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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.

26/03/2014

Jaguar F-Type Coupe

Global Press Launch, Barcelona and Lleida Jaguar has plenty of heritage and history in the sports car market, with just about everyone in the world knowing about the iconic E Type, a true classic. But will the F Type carry on that tradition? When we received the itinerary from Jaguar a few days before the launch event, it looked pretty hectic. We had two days in Spain, two different hotels, four...

19/03/2014

Nissan Micra Tekna

The Micra has been around for many years with the first generation being launched in 1982, the second in 1992 and the third in 2002, the fourth was in 2010, and now we are on to the fifth. The third and fourth were not the prettiest of small cars and Nissan did seem to lose their way in terms of styling and value for money. The fifth Generation does not have as many “curves” and looks less like a...

12/03/2014

Geneva Motor Show 2014

The Geneva Motor Show had many interesting premieres this year that attracted quite a lot of attention. But this year is a “Baby-Boom” year with the real stars of the show being small cars. The major manufacturers were all in attendance but the smaller, lesser known ones seemed to be noticeable by their absence. In the past the halls seemed full of manufacturers you have never heard of. But this...

05/03/2014

Lexus GS 300h F-Sport

We originally drove the GS many moons ago around a test track, on a winter’s day near Budapest, Hungary, with plenty of snow. It didn’t leave you with a warm feeling about their new car. The conditions were far from perfect and probably didn’t show the car off in its best light. So would a winter’s day in Yorkshire make it look any better with no snow and only rain to contend with? It has to be...

26/02/2014

Volvo V60 Drive-E

UK Press Event, Peak District Having thought: “What I am going to write about the V60 and its new range of engines?” I soon realised that this piece is probably going to be a bit dull, but I still felt I had to write about it, and it may be more interesting than you would think. Ah well, here goes… Volvo started planning a new engine around five years ago as they became independent from their...

20/02/2014

Audi A8

European Press Launch, Dusseldorf The UK press contingent joined forces with the Russian press for a couple of days to drive the A8 in North West Germany. We didn’t speak a word of Russian but fortunately for us, they spoke perfect English. We all got along just fine, and we all concluded that the A8 is a great car for Russian diplomats, Russian millionaires, and Russians who want luxury and...

19/02/2014

Maserati Ghibli

UK Fleet launch, Ascot Remember when you were a child and you so looked forward to Christmas thinking about that special present you had been waiting for and dreaming about for weeks. Then Christmas morning came and there under the tree was a perfectly wrapped, pristine package in the finest paper your parents could afford. Then you carefully took the wrapping off it and saw the contents. Then it...

12/02/2014

Ford Transit

European Press Launch, Barcelona The Transit was originally launched in 1965 and has been the best-selling van in the UK every year since. It has been a phenomenal success and has become an icon. In the UK Transit is often used as a generic term to describe this size of van, no matter what the model is. Over seven million Transits have been sold worldwide, with 2.2 million of those in the UK...

05/02/2014

Volkswagen e-Up!

We went to Milton Keynes to drive the Yorkshire Volkswagen, the e-Up! – the electric version of the VW Up! Obviously the product or model naming department in Germany have never heard of Yorkshire or their well-known phrases. The e-Up! is powered by a 60 kW or 80hp electric motor, which is installed under the bonnet in the standard engine compartment where it drives the front wheels. It...

30/01/2014

Tesla Model S

Tesla Motors are relatively new car manufacturers who only produce electric vehicles. The company was named after electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla. It was founded in 2003 and floated on the NASDAQ stock market in America during 2010. Tesla is now valued at just over $21 billion, based on its current share price of $178. Pretty good when you think it was floated at $17 a share back...