In 2011, Nissan-powered vehicles dominated a number of international sports and GT car series.

• Greaves Motorsport took Nissan to victory in the LMP2 Le Mans Series
• Nissan finished first and second in the LMP2 Class in the Le Mans 24-Hours
• The Signatech Nissan team won the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LMP2
• Germany’s Michael Krumm and Lucas Luhr driving a Nissan GT-R for the British-based JR Motorsports team were
• Crowned FIA GT1 World Drivers’ Champions, while the team narrowly missed out on the GT1 Teams’ title in the final round
• Nissan GT-Rs finished first and second in the Japanese 2011 SuperGT Championship.
• Nissan’s international motorsport program moves up a further gear in 2012, with ex-Formula One driver, Martin Brundle,
• Joining his son Alex at the wheel of a Nissan-powered Greaves Motorsport LMP2 prototype at this year’s 24 Hours of Le

Mans (June 16-17).
The deal sees Brundle senior reunited with Nissan, after the Englishman spearheaded its official works effort at the 1997 Le Mans 24-Hour race with the R390 GT1.

For 2012, the father and son combination will pilot the 2011 Le Mans Series-winning Greaves Motorsport Zytek Z11SN-Nissan sports prototype that finished eighth overall at last year’s Le Mans race.

Nissan will also continue its active participation in the expanded FIAGT1 Championship with the GT-R through Britain’s JR Motorsport.

Meanwhile the first three graduates of Nissan’s GT Academy – Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson and Jann Mardenborough – will compete for Nissan in 2012 in three of the world’s top endurance racing series.

GT Academy is a collaboration between PlayStation® and Nissan that uses the virtual world of the Gran Turismo®5 game to unearth real-world racing talent.

The 26 year-old Spaniard Ordonez Ordonez is GT Academy’s greatest success story to date and he has now joined Greaves Motorsport’s European Le Mans Series campaign.

In 2012 he will be racing for overall championship honours in an LMP2 Zytek-Nissan alongside Tom Kimber-Smith and Alex Brundle, joining Brundle and his father Martin as the third team driver in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Designed in Namyang, South Korea, the all-new Veloster exemplifies Hyundai’s brand philosophy “New Thinking. New Possibilities.” The Veloster also exhibits Hyundai’s unique design language ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ showcasing a sleek and distinctive design in an innovative 2+1 door configuration that provides practicality and individuality.

The Veloster achieves the maximum 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Complete with a comprehensive suite of active safety technologies, Veloster comes standard with Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist System (BAS). Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) is standard on all Veloster models.

The Veloster’s commanding exterior is echoed with a powerful and poised interior environment. Inside, the centre stack fascia and controls with air vents inspired by motorcycle tailpipes and a floor console mirroring the seat of a motorcycle. The interior is finished with modern metallic-look accents around the centre console, door handles, air vents and gear stick.

The Hyundai Veloster will be available in two trim levels (1.6 Entry GDI and 1.6 Elite GDI) and powered by an efficient 1.6-litre four-cylinder GDI petrol engine, generating 103kW. The Veloster is available in Hyundai’s first dual clutch transmission, achieving an estimated combined fuel economy of just 6.4 litres per 100km*.

The Hyundai Veloster has many other smart features included such as LED running lights, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)** and Panoramic Sunroof** and rear view camera** just to name a few.

Hyundai New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer, Tom Ruddenklau comments, “We are excited about the Veloster, it is yet another world-class product to hit New Zealand. To date, the mutual enquiry and customer feedback to the Veloster model has been fantastic”.

Veloster Pricing

For more information on the Veloster go to: www.hyundai.co.nz/new-cars/veloster

Jensen’s opening ride was a near flawless 9.0 out of 10 and the smooth natural footer linked a long ‘hang ten’ nose ride with a number of fin-waft re-entries to take the lead in the heat held in 1.0m – 1.5m waves.

Jensen’s second top scoring ride saw him complete a similar display of fins free re-entries and nose rides to combine for a final score of 17.35 out of a possible 20 points.

This was Jensen’s second victory at Sandy Bay and he was obviously stoked on his win.

Hot on Jensen’s heels was young Australian star Mitch Surman (Australia) who locked in a 16.50 point heat score, needing only an 8.86 score to move into the lead.

