Citygate Volkswagen awarded "one to watch" company status

Citygate, one of the UK’s leading Volkswagen dealers, has been awarded the esteemed ‘One to Watch’ status by Best Companies in its 2012 listings. Only the most outstanding businesses receive such accreditation, which makes them eligible for the highly prestigious Best 100 Companies to Work For list, conducted by The Sunday Times.

Following a thorough employee survey and organisation questionnaire, Citygate was found to excel. Its results put it amongst the most promising business prospects in the UK.

Best Companies’ scrutiny involved assessments across all areas of the company with Citygate possessing impressive management skills, strong core values and excellent customer service. Ever-proud of its consumer relations, Citygate’s new status is a testament to the staff who have worked so hard to achieve it.

Jonathan Smith, Managing Director of Citygate, spoke of his delight at being awarded the new status: “I’m thrilled to have Citygate recognised as a Best Companies ‘One to Watch’. It is a real honour for every member of our team; they’ve put in so much hard work and their focus on great customer service has paid dividends.”

Beginning trade in 2006, Citygate now delivers more than 7,000 top-of-the-range new and used cars to delighted clients every year and employs in excess of 350 highly-trained individuals over five separate operations.

Citygate, specialising in the sale of Volkswagen and Škoda vehicles, pledges to take its customer services far beyond the purchase of the car or van, going the extra mile with its excellent tuning and bodyshop work, as well as MOT testing and support.

Citygate celebrates car of the year

Motorists hoping to own the What Car? 2012 Car of the Year don’t have long to wait, with the victorious Volkswagen up! arriving at Volkswagen retailer Citygate’s five dealerships over the coming weeks.

Those looking to purchase the award-winning car, which the judging panel commended for combining refinement, quality, space and economy, will be able to buy it at Citygate dealerships in Chalfont, Colindale, High Wycombe, Ruislip and Watford from just £7,397.

With a fuel economy of 60.1mpg, What Car? commented that the car ‘set new standards for the £10,000 price bracket’. The magazine also noted that the car, while at home when driving around town, is far from averse to cruising along the motorway.

At the What Car? Awards ceremony the Volkswagen up! received multiple awards, also winning the City Car of the Year Award and the Safety Award for its City Emergency Braking System. The Volkswagen Golf, also available at all Citygate dealerships, claimed top honours in the Small Family Car category.

Citygate is familiar with award-winning quality, having secured two successes of its own in 2011: the company claimed the Motor Trader Website of the Year Award and the Car Dealer Multi Franchised Dealer Website of the Year Award.

“The Volkswagen up! is a truly brilliant product,” said Citygate Managing Director Jonathan Smith. “To add a car that has received such a distinguished honour to what was already a strong line-up of Volkswagen cars is going to make for a very exciting year.”

What Car? Editor-in-Chief Chas Hallett said: 'The Volkswagen up! is the best car we've seen this year. It feels at home in town and copes admirably on the motorway; it is the right car for the time.”

Citygate sponsor "Pilgrim Bandits" Kilimanjaro climb

A team of amputee soldiers preparing to climb Kilimanjaro have received a sponsorship boost from Citygate.

The team, known as the Pilgrim Bandits, will be leaving the UK on 15th February for the nine-day challenge, have recived a £500 cash boost from Citygate Volkswagen to contribute towards the cost of the trip.

The five amputee soldiers on the expedition are doing so to raise money for Pilgrim Bandits and will be joined by Dragon’s Den star, Duncan Bannatyne.

They will be supported by 15 able bodied people and two medical staff, have been preparing for the challenge for the past five months with a mix of endurance training and climbing in the Snowdon area.

Richard Eagell, Brand Manager at Citygate Volkswagen, said: “In committing to this gruelling trek, the climbers have all shown tremendous spirit and strength of character and we were so inspired by their determination that we wanted to lend our support.”

Chris Naughton, related to a Citygate staff member, added: “The amputees will be climbing without assistance and will be carrying their own kit and equipment which given their injuries, is a huge accomplishment. We are grateful to Citygate Volkswagen for their support and as a thank you, we will be taking a Citygate flag up the mountain for future climbers to see!”

Rising 19,340 feet above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. It lies 205 miles South of the equator and stands on Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya and supports five major eco-zones: rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and glaciers.

The weather on Mount Kilimanjaro can vary from very hot to extremely cold within the same day. At the base of the mountain, the average temperature is around 21-27 degrees however, at the summit, Uhuru Point, night time temperatures can range between 0 and -30 degrees.

In 1889, German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller were the first to climb Kilimanjaro. Today, about 15,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro each year, as a spiritual journey or as a personal challenge.

To learn more about the Pilgrim Bandits’ challenge, or to pledge support, visit www.pilgrimbandits.com

Another website award for Citygate

Citygate Automotive are celebrating our second website award for the year having been awarded the multi franchised dealer Website of the Year award by Car Dealer magazine.

We beat off a number of other competitors to drive away with the accolade. 

Citygate’s website manager, Jade-Elise Brooke-Read, said: “At Citygate we realise the digital world is instrumental to our business and it is often our customers’ first point of call.

“It’s great news that we’ve being recognised for our work and we’re always looking at improving. At the moment we’re in the process of developing an update to the website which will deliver improved facilities for our customers.”

The website certainly caught the eye of e-wards judge Alex Knight of Progress Automotive.He said: “The key to this site’s success is a very clean design and a clear navigational path through to key customer action areas. 

