Monthly Archives: January 2014

New Toyota RAV4 set to hit the roads

New Toyota RAV4 goes on sale in the UK

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

It’s 20 years since Toyota RAV4 created a whole new motoring market with the launch of RAV4, the original compact recreational SUV.

The new 2014 RAV4 hits the road this week, building on the model’s inherent strengths with a new powertrain and even higher equipment specifications.

For 2014, it will available with all-wheel drive, increasing access to 4×4 motoring with the kind of low emissions and strong fuel economy that help keep running costs down.

The new RAV4 2.0 D-4D AWD is available in Icon and Invincible grades. The 122bhp (91kW) engine generates 310Nm for the kind of flexible driving performance that makes the car as easy to manage around town or out on the open road. Coupled to a six-speed manual transmission it returns combined cycle figures of 137g/km and 53.3mpg.

All versions of RAV4, bar the entry level Active model, are equipped as standard with the Toyota Touch 2, the latest evolution of Toyota’s touchscreen-operated multimedia system.

The package includes Bluetooth for hands-free phone calls and sending and receipt of text messages, a rear-view camera, vehicle information, including trip data, climate control profile and management of settings for door locking and lighting. It also enables simple connection of iPods and MP3 players.

Toyota Touch 2 with Go, an option on Icon and Invincible models, adds a wealth of extra functions and advanced connectivity, all controlled simply and clearly using the same touchscreen system. The leading feature is the full map navigation, with a new screen design. The improved package further provides connection to a range of features, including Toyota real-time HD traffic data from TomTom.

Toyota’s system is also the first and currently the only one of its kind to feature Google Street View and Panoramio.

Icon models adopt keyless entry and easy push-button start as standard, together with new two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels – fitted to the two-wheel as well as all-wheel drive cars.

The entry model – the 2.0-litre D-4D 2WD Active model – starts from £22,195.

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement company, Douglas Stafford, provides Toyota with a tailored and bespoke nationwide mystery shopping programme to include Telephone Mystery Shopping, Email Mystery Shopping and Video Mystery Shopping.

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

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McLaren expands its network to Thailand

McLaren adds another global location with McLaren Bangkok

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

McLaren Automotive has announced its latest retail partner, as the company’s global network continues to grow.

McLaren Bangkok is the eighth location in Asia for the British high performance sports car brand, and marks the 30th market worldwide.

McLaren Bangkok will be operated by Niche Cars Co. Ltd., which boasts extensive market experience, and are leaders in the sourcing and sale of luxury and performance cars throughout Thailand.

The latest location to be added to the McLaren Automotive retail portfolio will be located in the Siam Paragon luxury shopping mall in the Thailand’s capital, which is one of the largest shopping centres in Asia.

Mirko Bordiga McLaren Automotive Regional Director for Asia-Pacific said: “We are extremely pleased to announce our latest retail partner in the region, which will bring the McLaren brand to Thailand. The Asia-Pacific region has seen rapid growth recently with the significant expansion of our retailer network, and further strengthens our brand presence globally.”

Vittawat Chinabarramee, Managing Director of Niche Cars Co., Ltd added: “We are delighted to be appointed the representative for McLaren in Thailand. The McLaren brand has been making history on the track for 50 years, and the cutting-edge Formula 1 expertise and technologies now feature on a stunning range of high performance sports cars. It is with great pleasure that Niche Cars Co., Ltd can bring the 12C and, most notably, the limited edition McLaren P1™ to all car enthusiasts who are most eager of the brand’s presence here in Thailand.”

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

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SEAT strikes deal with fashion retailer MANGO

New collaboration between SEAT and MANGO

By Hannah Cook

SEAT is strengthening its design ties with a collaboration deal struck with Spanish multi-national fashion retailer MANGO.

The Spanish brand is synonymous with beautifully styled cars and has announced the first fruit of the partnership: the Mii by MANGO.

The Mii by MANGO is a special edition of SEAT’s practical city car, and will make its official debut at the upcoming 080 Barcelona Fashion event, from January 27-31.

The tie-up between the two Spanish companies will result in further activities that will combine SEAT’s characteristic driving enjoyment through the latest technology with MANGO’s innovative fashion design.

The new SEAT Mii by MANGO stands out thanks to its attractive interior and exterior design, featuring two exterior paint options: Nude, which is unique to Mii by MANGO, and Deep Black.

