Suzuki want you to remember last winter. And the winter before that, for that matter. It wasn’t very nice, was it?

It’s likely to be equally – if not more so – intense this year and all. And, with October being Tyre Safety Month, what better time than now to take action and ensure good traction come winter?

That’s right, Suzuki are offering their customers a great value winter tyre promotion which will increase safety right when you need it most. Says their Aftersales Marketing Manager Michael-Le Flay: “Many people are unaware of the fact that when temperatures drop below 7°C, the rubber in standard tyres becomes harder and less flexible, which affects braking and cornering performance.

“It doesn’t matter how many electronic aids your car may have, the quality of its tyres is critical. The compound used for winter tyres, and their tread design are tailored to cope with adverse conditions, so that the best levels of car control can be maintained. A survey carried out in Canada concluded that they offer an improvement in braking performance of up to 25 per cent and up to 38 per cent less chance of having a collision.”

And you won’t just be buying tyres for this winter, either. Think of it as an investment: if you travel an average mileage you could get two or three years use from a set. The risks of salt corrosion to alloy wheels would also be greatly reduced if they were fitted as standard.

And remember the amount of abandoned cars last year? So many motorists jumping ship as they realised that their journey simply couldn’t continue in such positions. Well. With winter tyres you could glide serenely past those mournful jettisoned husks with a great big smile on your face. That’s right – you could laugh in the face of such conditions! “Adverse?” you’d say. “I don’t even know the meaning of the word.”

Suzuki’s Winter Tyre Programme consists of a ready to fit wheel and tyre set. Prices vary depending on the model, so contact yer dealer for more information.

But it’s not just Suzuki drivers who should be taking such steps. No, as our winter’s become increasingly Arctic in their nature, perhaps all motorists should consider making an annual switch.

Every year we are bombarded by lists that describe the most stolen cars in the UK. We rarely think about what are the least stolen, let alone why they are the least popular among thieves. Inquiring minds nonetheless wanted to know and the insurance website Confused.com assessed the data and provided us with rather interesting results.

It turns out that the Ford Ka is considered the least popular among thieves; as an ex-bugler noted, they have no “street cred.” The data compiled between 2004 and 2011 of all Ford Ka’s apparently shows that they are all doing extraordinarily well. This especially so when it is compared to the Toyota Yaris, which is the most stolen car, followed by the Volkswagen Touareg, both so popular that 1 nearly every 250 is stolen.

The Chevrolet Matiz is also high up on the least stolen car list, followed closely by the Suzuki Ignis as well as Hyundai i10 Comfort, each nearing the 1 in 5,000 stolen ratio. Each of these cars, as Michael Fraser notes, are surprisingly cheap and have relatively no power. They have potentially nothing to offer a thief or joy rider. Even aesthetically they pale in comparison to something like a BMW 3 series or Mercedes C class.

As Mr Fraser noted, cars are most likely broken into if there is something valuable available within them or are themselves worth quite a bit. Satellite navigation systems or trucks carrying expensive tools seem to be favourites of most car thieves. Unless you take certain precautions and make sure you hide your belongings, your car may be targeted.

The specialist also noted certain reliable tips that any driver can easily take advantage of if they wish to keep their car safe. The first is that one should park ones wheels directed to the kerb. Secondly, keep your vehicle tidy as untidy spaces suggests that you left in a rush, leaving something behind. Thirdly, if you have tacky things inside of it, like flowers or have child toys, the thief is likely to be deterred. Lastly, don’t forget to close windows and doors properly, this seems axiomatic but most people completely forget this.

While those that drive a Ka should not worry, the rest of us certainly should. Car thieves seem to pray on anyone that shows subtle signs of weakness, so masking them should be a priority. Both interesting and quite applicable to our lives, we can thank Mr Fraser as well as Confused.com for providing us with some interesting thoughts.

