Originally a Hino Truck Division product in 1968, Toyota’s Hilux has become a dominant global player in the compact pick-up market. Launched in Thailand and Australia in 2015, the latest eighth of the line reached Europe this year.

HiLux, as we know it, is not on sale in North America, Korea or India but is practically everywhere else and has built a reputation as a tough, dependable 4x4 light truck. It is Toyota’s second best selling vehicle (18 million total to date) after the Corolla (40 million).

VW Amarok and renewed Isuzu D-Max in 2011/2012 made an impact offering much improved comfort and refinement. Ford’s Ranger was first to respond and a new L200 from Mitsubishi came in 2015. Last year year saw a new Nissan Navara followed by Toyota HiLux VIII. Ranger has been the No.1 best seller here throughout 2015.

Audi's second-generation Q7 large SUV arrived in 2015, and while it follows the template set by its predecessor and the rival BMW X5 and Volvo XC90, it also evolves the concept of the fall-size crossover.

Like many premium brands offering SUVs, Audi’s main focus was North America. As the SUV developed from the original 4x4 concept, buyers were metropolitan types who navigated the urban jungle Monday to Friday but headed for the open spaces at the weekend. They wanted handling, comfort, the practicality of an estate and some off-road potential.
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It’s probably true to say that Alfa Romeo has never launched a car as important to the company as the new Giulia.

​As well as giving it a much needed volume boost in Europe, the car will reintroduce Alfa Romeo to North America, after a long absence.

It means the Giulia needs to be competent enough to take sales from Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the latter being touted as a pricing benchmark for the Giulia in the UK.

Alfa has been without a D-sector car in the UK for five years since the 159 was discontinued, and the programme to develop a successor has been delayed many times. When asked if the Giulia is a ‘make or break’ car for Alfa Romeo, then chief executive Harald Wester simply told the group of assembled journalists “yes”.

Traditional coupés like the Audi A5 might not be as common a sight on company car choice lists as they once were, but they can be important tools in staff retention.


Cars that manufacturers call ‘coupés’ are becoming more prevalent in varying shapes and sizes, some based around a saloon or estate template, others adapting the SUV silhouette.

​Indeed, there will no doubt be more user-chooser (and fleet operator) interest in a Sportback (five-door) version of the A5, assuming that version will be replaced in due course, but the new A5 Coupé will at least whet our appetites and give us some idea of what to expect.

The current Suzuki Swift has been one of the company's most successful cars, still recording UK growth in 2015, despite being in its fifth year.

Although the brand’s total sales fell by almost 8% during 2015, at just under 35,000 units (of which fleet accounted for 8,853), last year was still its second most successful year in the UK. And it has ambitions to reach 50,000 in the next few years, helped by new models and new technology.

​Next year, it aims to pioneer a new niche with an A-sector crossover. Before that, it is launching the Baleno.

No mainstream car manufacturer can afford to ignore the growth of the SUV sector in Europe.

Five years ago, French SUVs were few and far between, and relied on partnerships with other manufacturers. Since then, there has been a proliferation of cars described as 'crossover' or 'SUV', across the industry, including the French brands.

The Peugeot 2008 is one of the most compact. Launched in 2013, the 2008 uses engine technology and components that featured in the 208 hatchback, but with raised suspension and an estate car body. Although no four-wheel drive version was available, top versions came with ‘grip control’ – a sophisticated traction control system to help the car get out of all but the most difficult off-road situations – and all-season tyres.

Few people may realise that the Tiguan is Volkswagen’s third most popular car in the UK, with almost 22,000 registered in 2015.

And as the first major new model launch under the brand in Europe since the so-called ‘dieselgate’ crisis, it is more critical to get everything right from the start than it otherwise might have been.

​Like several other SUVs and ‘crossovers’ of this size, fleet sales are pretty important, and Volkswagen thinks around half the new Tiguans registered in the UK will be taken by fleet operators. The model also runs ahead of the segment average for four-wheel drive take-up at around 75%, compared with the typical 50%.

By now we have surely got beyond the idea that sportscar manufacturers shouldn’t be producing SUVs.

It’s almost 20 years since Mercedes-Benz and BMW decided to introduce road-oriented 4x4s, and many others, including Porsche, and more recently Jaguar and Bentley, followed.
Brands with rich heritage in motorsport, can carry it off, and, it seems, make a success of it.
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Maserati is about to follow suit with the Levante. The name comes from a Mediterranean easterly wind, and its task is to offer an Italian alternative to high-end driver-focused SUVs such as the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X6 and Range Rover Sport.

Almost every car manufacturer has an SUV these days. Even those famous for sports cars and luxury saloons.

Porsche launched the Cayenne more than 10 years ago and its SUV sales soon outnumbered those of the 911 and Boxster. Porsche has since added another SUV model to its range, while Maserati and Bentley will launch 4x4 models in 2016. Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce are also developing versions for their ranges.
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Jaguar’s F-Pace is more accessible, and is perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated.

​Kia’s new Sportage arrived in February and its task is to build on the success of its predecessor.

Kia’s compact SUVs have done especially well in Europe, not merely the 'lower-medium' Sportage but also 'upper-medium' Sorento.

Hyundai sister-cars Tucson and Santa Fe have done well too but Kia seems to be setting the pace here.

Last year, according to automotive research and analysis company Jato Dynamics, the SUV and SUV-like crossover became Europe’s biggest-selling vehicle type for the first time. Further, the Sportage is No.3 in its class – only Nissan’s Qashqai and VW’s Tiguan sell more. 

​For Kia UK the Sportage is its most popular model and this year’s target for it is 25,000 sales which would amount to 28% of its deliveries here.