The interior of the SEAT Mii by MANGO has a passenger compartment full of unique design elements, and additional equipment compared to the base model.

Furthermore, SEAT’s new model includes a practical hook to hang a handbag safely, and a mirror on the driver sun visor, as well as specifically designed floor mats, door sills and key fob.

The Mii by MANGO will be available before the summer in three- and five-door body styles, in the UK becoming the flagship model for the range.

The new model created by SEAT and MANGO comes along with a tempting online competition that will reward creativity and originality. As a result, the first 1,000 units of the Mii by MANGO will be delivered with three additional accessories: an umbrella, a handbag and a further specific car accessory that will all be designed by fans who enter the innovative online competition.

Any user in any part of the world can custom design the specific accessories included in the new SEAT Mii by MANGO and compete for prizes. The competition extends for the next five weeks by visiting the SEAT and MANGO Facebook pages - www.facebook.com/SEAT.Official and www.facebook.com/mango.com, the SEAT webpage www.seat.com and the www.talenthouse.com webpage.

The overall winner will receive a brand new SEAT Mii by MANGO and five finalists will be presented with a gift certificate to spend in MANGO shops.

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

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Douglas Stafford raises money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Mystery shopping company presents cheque to Air Ambulance

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Fundraising throughout 2013 by team members at mystery shopping and customer experience company, Douglas Stafford, has raised £1,000 for charity.

Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping raises money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Rosemarie Norman from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance receives a cheque from Douglas Stafford Operations Director, Ben Sargeant

A series of events, including dress down days, raffles and cake sales, helped raise the amount which has been handed over to the company’s nominated charity in 2013, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA).

Douglas Stafford Operations Director, Ben Sargeant, presented a cheque to Community and Corporate Fundraiser for HIOWAA, Rosemarie Norman, at the Douglas Stafford Head Office at 1000 Lakeside, Portsmouth.

The company also supported the HIOWAA in 2012, raising £1,000 for the cause.

Rosemarie said: “It was great to receive another cheque from Douglas Stafford and we thank the company for its support.”

The HIOWAA began operations in July 2007. The helicopter is based at Thruxton Airfield, near Andover, and the Head Office is at King’s Park Road, Southampton.

Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping raises money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Each day, the Air Ambulance crew provides an efficient, prompt response to road traffic collisions, sporting accidents, collapses, and many other incidents throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The helicopter is called out many times per day, and these missions are often life-saving.

Ben said: “Everyone at Douglas Stafford is always keen to support our charity initiatives.

“The Air Ambulance is a vital service for everyone. It costs around £125,000 a month to keep it in the air, and with no Government funding, it relies solely on donations and fundraising from people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and local businesses.”

Douglas Stafford provides an extensive range of mystery shopping and performance improvement programmes, including telephone mystery shopping, email mystery shopping, report based mystery shopping and video mystery shopping to companies in a range of industry sectors in the UK.

Volvo launches My Volvo customer experience

New customer experience launched by Volvo

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Volvo Car UK is transforming the way it communicates with its customers with the launch of an innovative new web portal – My Volvo.

My Volvo is a new service that enables customers to establish an online relationship direct with Volvo Car UK that is personal to them and their car.

Existing customers can simply register their details via the portal at www.volvocars.co.uk/myvolvo to access a library of information, product news and exclusive offers and see information about their own car.

It also means, for customers new to the brand, they can keep in touch from the start of the experience, by tracking their car’s progress from the factory to its new home here in the UK.

While they await its arrival, they can also find out more about Volvo, familiarise themselves with Volvo ownership and investigate some of their new car’s key features and technologies online.

The My Volvo site features video guides to a variety of features found on the latest Volvo models, including tips on pairing smartphones with the car via Bluetooth; how the infotainment system works; what security features are included on the vehicle and how to use the sat-nav. There is a whole host of practical information.

Future developments will include the ability to book vehicle servicing and maintenance with a Volvo retailer, while new send-to-car capabilities could, for example, allow customers to pre-set the cabin temperature or send destination information to their car’s sat-nav ahead of a journey.

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

on Twitter @DouglasStafford

on Facebook facebook.com/douglasstafforduk

David Brown Automotive set to launch this year

New luxury British car brand set to launch

By Hannah Cook

An all-new, British luxury automotive brand is to be launched in April 2014, promising to refresh the classic British sports car, for the 21st Century.

