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WITH the September plate change due on Friday, I’ve no doubt some of you may be ready to take the plunge and shell out on a new car. So credit to Ford for its announcement last week of a scrappage scheme. To be honest, we haven’t had much to commend Britain’s top-selling car brand about of late; it had no winners at all in our New Car Awards this year. But as a piece of public relations opportunism, the timing of this news was perfect. On Page 13, we explain what the blue oval is proposing (as well as details of the trade-in schemes that other makers have launched this year). But the gist of Ford’s offer is that you can get £2,000 off a selection of models in the…

▪ New SUV takes tech from Golf ▪ On sale October, starting at £19k Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram VOLKSWAGEN has finally pulled the wraps off its Golf-based T-Roc SUV. After countless concepts, teaser images, sketches and spy pictures, the crossover will go on sale later this year priced from around £19,000, putting it up against the Mazda CX-3 and new MINI Countryman. Using the VW Group’s versatile MQB platform, the range features six engines, two gearboxes and front or four-wheel drive. The entry-level car will get a 113bhp 1.0 TSI turbo petrol, while a new 148bhp 1.5 TSI Evo will also be available. A 2.0 TSI with 197bhp will complete the petrol line-up. Volkswagen will also offer the T-Roc with three TDI diesel engines from launch. The 113bhp 1.6 is only available…

John_McIlroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy BENTLEY is aiming to build upon record sales and the burgeoning success of its Bentayga SUV with this all-new, thirdgeneration Continental GT sports tourer, which has been revealed ahead of a public debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The newcomer’s front-end styling incorporates elements seen on Bentley’s EXP 10 Speed 6 sports car concept. Meanwhile, the rear retains the Conti’s ‘haunch’ over the wheels, but the tail-lights and hatch have a neater, more resolved look. The model now sits on the VW Group’s latest MSB platform, so it shares some components with Porsche’s recently launched new Panamera. It also boasts 48V electrics to help power the active anti-roll bars. This technology, called Bentley Dynamic Ride, is part of a concerted engineering effort to make the latest Conti…

Michael_Cox@dennis.co.uk @AE_Consumer SEVERAL of the country’s biggest car makers have announced trade-in and vehicle scrappage schemes to help reduce the number of older, more polluting vehicles on the road. This follows the Government’s air quality plan that aims to ban petrol and diesel sales in the UK by 2040. Ford is one the latest to join the growing list of brands offering drivers discounts towards a new vehicle when trading in their old motor. The manufacturer will knock £2,000 off the list price of a new model when a buyer trades in a pre-Euro 5 car of any make registered before 31 December 2009. The scheme will run from 1 September until 31 December this year and every car traded in will be crushed. Other marques such as BMW, Hyundai,…

BMW BMW’S trade-in scheme only covers older diesels. Those trading in any pre- Euro 5 diesel car, regardless of brand, will get £2,000 off the cost of a new BMW or MINI emitting less than 130g/km of CO2. Models from BMW’s i range and the MINI Countryman PHEV are also eligible, with the discount coming on top of the current Government plug-in car grant. BMW says buyers will also receive a fair trade-in price for their old vehicle. The scheme runs until the end of 2017. Hyundai DRIVERS trading in their old Euro 1 to Euro 4 petrol or diesel vehicles can benefit from discounts of up to £5,000 on a new Hyundai. Euro 1 to Euro 3 models will be scrapped, while Euro 4 vehicles will be sold on…

Lawrence_Allan@dennis.co.uk @LobAllan DACIA has revealed its new Duster ahead of the car’s public debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The budget 4x4 is being updated with exterior design changes and an overhauled cabin. Due on sale next year, the revamped SUV represents an evolutionary generation jump. It will retain tweaked versions of the same 1.5-litre diesel and 1.2 petrol motors as the outgoing model. It sits on the same platform as the old car, too, and is near-identical in terms of dimensions. But according to the brand’s design boss, Laurens van den Acker, every body panel is new. The latest-generation car has a wider track and reprofiled side panels to ensure the wheels better fill the arches, while the windscreen has been moved forward by 100mm to improve space.…