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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.

22/10/2014

Tesla Model S P85

We drove the Model S briefly earlier in the year; it was a left-hand drive, German registered car. Overall we thought it was a wonderful bit of kit, but will living with one for a week leave the same feeling? During the time we had the car, we dropped in at a local school, Highburton First near Huddersfield to see what year 5 thought of the Tesla. These children are aged 9 to 10 and are the...

15/10/2014

Subaru Impreza 1.6 RC AWD

When you talk about Subarus most people think about the heyday of Subaru when they couldn’t get enough high powered, rally car look-alike saloons. But things have changed and this type of car lost favour with the public as times got tough and customers' buying habits changed. Although Subaru still sold the more sedate four wheel drive estates and kept loyal customers happy. The new Impreza 1.6 RC...

10/10/2014

Volkswagen Passat

This new 8th generation Passat is available to order now, with first UK deliveries due in January. The new Passat is built at Volkswagen's Emden Plant in Northern Germany. Over 80% of UK sales will go to the fleet market. Since the Passat was launched in 1973 around 22 million have been sold worldwide, with 442,000 of those going to homes here in the UK. In 2013 Volkswagen UK sold 7,695 Passat...

08/10/2014

Renault Twingo

The Twingo name comes from an amalgamation of the words: “twist” “swing” and “tango”, a bit of a dance theme going on there. The original car grew out of the 1981-84 ECO-200 project which involved all major French auto-manufacturers and the French Government. The focus was on simplicity and budget pricing. This is the third generation Twingo, but the first was never sold in the UK, as it was only...

03/10/2014

Jeep Renegade

European Press Launch, Milan, Italy We drove an early version of the Renegade a few weeks ago, and it was good, but has the final production version improved even more? Jeep is very American, everything it stands for and its history and tradition is very much a part of the U.S. But for the first time in Jeep's 73 year history, the Renegade is to be built in Europe, at Fiat Group's Plant in Melfi...

02/10/2014

Martin Ward’s first impressions of the Paris Motor Show

A hot day outside in Paris, and much warmer in the halls, but a great show with plenty of premieres. Here's some of the latest models on view at the Paris Motor Show today. Hyundai i20 The all new hyundai i20 is a pretty little five-door hatch, due in UK showrooms mid-Jan 2015. Hyundai-H350 This all new van is due in the UK 2016. A new segment and no doubt a challenge for Hyundai as the LCV...

24/09/2014

Maserati Ghibli Diesel

The first time we drove the Ghibli Diesel a few months ago, we liked it, but weren’t overly enamoured with it. We drove it around some pretty tame roads in Surrey and then on a test track. The real test of this sort of car is in your own time, on roads you know and not just a couple of hours, but for a full week to really get to know it and find out the good and bad points. Just about everyone...

18/09/2014

Volkswagen Golf GTE and Golf SV

The Golf GTE is the third GT of a model series after the iconic GTI and the excellent GTD, and it has the same sporty DNA. GT stands for Grand Tourer, “I” for injection, “D” for diesel and now “E” for electricity. The GTE is powered by a 150 ps 1.4 litre TSI petrol engine and a 102ps electric motor, when combined together they produce a maximum power of 204ps. There are five operating modes: GTE...

03/09/2014

Renault Trafic 120 energy Business +

Trafic SL27 ENERGY dCi 120 Business+ Van Having not driven a Renault Trafic for many years comparing the old version to the latest version is very difficult, but one thing is for sure, it is very enjoyable to drive. The version we had on test was the Business +, and was very well specified, with loads of standard equipment. Even the base model gets: trip computer, DAB radio, a 6 speed manual...

28/08/2014

Volkswagen California 2.0 BiTDi BlueMotion Technology SE DSG

Welcome to the hotel California, a hotel on wheels, a vehicle that has lots of history, a vehicle you remember as a child (or a youth in some people's case!) something you can reminisce about, a vehicle you used to dream about owning, a Volkswagen camper van. The California is the modern day version of the nostalgic, hippie-mobile, but is it still as good? We had the California for a few days in...