Latest News
Thursday 11th March 2010 - 08:53
Servicing of vans
It may not excite many people but if you have a van it may well do so. We now have a brand new 4 tonne van lift which leaves us able to service and maintain any vans up to 4 tonne. If you have a van and are interested in using us send me an e-mail and I will let you know of some great discounts we have available to you – ian.beardsley@marehayvauxhall.co.uk
Thursday 7th January 2010 - 11:20
New Meriva out late Spring
The new Meriva, which will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, is the first Vauxhall to feature FlexDoors, showcased on 2008's Meriva design concept.
FlexDoors are rear-hinged back doors which swing open towards the back of the car at an angle of nearly 90 degrees, vastly improving the ease with which occupants enter and leave the cabin. Rather than having to step back, or to one side, as one would using a normal front-hinged door, the FlexDoor allows unimpeded forward access/egress to and from the cabin, enhanced further by the Meriva’s exceptionally high roof line.
For parents with children, there are further benefits. Due to the larger door opening and free space around the B-pillar, parents can lift small children forwards in to rear-mounted, second-stage child seats without having to contort themselves around a door. And with both the front and rear doors open (the fronts open at a similar angle to the rear FlexDoors) a ‘parent-friendly’ zone is created with no door barrier between front and rear occupants.
Crucially, the FlexDoors can only be opened by occupants while the car is stationary, an automatic lock engaging as soon as the car pulls away.
While the concept of two rear-hinged back doors is not new in the motor industry, the Meriva’s FlexDoor system is the first time it has been used on a family car in recent years. But unlike other rear-hinged door applications (Rolls-Royce Phantom/Ghost and Mazda RX8), the Meriva benefits from front and rear doors that open independently, and does not require rear passengers to sit behind the door opening.
Class-leading in-cabin flexibility
Once inside the new Meriva, buyers benefit from two further groundbreaking innovations. The FlexRail adopts a completely fresh approach to the design of a car’s centre console, and provides owners with a variety of modular storage and comfort solutions that fix on to an ingenious dual-rail base. The new Meriva’s storage bin and cubby count has also increased, meaning that owners now benefit from one of the most practical cabins in class.
In addition, the current Meriva’s much-praised FlexSpace system has evolved with even greater practicality. Now more intuitive to use, the new Meriva’s FlexSpace allows easier fold-down of the rear seats, while moving the rear seats to create more boot, leg or shoulder room is simpler than ever.
The new Meriva’s seat comfort has also advanced, with the adoption of front seat technology from the Insignia and Astra. Like these cars, the Meriva offers the biggest range of seat adjustment in class, extending to 240mm in length and 65mm in height.
Advanced chassis and more efficient powertrains
With a longer wheelbase and wider front and rear tracks, buyers will see a marked improvement in the new Meriva’s ride and handling qualities.
They’ll also see a reduction in running costs, since the engine line-up – which features six turbocharged units and power outputs from 75 to 140PS – benefits from an average fuel consumption/C02 reduction of 15 per cent, or -25g/km across the range. A high mpg/low C02 ecoFLEX model will also be available.
Wednesday 2nd December 2009 - 13:05
We have the builders in
Tuesday 24th November 2009 - 12:36
New Astra Preview Weekend
Friday 16th October 2009 - 08:22
VXR Shop Launched
Wednesday 16th September 2009 - 13:51
New Astra - Prices
The prices for the new Astra have been announced. As with the outgoing model theses represent very good value for money. For example, the entry level Exclusiv model starts at £15,675, which is only £270 more expensive than the current entry level Astra model and offers much more, such as standard air conditioning, electronic stability control, 16" wheels and CD player with MP3 format and Aux in.
Thursday 10th September 2009 - 11:44
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce
Marehay is proud to join the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to developing closure business relationships with fellow members.
Tuesday 18th August 2009 - 13:05
New Astra
For information, pictures, and downloads of the New Astra go to
www.astra-and-action.co.uk
We will be holding our own launch event. If you wish to attend
e-mail me - ian.beardsley@marehayvauxhall.co.uk
www.astra-and-action.co.uk
We will be holding our own launch event. If you wish to attend
e-mail me - ian.beardsley@marehayvauxhall.co.uk
Wednesday 5th August 2009 - 09:03
Win an MP4 player
I know many of you use your Vauxhall on holiday so we are running a competition between now and the 30th September to see whose Vauxhall has travelled the furthest. Send me an e-mail ( ian.beardsley@marehayvauxhall.co.uk) attaching a picture of your Vauxhall at your holiday location and the Vauxhall that’s travelled the furthest from Marehay will win an MP4 player.
