Volkswagen successfully defend WRC title!

Volkswagen successfully defend WRC title!

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have claimed the World Rally Championship title after victory at the Rally Spain.

The win – the pair’s seventh of the season – leaves them with an unassailable 31-point lead in the
drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings going into the final event, Rally Great Britain. It was also Volkswagen’s 11th win in the 12 events this season, equalling Citroën's previous two best results – 11 out of 16 rallies in 2005 and 11 out of 15 in 2008.

Volkswagen team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila took second place in Spain to clinch the tenth one-two victory for Volkswagen in the WRC. Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene finished seventh in Spain, guaranteeing them at least third place in the championship.

Ogier said: “It's a fantastic feeling to become world champion for a second time! I'm over the moon – it was a real battle to defend the title. Jari-Matti Latvala showed an incredibly strong performance in the last few months.

“Big thanks go to our fantastic team at Volkswagen. Not just for giving us a fantastic car throughout the season but also for the unique solidarity that we have. It doesn't matter whether things are going well or badly – the team stands by every driver crew and that is extremely motivating. I'm happy and proud to be part of this team.”

Ogier and Ingrassia are only the fourth duo since 1977 to successfully defend the title and are now the eighth team to become double world champions.

Which one to choose? Volkswagen, SEAT or SKODA?

As a Fleet Manager it can be a tough a choice to know what is the best car and package available for your fleet, which car will give you the best running costs and who will help you look after your fleet? Is contract hire, leasing or outright purchase the way to go? What mix of cars do you need? All questions a Fleet Manager faces to ensure there is no downtime on their own business needs.

Paul Adams, Senior Fleet Manager at Pulman Group comments: “It can be very challenging for Owners and Fleet Managers to be informed of all the options available to them. Here at Pulman we have a fantastic team of specialist account managers who primary purpose it to help and deliver a fantastic customer experience.”

Pulman Group, based across the North East specialise in offering Volkswagen, SEAT and SKODA cars from small, medium local businesses to large fleets. Providing a range of solutions from contract hire, PCP and even the short-term 28 day rental for that extra car when needed.

Paul continues, “To offer such a fantastic range cars is fantastic to support any Fleet Manager in keeping those running costs down. We also offer very competitive rates for contract hire and short term rentals.

Above all we dedicate ourselves to delivering a fantastic customer experience. Giving advice and support when needed through a dedicated Volkswagen, SEAT and SKODA Account Manager. Ensuring the package we propose is the package our customers need. When you join Pulman, you join our family which means you can use one of our fantastic meeting rooms if needed, free WiFi, collect and delivery service, free courtesy cars and corporate hospitality at Newcastle United, Sunderland AFC and Metro Radio Arena.”

When deciding which car you need next, Pulman Group not only have a fantastic and reliable range of Volkswagen Group cars: Volkswagen, SEAT and SKODA to choose from, but are there to support and supply the right cars at the right time for the businesses needs and requirements.

If your fleet consists of a range of Volkswagen, SEAT or SKODA cars, or Volkswagen commercial vehicles already, Pulman can also help, with Volkswagen Group factory trained technicians to service and look after your vehicles. Add to this our fantastic winter tyre scheme: Pulman supply, fit and store winter and summer tyres on behalf of companies, ensuring minimum downtime Pulman can deliver a fantastic customer experience.

For more information on how Pulman Group can help you contact Paul Adams on 0191 383 7505 or visit www.pulmanfleet.co.uk – join us on LinkedIn for up-to-date fleet news.

Bike rider bags a £900 ŠKODA bike from Pulman ŠKODA

After a very successful Durham Big Ride there was an extra surprise for one of the riders, in the form of a brand new ŠKODA bike from Pulman ŠKODA, who pride themselves on delivering a fantastic customer experience!

Nic Luker was the lucky winner of the £900 ŠKODA MTB 27 bike from Pulman ŠKODA Durham, who came on board to supply lead cars for both the Durham Big Ride and The Beast.

"I have a job that takes me across the country so I was lucky to be in the area when the Beast ride was on.  I live in Surrey so I hope to get back up here to Durham to do the Beast again - might even be on my new bike!"

Nic actually thought it was a joke when Pulman ŠKODA contacted him to say he had won, “I don't normally win things so when Pulman ŠKODA called to say it was mine, I was surprised and pleased in equal measure. I had a feeling it was a couple of pals playing a joke on me”

Nic collected his prize from the ŠKODA showroom in Durham Pity Me from Gary Irwin, Sales Executive at Pulman ŠKODA:  “The Durham Big Ride is a fantastic event in the local area that has grown year on year. With being a new ŠKODA retailer in Durham we thought it was a fantastic opportunity to get involved with cycling in our local area. We would like to pass our congratulations onto Nic for winning the fantastic ŠKODA bike.”

 

Pulman ŠKODA joined the Pulman family in July 2014 and currently have a pop up showroom near Pulman Volkswagen in Pity me Durham. Pulman are in the process of building a state of the art ŠKODA showroom in Belmont, Durham to continue to give customers a fantastic experience. The state of the art showroom will provide customers with a wide range of choice and state of the art facilities when purchasing a new car.

 

ŠKODA Sales Manager, Ian Jarvis said “We thought this was the perfect opportunity, sponsoring a bike ride event when ŠKODA have a fantastic brand within the cycling community – it made perfect sense. At Pulman we take pride of delivering a fantastic customer experience and are pleased we had this opportunity to giveaway such as fantastic prize.”

 

The Durham Big rides saw over 1,500 people take part in routes ranging from 3 miles to the 50 miles of the beast.

 

SEAT celebrates 5 millionth Ibiza

SEAT’s Martorell plant in Barcelona, Spain, is celebrating the production of the 5 millionth Ibiza. The Spanish Brand reached the milestone on the iconic model’s 30th anniversary.

This week SEAT will celebrate the 30 anniversary of its iconic Ibiza at the Paris Motor Show, which is where the first-ever Ibiza was unveiled to the world three decades ago. The Spanish Brand will also unveil the Leon X-PERIENCE, the brand’s most adventurous version of its compact car.

Since its launch in 1984, the SEAT Ibiza has become the best-selling and most-exported Spanish passenger car. Seventy per cent of those 5 million cars (about 3.5 million) have been sold outside Spain in more than 75 countries where the company has a presence. Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and Mexico have proved to be the most important markets for the best-selling car in SEAT’s history.

Esther García Castellanos, a member of the SEAT Ibiza production team for more than a decade, said: “SEAT has always been a part of my life. My father was an employee at the SEAT plant in the Zona Franca, and this is the company that has given me the opportunity to get ahead in my career. I have always worked on the Ibiza production line. For me, reaching the figure of 5 million cars produced is the result of the passion we put in every day, the motivation of the personnel and positive proof of a job well done”.

Did you know that...?

• 700 SEAT Ibiza leave the Martorell plant every day
• It employs around 1,600 people
• Around 700 robots contribute to the success of the SEAT Ibiza
• An Ibiza covers around 12km during its production process
• Five million Ibiza models placed end-to-end would stretch almost 19,300 km, the distance between Martorell in Spain and Auckland in New Zealand
• The five million Ibizas have consumed a total of 70 million kilograms of paint
• The Ibiza with female touches:
  • The first SEAT to open the door to women on the production line
  • Women account for 21 per cent of the production line
  • Two pop icons, Shakira and Katy Perry, have provided the music for the best-selling car’s advertising spots
• The approximate price of the Ibiza in 1984 was 825,000 pesetas (4,950€). This is the equivalent of 15,620€ at today’s prices
• The SEAT Ibiza was the official car at the Barcelona Olympic Games 1992