance and your a DLA holder, part with £495 advance deposit and away you go…quickly. For War Pensioners the deposit is NIL.

If your wanting the leather trimmed version, Mazda have subsidised the scheme allowing you to place a £1,995 advanced deposit (DLA holders) or £1,198 if your a war pensioner.

Just too see what else was on offer for a similar deposit, we had a look at the latest quarterly price guide from Motability to just put this deal from Mazda into perspective. You can also download the price guide by clicking on that link.

Here's a select few from our findings based on Advanced Payment for DLA holders under £500 using the higher rate of Motability allowance:

  • Renault New Clio Expression 1.5dCi 86 5dr – £495 deposit and higher rate
  • Renault Modus 1.5dCi 86 Expression AC – £395 deposit and higher rate
  • Peugeot 206 1.4HDi 70 Look HB 3dr – £349 deposit and higher rate
  • Peugeot 307 HB 1.6 TIP S 5dr – £449 deposit and higher rate
  • Ford Focus 1.6TDCi 90 Style 5dr – £400 deposit and higher rate
  • Vauxhall Astra 1.3CDTi 16v AC 90 Life Estate – £399 deposit and higher rate
  • Renault Grand Scenic 1.6 111 Dynamique 5st – £495 deposit and higher rate

In the Coupe/Convertible section we found the following:

  • Smart fortwo 0.7 Cab Passion – £1663
  • Renault Megane CC 1.5dCi 106 6 Speed Dynamique – £1895
  • Nissan Micra C+C 1.4 URBIS Cnv 2dr – £399
  • Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.4 Touring 2dr Cabriolet – £999
  • Mitsubishi Colt Cabriolet 1.5 CZC 2dr – £1775
  • Mazda New MX-5 1.8 2dr option pack – £1995
  • MINI 1.6 One 2dr – £2171

So it's easy to see just how good an offer this is and bear in mind none of the above cars come even close to an RX8 in terms of power and performance.

Of course the Mazda RX8 isn't the most practical car on the planet, does have it's restrictions and wont be everybody's cup of tea, but it is a genuine 4 seater coupe, can occupy small children in the rear and is a serious bit of motor car and a whole lot of fun. Yeehaaa!!

Ceed Diesel Success Spurs On The Kia Dream

Winning the 'Best Hatchback" in the Whatcar? Diesel Awards was just the tonic Kia needed to kick start sales of their rather good Kia Ceed hatchback

kia-ceed.jpgEven Kia themselves would admit that it's taken a little longer than expected to convince the brand conscious UK car buyer into parting with their hard earned cash. And despite Europe's best ever car warranty spanning 7 years, the offer of a 3 day test drive and an awful lot of heavy weight PR exposure, the Kia Ceed didn't exactly have the 'pied piper effect' with customers cueing up to buy.

So what happened and is it going to change?

Kia didn't exactly get off to a good start when they launched that confusing and rather annoying Ceed TV ad, although the replacement isn't exactly inspiring, it's a step in the right direction.

And borrowing customers a car for three days may be a good idea in theory, but in practice people just take advantage. It also frustrates the dealer network and cost's a fortune. Money that could be better spent on reducing the price point of their cars.

No what really gets the ball rolling is word of mouth. It's ok saying our car has this and does that over the competiton, but Kia are perhaps getting a little ahead of themselves and need to take a step back. For a company that has admitted from the outset that it wants to emulate Toyota in its drive to be the one of the worlds biggest car makers, it perhaps needs to understand that you need to walk before you can run.

Toyota don't exactly make the most inspiring looking cars, but they do have something most manufacturers can only dream of…loyalty from its customers. Toyota drivers just love their cars period! And they keep coming back for more and bring their friends along for the ride.

Nobody doubts that Kia have come a long way, aided by the bucks of Hyundai, they started making cars that appeal to the European and UK buyer by simply bringing in Europe's finest designers and building them in…Europe. The downside of this of course is the massive investment needed to get the wheels in motion and this understandably comes at a price.

rio-wins-power-survey.jpgAnd this has been part of the problem. Prices of the Kia range have simply got out of line with their brand positioning, at least this is the case in the UK.

Kia got off to a good start in 2005 when they replaced the Kia Rio. The first effort was just so bad you couldn't give them away. However the second generation looked more appealing, was good quality, received good reviews and was launched at a realistic £7995 for either the petrol or diesel variants, a first for a car maker.

Then it all went pear shaped. Just as dealers started seeing metal shift, the manufacturer, for one reason or another, suddenly changed the goalposts. Literally overnight the Korean giant announced shortages of Rio stock and stuck an additional £1000 on the price of its diesel. One by one the prices across the range started going up and everything went flat. Sales were being artificially boosted by pressure from the dealer network to pre-register stock which in itself, causes its own headaches. Not surprisingly things went a little flat.

The latest figures in May must have set the alarm bells ringing with Hyundai & Kia sales taking a year-on-year pounding. 

Moving swifty on to today. Pre registering has been outlawed from the dealer network. Dealer margins have been reset. Prices of the Kia Ceed have been reduced and the price of diesel for petrol campaign has returned. Limited editions are springing up all over the place and things appear to have started moving forward again, albeit slowly.

Add to this the Kia Ceed's recent car awards from both Whatcar and Autocar and things might slowly start falling back into place. And with a few more "bums on seats" who knows, word just might get out that Kia make really good motor cars. Are you watching Toyota!!