Tuesday 30th June 2009 - 17:21
Vauxhall Press release June 2009 New Astra
EMBARGOED UNTIL 08.00AM ON THURSDAY 18TH JUNE
NEXT GENERATION ASTRA: THE INSIDE STORY
- Clever packaging means more occupant comfort and space
- Distinctive exterior design cues echoed in cabin
- Quality feel throughout cabin enhanced by extensive use of premium materials
Luton -These are the first interior pictures of the Vauxhall Astra, which will debut at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will reach UK dealers by late this year.
Echoing the flowing forms of its bodywork, the new Astra’s interior marks a major shift towards premium design and quality in the UK’s compact sector, and continues Vauxhall’s design evolution which started five years ago with the current Astra, followed by a further step-change last year with the launch of the Insignia.
The Astra’s interior employs the recurring wing and blade motifs that were first introduced in the Insignia and are now used in a fresh and innovative way. The blade theme is expressed in details like the gooseneck shape of the door grab handles and the trim for the gearshift moulding and steering wheel.
As you look at the Astra’s wraparound instrument panel, which embraces both front seat occupants, the wing design is immediately visible as it arcs across the cabin into the door-top mouldings. The dashboard has a black, grained finish with a subtly different texture to other mouldings in the cabin.
Ambient lighting enhances the quality feel of the cabin, with lighting points framing the gearbox surround, and providing illumination from above the centre console and within the doorhandle recesses, depending on trim level.
The feeling of cabin space and depth is augmented by a centre panel mounted at a shallow 30-degree angle, which sweeps down from the top of the instrument panel to the centre console, creating a flowing surface that incorporates the gearshift. Like the Insignia, the Astra’s main clocks and gauges are ringed with chrome, with the speedometer and tachometer pods angled inwards towards the driver.
Special emphasis has gone into the design and engineering of the Astra’s seats, which now have industry-leading levels of adjustment. Their height can be raised by up to 65mm, while their fore and aft range extends to 280mm, allowing all drivers and passengers to find their ideal seating position. In addition, the Ergonomic Sports Seats (standard in all Elite models) have improved tilt adjustment, four-way power lumbar support, superior side support and supporting foam pads.
STORAGE AND PACKAGING
‘So do people actually put gloves in their gloveboxes?’
This was one of the many questions put to potential customers by Vauxhall’s designers as they researched what people stored in their cars, and where they put various items in their cabins. As a result, the new generation Astra has a raft of clever storage solutions unparalleled in the compact sector, some of which have even been patented.
Using feedback from the survey, the interior team first compiled a list of the 20 most common items customers stored in the cars: pens, coins, a flashlight, a road atlas, a parking disc, sunglasses, a wallet, paper tissues, a mobile phone, CDs, MP3 players, cups, magazines, newspapers, fruit, a first aid kit, a jacket, a 1.5/1.0/0.5-litre drinks bottle. And, of course, gloves.
Next, they noted where owners wanted to keep the items and looked for practical solutions. They found that car companies tended to focus on storage size alone, and that led to irritating problems, such as CDs being stored in the centre console, preventing the arm rest from being fully dropped down.
Max Kuncl, the team’s Performance Integration Manager likened the challenge to a puzzle: “It was important for the team not only to find places for the items to fit, but for the new Astra’s interior to still look great, and maintain high quality standards throughout the cabin.”
This painstaking attention to detail has resulted in a variety of simple, but effective storage solutions. A hard-shelled sunglass case has been inserted above the door opening on the driver’s side; coin slots and pen holders are moulded into the inside edge of the glove box lid; and the glove box itself has two removable compartments, while a second mini-glove box has been added just below the light switch.
Further storage innovation is illustrated by the centre console, which can accommodate nine CD cases, as well as having a small storage area and an insert for two cup holders. There’s also the option of an under-seat drawer beneath the passenger seat which is big enough to hold a pair of shoes. Rear passengers also benefit, with a 12-volt connection available for mp3 players, in addition to space for drinks bottles.
The new Astra’s boot also came under close scrutiny. A recess was created in the side of the boot to accept either a first aid kit or warning triangle, while a patented Flex-Floor was devised to offer further under-floor storage, while the floor itself can be fixed at different heights.
And those gloves? According to the survey, most owners don’t keep them in the glovebox at all. They usually get thrown in the door’s side pocket, next to the ice scraper.
MATERIALS & QUALITY
“Our goal was to make the perceptual quality in the interior of the next generation Astra as great as that of the Vauxhall Insignia,” says Peter Hasselbach, in charge of Design Appearance Quality. “This is in line with Vauxhall’s mission to bring innovations and quality to the compact class.”
The quality of the materials used in the new Astra can be seen in areas like the grained surfaces, the textured panels, the chrome trim elements and the feel and operation of the buttons and switches. In addition, all the Astra’s main surfaces are textured with upscale materials and top grains to give a strong, premium feel.
