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Martin Ward

Position: Manufacturer Relationship Manager

Number: 07740 157 580

A popular figure in the automotive industry, celebrated in the Business Car Power list Top 10. An unrivalled understanding of the entire automotive manufacturing process. Providing independent and tailored advice to help automotive and related businesses identify and achieve their goals.

04/02/2015

Jaguar XE - will it pounce on the competition?

The XJ has been around for years, and then came the XF, and now the XE, the baby of the family. Jaguar is clearly aiming this four door saloon squarely at the German premium brands, the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes Benz C Class. We went to a fairly wet, windy and foggy Lisbon to escape the snow and wintry weather in the UK. The weather in Portugal was not perfect to test a new car for the...

28/01/2015

Honda CR-V

What next for the world’s best-selling SUV? If you say CR-V, then most people will know it is a SUV from Honda, it is one of those names that is recognised and you don’t have to explain what it is, it is not an anonymous name, it is a household name and a well-liked car. The first CR-V was produced in 1997, and since then over 750,000 have been sold in Europe, with over 50,000 being sold last...

21/01/2015

Skoda Fabia

Skoda Fabia UK Press Event, Brighton. Is it Czech-mate for the new Fabia's competitors? To say the weather in Brighton in mid-January was “changeable” is an understatement, although it didn’t spoil the fun of driving the all-new Fabia. With the weather changing from torrential rain, to high winds and then to clear blue sky in the space of minutes made for an interesting drive. The first...

12/12/2014

Audi SQ5

Is the SQ5 the ultimate Q car? On first seeing the SQ5 you would be forgiven for not really knowing which engine is under the bonnet: On the front wings there are badges that say V6 Turbo, so you would imagine it is a V6 petrol, but move round to the rear and on the boot list it says TDI, so confusion starts, is it a petrol, or a diesel. On start-up, there are not many clues either, it doesn’t...

03/12/2014

Suzuki Vitara

Does the Vitara grab your field? The name Vitara is synonymous with Suzuki, it is probably the best known model the brand has produced, along with the Swift. Other names such as Liana, have disappeared in the midst. The first Vitara was produced in 1988, and since then over 2.87 million have been sold worldwide, including the Grand Vitara. We had one in the family in 1994, a dark blue car with a...

27/11/2014

Hyundai i20

Will the i20 “floating roof” float your boat?

19/11/2014

Driving Impressions - Fiat 500X

The 500 family is growing, but has the latest edition got the X Factor?

11/11/2014

Nissan Pulsar Tekna dCi 110

Will your Pulsar be racing when you drive this new Nissan? The Pulsar is a C-Sector five door hatch that will compete with others cars in this popular sector such as the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 308, Renault Megane, Volkswagen Golf, Seat Leon and many, many more; the list appears almost endless. You could even include the Nissan Qashqai in the list as it is a very popular C-Sector car...

05/11/2014

Audi TT Coupe: has a great sports car just got even better?

The TT Coupe design study was first shown in Frankfurt in 1995, and it attracted a lot of attention, and many thought it would never see the light of day. But the first production cars rolled off the production line in July 1999, and they were very similar to the concept. The first TTs came to the UK in November 1999, and the 2nd generation was introduced in 2006 and now the 3rd generation is...

31/10/2014

Martin Ward reviews the 1955 Batmobile

It's that time of year again when it is Trick or Treat, with kids knocking on your door, all dressed up in scary clothes, or at least trying to look scary. But some of the sights they must see on the other side of the door must sometimes look more scary. Old ladies in Onesies, and with no makeup on, must frighten the poor kids half to death. Anyway, we thought we'd take on the Halloween theme and...