Successful British businessman and car enthusiast, David Brown, has created a brand in his own name – David Brown Automotive – to deliver his vision for a new take on the British sports car.

An experienced design team is led by Alan Mobberley, who was Chief Designer at Land Rover for 19 years, until 2005, while automotive engineering experts, Envisage Group, have developed the car, for production.

David has commissioned a completely original exterior and interior design, sourced bespoke British suppliers for interior trim and materials and the car has been thoroughly engineered for low-volume production, combining the latest manufacturing techniques with traditional craftsmanship.

David said: “I wanted all the impact and style of a classic sports car, but with modern capabilities and conveniences. This is what I want in a car, but it’s not something anyone really offers. So, I’ve created it myself.”

The result – codenamed ‘Project Judi’ – will be revealed in April 2014 and will be made available for sale, in strictly limited numbers. It will combine a classically-inspired exterior design, with the latest in performance, dynamics, technology, comfort and refinement.

More details on the new car, including its name, will be announced closer to the car’s launch date. In the meantime, anyone can register their interest to receive more information at:www.davidbrownautomotive.com

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

on Twitter @DouglasStafford

on Facebook facebook.com/douglasstafforduk

Hyundai announces partnership with Tate

Hyundai partners with art institution Tate

By Jamie White

Hyundai Motor Company has announced an 11-year partnership (2014 – 2025) with Tate, one of the world’s top art institutions based in the U.K.

Hyundai announces partnership with Tate - Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping

Through the partnership – Hyundai Motor’s first with a globally-acclaimed art organisation – the company’s support will realise the Hyundai Commission, a new-series of annual installations by contemporary artists in the iconic Turbine Hall at Tate Modern, London beginning in 2015.

The collaboration, which is founded upon Hyundai’s and Tate’s commitment to worldwide innovation, is the longest of its kind in the Tate’s history. It aims to encourage the organic and sustainable development of this community through the engagement of contemporary talent and a greater understanding of new audiences.

Hyundai Motor’s Vice Chairman Euisun Chung, said: “At Hyundai Motor, we understand that cars can provide much more than transportation. They can connect with people emotionally and it is this same feeling that connects people to great art. This is the nature of our partnership with Tate.”

Director of Tate, Nicholas Serota, said: “We look forward to working together with Hyundai, exploring the most innovative and creative ideas from around the world. Hyundai’s commitment to Tate will give us an unprecedented opportunity to plan for the future, and will secure a decade of exciting new Turbine Hall commissions for all Tate Modern’s visitors.”

In addition, marking the start of this new partnership, Hyundai has joined forces with Tate’s Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee to support a major acquisition for Tate’s collection, dramatically improving the museum’s holdings of art from Asia.

Aside from Tate, Hyundai has a 10-year partnership with MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) in Seoul, which allows MMCA to invent a strong promotional platform for Korean artists.

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

on Twitter @DouglasStafford

on Facebook facebook.com/douglasstafforduk

Dacia celebrates a fantastic first year in the UK

Renault subsidiary Dacia has taken the new and used car market by storm in the UK

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Dacia is celebrating a hugely successful first 12 months in the UK, which included the role out of a range of affordable new models which have taken the used car market by storm.

A year ago, the Dacia Duster and Dacia Sandero burst onto the UK market with media campaigns hitting every media channel, while all main Dacia Retailers had their first Duster SUV and Sandero supermini demonstrator cars delivered.

Dacia, a subsidiary of Renault UK, entered the UK with one mission; to shake up the new and used UK car markets by offering ‘shockingly affordable’ vehicles with high levels of quality and unrivalled space and equipment for the money.

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, surrounded by some of the finest supercars and most valuable classic cars the world has to offer, Dacia brazenly slapped “from £8,995” decals on the side of its Duster SUV. Less than hour into the event, unprecedented demand meant extra staff had to be drafted in to help on the stand and the waiting list grew longer and longer for those desperate to get behind the wheel. Dacia boasted 5,000 orders for its Duster SUV and Sandero within just eight weeks of them arriving in showrooms in January.

In April and May, it put the cat amongst the pigeons with two more milestones. First, it confirmed prices for its Logan MCV at just £6,995. Then in May, the chunky Sandero Stepway supermini crossover hit UK showrooms, from only £7,995.