NEXT GENERATION ASTRA: THE INSIDE STORY
- Clever packaging means more occupant comfort and space
- Distinctive exterior design cues echoed in cabin
- Quality feel throughout cabin enhanced by extensive use of premium materials
Luton -These are the first interior pictures of the Vauxhall Astra, which will debut at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will reach UK dealers by late this year.
Echoing the flowing forms of its bodywork, the new Astra’s interior marks a major shift towards premium design and quality in the UK’s compact sector, and continues Vauxhall’s design evolution which started five years ago with the current Astra, followed by a further step-change last year with the launch of the Insignia.
The Astra’s interior employs the recurring wing and blade motifs that were first introduced in the Insignia and are now used in a fresh and innovative way. The blade theme is expressed in details like the gooseneck shape of the door grab handles and the trim for the gearshift moulding and steering wheel.
As you look at the Astra’s wraparound instrument panel, which embraces both front seat occupants, the wing design is immediately visible as it arcs across the cabin into the door-top mouldings. The dashboard has a black, grained finish with a subtly different texture to other mouldings in the cabin.
Ambient lighting enhances the quality feel of the cabin, with lighting points framing the gearbox surround, and providing illumination from above the centre console and within the doorhandle recesses, depending on trim level.
The feeling of cabin space and depth is augmented by a centre panel mounted at a shallow 30-degree angle, which sweeps down from the top of the instrument panel to the centre console, creating a flowing surface that incorporates the gearshift. Like the Insignia, the Astra’s main clocks and gauges are ringed with chrome, with the speedometer and tachometer pods angled inwards towards the driver.
Special emphasis has gone into the design and engineering of the Astra’s seats, which now have industry-leading levels of adjustment. Their height can be raised by up to 65mm, while their fore and aft range extends to 280mm, allowing all drivers and passengers to find their ideal seating position. In addition, the Ergonomic Sports Seats (standard in all Elite models) have improved tilt adjustment, four-way power lumbar support, superior side support and supporting foam pads.
STORAGE AND PACKAGING
‘So do people actually put gloves in their gloveboxes?’
This was one of the many questions put to potential customers by Vauxhall’s designers as they researched what people stored in their cars, and where they put various items in their cabins. As a result, the new generation Astra has a raft of clever storage solutions unparalleled in the compact sector, some of which have even been patented.
Using feedback from the survey, the interior team first compiled a list of the 20 most common items customers stored in the cars: pens, coins, a flashlight, a road atlas, a parking disc, sunglasses, a wallet, paper tissues, a mobile phone, CDs, MP3 players, cups, magazines, newspapers, fruit, a first aid kit, a jacket, a 1.5/1.0/0.5-litre drinks bottle. And, of course, gloves.
Next, they noted where owners wanted to keep the items and looked for practical solutions. They found that car companies tended to focus on storage size alone, and that led to irritating problems, such as CDs being stored in the centre console, preventing the arm rest from being fully dropped down.
Max Kuncl, the team’s Performance Integration Manager likened the challenge to a puzzle: “It was important for the team not only to find places for the items to fit, but for the new Astra’s interior to still look great, and maintain high quality standards throughout the cabin.”
This painstaking attention to detail has resulted in a variety of simple, but effective storage solutions. A hard-shelled sunglass case has been inserted above the door opening on the driver’s side; coin slots and pen holders are moulded into the inside edge of the glove box lid; and the glove box itself has two removable compartments, while a second mini-glove box has been added just below the light switch.
Further storage innovation is illustrated by the centre console, which can accommodate nine CD cases, as well as having a small storage area and an insert for two cup holders. There’s also the option of an under-seat drawer beneath the passenger seat which is big enough to hold a pair of shoes. Rear passengers also benefit, with a 12-volt connection available for mp3 players, in addition to space for drinks bottles.
The new Astra’s boot also came under close scrutiny. A recess was created in the side of the boot to accept either a first aid kit or warning triangle, while a patented Flex-Floor was devised to offer further under-floor storage, while the floor itself can be fixed at different heights.
And those gloves? According to the survey, most owners don’t keep them in the glovebox at all. They usually get thrown in the door’s side pocket, next to the ice scraper.
MATERIALS & QUALITY
“Our goal was to make the perceptual quality in the interior of the next generation Astra as great as that of the Vauxhall Insignia,” says Peter Hasselbach, in charge of Design Appearance Quality. “This is in line with Vauxhall’s mission to bring innovations and quality to the compact class.”
The quality of the materials used in the new Astra can be seen in areas like the grained surfaces, the textured panels, the chrome trim elements and the feel and operation of the buttons and switches. In addition, all the Astra’s main surfaces are textured with upscale materials and top grains to give a strong, premium feel.