Surman’s highest scoring ride had the crowd on their feet and the Australian camp was screaming in support. Unfortunately the ocean went quiet in the dying minutes of the final and Surman was left to take second place behind close friend Jensen. Both surfers were surfing for valuable ASP Australasia Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) points, which will ultimately see them qualify for the ASP World Longboard Tour.

The sole Kiwi in the Open Men’s final was Thomas Kibblewhite (Orewa) who despite surfing his best heat in the event, couldn’t match the scores of Surman and Jensen. Kibblewhite put on a powerful display and solidified his placing at the top of the 2012 domestic Hyundai Tour ratings after three of five events.

Link:  Read full story and to view the tour results  http://icmotorgroup.hyundai.co.nz/about-hyundai/sponsorship/sandy-bay-wrap-up/

Volkswagen anticipates that over half of all up! buyers will choose the four-door version. This version has identical engines (44 kW / 60 PS and 55 kW / 75 PS), equipment versions (take up!, move up!, high up!, black up!, white up!) and dimensions as the two-door cars. The four-door up! will be available in Germany at prices from 10,325 euros, including ESP – compared to the two-door, this represents an additional price of just 475 euros.

Lots of doors, and lots behind them!

With four doors, the look of the car’s side profile has changed. While the lower window line of the two-door rises towards the rear near the C-pillars, it forms a straight line on the four-door car. This gives the new body version a high level of independence. The crisp and short body overhangs are also distinctive on the four-door. The front and rear sections are identical in both body versions. This also means that buyers of the four-door version will get to enjoy a bootlid whose outer skin consists of a continuous glass surface; this gives the bootlid the high-tech and high-end look of a smartphone. Located behind the bootlid is a boot with a 251 litre cargo capacity, which can be extended to up to 951 litres by folding down the rear backrest.

Comfortable driving with four persons!

The rear doors open wide and offer comfortable entry. The four-seat, four-door car offers the same good interior spaciousness as the two-door, which is remarkable given the vehicle’s size. Headroom in the rear is 947 mm, while it is 993 mm in front. Legroom in the second row is a comfortable 789 mm. The seat height in the rear has a pleasant effect: the height of the so-called H-point – the relevant vertex of the angle formed by the seat surface and the backrest – is 378 mm in the rear, which is higher than in front (306 mm). This higher seat position lets rear passengers see better over the shoulders of the driver and front passenger. Just as important: there is plenty of space under the front seats for the feet of the rear passengers.

Ingenious systems for greater safety and convenience!

Volkswagen is offering the same optional features in both the two-door and four-door up!. They include systems such as City Emergency Braking. The up! is the first car in its class that can be automatically braked by such a function in a tight situation, in this case over a speed range from 5 to 30 km/h. Also available upon request is maps+more – a portable navigation and infotainment system with touchscreen. It contains a navigation system, a hands-free telephone unit, an informational display of various vehicle parameters and a media player. In addition, apps can be used to customise maps+more to personal requirements. With these features, the up! – as a two-door and four-door car – is clearly one of the most advanced small cars on the market.

For more information visit www.volkswagen.com

According to J.D. Power and Associates, Hyundai’s increased retention rate is shaped by its expanding model lineup, as well as the fact that perceptions of the brand’s quality and appeal have continued to improve during the past decade.

Hyundai New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer, Tom Ruddenklau, is pleased with the survey findings and notes that, “Hyundai Motors America are no doubt proud that Hyundai owners show their brand loyalty by choosing to buy another Hyundai vehicle over 60 percent of the time. While JD Power does not operate such a survey in the New Zealand market and we are optimistic of similar results with our valued Hyundai customers here in New Zealand. Once they experience the styling, safety and resale value of Hyundai vehicles, it’s no surprise that they elect to stick with the Hyundai brand.”

The 2012 Customer Retention Study is based on responses from 117,001 new-vehicle buyers and lessees, of which 73,733 replaced a vehicle that was previously acquired new. In addition to customer retention, the study also measures the rate at which each automotive brand captures customers from its competitors, known as conquesting.

For more information on the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Retention Study(SM) visit:http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2012002