Awards soon followed, with the Duster picking up the overall Scottish Car of the Year trophy, while Sandero scooped ‘Best Budget Car’ months later. What Car? named Sandero as ‘Best Supermini under £12,000’, while other noteworthy trophies throughout the year were several for Duster’s 4×4 and towing abilities, including Caravan Club and Towcar, plus a hat-trick from Carbuyer.co.uk, including Car of the Year.

Other notable achievements for Dacia ion 2013 included:

- The fastest growing car brand in UK, overall and in retail

- The most successful UK car brand launch in retail ever (based on initial 12 months sales)

- 17,146 sales with a market share of 0.76% – with only two models initially (Duster and Sandero).

- 96.7 per cent of Dacia sales are in the retail market where it has a share of 1.4%

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement company, Douglas Stafford, provides Renault UK and Dacia with a tailored and bespoke nationwide mystery shopping programme to include Telephone Mystery Shopping, Email Mystery Shopping and Video Mystery Shopping.

Jaguar design director scoops top automotive award

Ian Callum wins award at exclusive Detroit awards ceremony

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum has been named ‘Industry Innovator of the Year’ at the 2014 Motorcity Automotive Industry Night (MAIN) Event Awards.

Jaguar was praised by the MAIN Event Executive Committee for its distinct design language, use of advanced technology and outstanding vehicle dynamics.

The ceremony took place at Orchestra Hall, Detroit, USA in front of an audience of over 700 automotive executives, designers and international media.

Presenting the trophy to Ian, Keith Nagara, Executive Committee Chairman said: “Jaguars are beautiful vehicles that all generations aspire to own.

“Ian Callum has led the design revolution at Jaguar that has helped transform the brand, most recently demonstrated by the launch of the stunning F-TYPE Coupe. This is a brand that is going from strength to strength.”

Ian Callum, born in Scotland, studied Industrial Design at the Glasgow School of Art and joined Jaguar in 1999. He is responsible for Jaguar design language created over the past decade, which includes the current Jaguar XK, XF, XJ and the recently launched F-TYPE sports car.

Ian said: “It is an honour to receive this award. It is with the benefit of having such a great team around me that we have been able to deliver the cars and designs that define Jaguar today.”

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

on Twitter @DouglasStafford

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Sofa giant CSL rebrands as Sofaworks

CSL rebrands as Sofaworks and opens more UK stores

By Hannah Cook

Sofa retailer CSL has been rebranded as Sofaworks as it reveals the company is on target to reach sales of £100 million for the first time.

By Christmas, all 26 of the family-owned retail stores had started to operate as Sofaworks and as well as a new website, Sofaworks is launching an app and has developed its own line of sofas for the first time.

Sofa giant CSL rebrands as Sofaworks - Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping

The changes come as Sofaworks prepares to report record results, with a turnover up 17 per cent over the course of 2013. The retailer now expects turnover for the year to December 31 to exceed the £100 million mark.

The retailer recently relocated its Blackburn outlet to new premises. The five openings in 2013 have created 125 new jobs, with a further 225 jobs created by opening a further nine stores during 2014. Sofaworks has also opened new stores in Coventry and Stockton-on-Tees.

Jason Tyldesley, Sofaworks Chief Executive, said: “We have always taken pride in treating customers with respect and being open and honest – these are the values that have been with the business from the start.”

“With strong evidence of rising consumer confidence, our trading performance and plans for this year mean we are perfectly positioned to capitalise.”

Meanwhile, Sofaworks has made a series of appointments to strengthen its senior team for 2014. Kevin Snowball, formerly of Lloyds Pharmacy, has joined as Head of Retail, former Floors-2-Go Chief Executive Simon Farnsworth has been appointed Head of Finance and Jason Glover, ex-Head of IT at luxury travel brand Kuoni, has joined as Chief Information Officer.

Follow mystery shopping and performance improvement company, Douglas Stafford:

on Twitter @DouglasStafford

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Blog

Monthly Archives: January 2014

New Toyota RAV4 set to hit the roads

McLaren expands its network to Thailand

SEAT strikes deal with fashion retailer MANGO

Douglas Stafford raises money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Volvo launches My Volvo customer experience

David Brown Automotive set to launch this year

Hyundai announces partnership with Tate

Dacia celebrates a fantastic first year in the UK

Jaguar design director scoops top automotive award

Sofa giant CSL rebrands as Sofaworks

About Douglas Stafford