“I really liked the new car configuration options and finance calculators, and it’s topped off by a very smart mobile website to cater for browsers on the move.”

Another judge, James Tew, of Webzation commented: “Citygate has always demonstrated a forward thinking approach with their web strategy. 

“They clearly see their website as a fundamental part of their business. In addition to new and used vehicles their site is also a shopfront for their fleet and servicing arms. The site is both informative and rich with content.”

New items added to annual MOT

If you've been ignoring a warning light because it's not checked in the MOT, you could be facing an MOT failure and an expensive repair bill in 2012 because of changes to the test.

The Department for Transport is adding a number of new mandatory items to the annual MOT from 1 January 2012, to comply with a revised European directive (2009/40/EC) intended to harmonise minimum test requirements across Europe and to make sure the test reflects the electrical/electronic complexity of modern car safety features.

The new checks will include inspecting a series of dashboard warning lights telling drivers if there is a problem with their airbags, tyre pressures, power steering and main headlight beam.  Power steering will be subject to inspection, with the MOT demanding a minimum level of fluid.  Anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems will also be checked, as will the new generation of powerful headlights to ensure they do not dazzle oncoming motorists.

VOSA, the government agency responsible for the MOT, has indicated that 'failures' relating to the new test items will be treated as 'advisories' in the first three months.  This means that if you have any of the above problems with your car, you've got until the first MOT renewal date after 1 April 2012 to get it fixed.

Most drivers happy with current MOT schedule
Nearly two-thirds of motorists think that a car’s first MOT should continue to be carried out after three years, a survey by the Institute Of Advanced Motorists has found.  Just 29% think we should move to a European system.

A new European Union directive sets down a minimum requirement for a vehicle roadworthiness test – or MOT – with the first test taking place when the car is no more than four years old, and subsequent tests no more than two years apart.  This is known as the four-two-two cycle and it is used in most of Europe.

The UK, however, employs a more stringent cycle of testing – the first test when the car is three years old, followed by annual testing – a three-one-one cycle.  Despite this, 27% of three-year-old cars in the UK fail their first MOT. In France, where the test cycle is four-two-two, 6% cars fail the first test at four years old.

Motorists generally were confident about the MOT test, with 63% believing it would always pick up potential dangers. But 30% believed garages were not independent enough to conduct MOTs, 26% thought garages deliberately find things wrong in order to get money out of them, and 40% said there was no consistency between garages in the way they do the test. The IAM believes these concerns should be addressed through a review before the government considers any changes.

“At a time when people are struggling financially,” said the IAM’s chief executive Simon Best, “the MOT seems to be one cost they are happy to pay.  The IAM is wary of abandoning our well-established and accepted cycle of MOT testing.  The poll suggests that most motorists are happy with it.

“But the question needs to be asked, why are so many cars in the UK failing at only three years, and why does France have a much better pass rate at four years?  Before any change to the system, the government should commission a review to assure motorists that MOT tests are safe, reliable and consistent.  The test should be for the benefit of road safety – not the garages that carry it out.”

Santa Claus is running to town for Great Ormond Street Hospital

One of our technicians is hoping to raise thousands of pounds for a children's charity by entering the festive spirit next month.

Tony Gardiner, a technician at Citygate Volkswagen in Ruislip, will run in the 5k Santa Fun Run held in London's Greenwich Park on Sunday 4th December, to generate funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The hospital is very close to Tony's heart after his nephew, Daniel, was admitted there to receive treatment for Saggital Synostasis.

This condition meant that the plates in his head fused together too early and led to an odd shape. This would have become more pronounced as Daniel got older, so he was referred to the Craniofacial Unit at the hospital.

Daniel had two major operations on his head at three and six months to insert and then remove springs, which separated the plates, allowing normal development.

Tony will dress as Santa to raise money for the craniofacial team at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Tony said: "The team at Great Ormond Street Hospital provided great care and support to not only Daniel but my brother in-law and sister, and completing the run is my way of saying thank you.

"The team there is truly fantastic and I'm hoping to raise as much money as possible. My colleagues at Citygate Volkswagen have been very supportive and are sponsoring me to do the race."

Brand manager at Citygate Volkswagen, Richard Eagell added: "Tony has often told us about the fantastic work Great Ormond Street Hospital have done and continue to do for his nephew so we're pleased to help in a small way by sponsoring him."

Anyone will to sponsor Tony can speak to him at Citygate Volkswagen Ruislip on Victoria Road or visit the Just Giving page. Share this story with your followers by tweeting this! 

Thanks to Great Ormond Street Hospital's work, Daniel is a healthy and happy boy.

Citygate grows a "mo" for Prostate Cancer

20 members of staff at Citygate are hoping to raise hundreds of pounds for charity by taking part in the now traditional ‘Movember moustache challenge’.

Led by Marketing and Communications Director, Simon Bennett, staff at Citygate will not shave their upper lips during November, with all money donated going to the Prostate Cancer charity. Female staff can also join in by wearing false moustaches during the month. 

Simon Bennett said: “Prostate cancer is something everyone is aware of and Movember is a fun way of raising money for a fantastic cause.

“It’s fantastic that so many staff are taking part and we’re hoping everyone has some growth to show at the end of the month. We’re encouraging customers to get involved and hope to not only reach our target.”

Citygate are aiming to raise £800 for Prostate Cancer, and are on target with nearly £500 raised to date.

From L-R: Lee, Tom, Paul, Jamie, Rob and James. All from our High Wycombe branch.