New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Manufacturers pull ads from News of the World
Major motor manufacturers including Ford, Mitsubishi, Renault and Vauxhall have pulled all advertising from the News of the World newspaper (sic) in response to the alleged phone-hacking scandal. Ford led the way saying: “Ford is a company which cares about the standards of behavior of its own people and those it deals with externally. We are awaiting an outcome from the News of the World investigation and expect a speedy and decisive response. Pending this response we will be using alternative media within and outside News International Group instead of placing Ford advertising in the News of the World.”
Mitsubishi quickly followed. “We have with immediate effect suspended all media and advertising spend with the News of the World. This includes all online and print channels. As the News of the World is run as a separate company from News Corporation’s other titles, this decision only applies to the News of the World,” said Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors’ UK managing director. "Mitsubishi Motors in the UK considers this type of activity, especially in such a distressing case, to be unbelievable, unspeakable and despicable. This is where we draw the line. It has therefore been necessary for us to pull all of our media advertising with the News of the World with immediate effect and have pledged to donate the saved funds to the charity, Childline.”
Both Vauxhall and Renault announced that they would not be advertising with the newspaper for the foreseeable future.
Inevitably, a parody of the whole disgraceful business and the potential knock-on effects for News Corporation, and possibly even the government, has already appeared on YouTube.
UPDATE News Corporation has announced that the 10 July edition of the News of the World will be the last ever; result. Not that we're cynical, but we can't help wonder when the first SUNday or Sun on Sunday appears, looking remarkably similar to the disgrace to journalism it replaces. We go for the latter as www.sunonsunday.co.uk has been registered by News International.
WARNING: Contains explicit material.
Manufacturer Quick Link
Latest Features
Show Preview: CV Show 2012
This year's Commercial Vehicle Show is scheduled to return to the NEC Birmingham on 24 – 26 April following a very successful 2011 event. The show dates have… Read More
Vans of the Year Awards 2012
Each year we sit down and decide which, in our opinion, are best light commercials around in each market segment… Read More
Manheim: Used Van Market 2011
Manheim Remarketing reports on used van values and trends in 2011… Read More
Iveco: State of the Nation 2012
The Italian van and truck manufacturer takes a look back at the 2011 UK van market… Read More
Bridgestone Eco-Rally 2011
Environmentally-friendly transport can be fun, as we discovered courtesy of a Transit Connect Electric… Read More