When it comes to vehicles, the Japanese have been doing something right for quite some time. Outperforming many of its competitors, companies like Toyota as well as Honda have not simply been leading green innovation but also creating some of the most efficient and best performing vehicles on the planet. A recent report shows that in reliability surveys it also completely obliterates other corporations, especially those found in the European market.

A study conducted by Warranty Direct has placed nearly 50,000 different vehicles into one large context, gauging how like they will fail as well as the cost of repairs. Based on the study, eastern vehicles have dominated the top 10 places on the list. Of these cars, those that perform the best are found between the age of 3 and 8 years.

The list has praised the works of many Japanese vehicles. Honda has had a high success rate with only 1 in 10 going wrong, pointing to the Honda Jazz that has only a 8% fail rate and a average bill costing around £200. Toyota has also done very well with only 13% fail rate.

On the list, Britain has not fared well. 2002 Range Rover is at the very bottom of the list, with nearly 50% of the cars having some fault with them within a 12 month period, costing an average owner roughly £500 poorer. Land Rover has also done abysmally, with 55% of things going wrong within the same period.

Other European manufacturers are also found quite low on the list, with Alfa Romeos as well as Renaults.

Many underperforming manufactures have vehemently denied all these accusations. Land Rover representatives suggested that the list didn’t represent the currently high rate of success of their modern line. Similarly, Alfa Romeo pointed to other surveys that have stated that the company is steadily improving its reliability. Not to be overshadowed, Renault suggested that the claims are simply inaccurate.

Whatever the position may be, most surveys conducted, including the “What Car?” released several weeks ago, suggest that Japanese vehicles are some of the best in the world. Whatever the companies have been doing, they have figured out a great formula and stuck with it. Even this writer remained skeptical; yet, the statistical data does seem to indicate quite a strong relationship between the quality and reliability of Toyota as well as Honda. Let us hope that European manufactures can take onboard some of the innovative ideas of these Japanese and implement them into our vehicles.

Already laying claim to the widest sales and service network of any manufacturer in India, now Maruti Suzuki have added a further string to their bow through opening a new outlet in one of the most remote areas of India which also happens to be the highest car workshop in the world. At 3,740 metres (12,200 feet) above sea level, it makes the previous record holder of 3,505 metres seem Belgium by comparison.

Is Belgium renowned for being flat? Let’s pretend it is.

The new workshop is situated at Kaza in Himachal Pradesh on the North East of the Continent. It shares space with the highest petrol station in the world and has been opened to cater for the growing number of customers in the region – as well as the increasing tourist traffic.

It’s globalisation in action, then, as the areas around Kaza are cut off from the rest of the world for about four months of the year. The workshop will be able to support a local pool of 700 Suzuki vehicles and will serve to drastically reduce the gruelling 150 mile journey that customers used to face should they have wanted their car repaired. It’ll make all previous claims of remoteness seem Luxembourgian by comparison.

So, there you go. The highest car workshop in the world is owned by Suzuki and is situated next to the highest petrol station in the world.

Just thought you’d like to know.

Following the devastation of Friday’s earthquake and Tsunami which ripped through many areas in the North of Japan, Japanese car companies have suspended production.

Some 2,400 people have now been confirmed dead and thousands are still missing.

Not surprisingly, Toyota suspended production at all of its plants and Mitsubishi has halted production at its three domestic assembly plants.

Honda and Nissan have also temporarily stopped operations while Fuji Heavy Industries, maker of Subaru cars, closed five factories.

Around 2,300 Nissan and Infiniti brand vehicles awaiting shipment to US and elsewhere were damaged when the tsunami swept through the Port of Hitachi.

Toyota has stopped production at more than a dozen assembly plants and parts factories, the company said it will decide when to restart production after assessing damage to ensure conditions are safe for a return to work.

Mazda and Suzuki were pretty much spared from the quake’s effects because their assembly plants are in other areas of the country but they said they are gathering information about the impact on suppliers and distribution systems.

But for those who survived – car manufacturer is the last of their concerns- they are facing a terribly grim existence for a while yet, with no power in much of the country and food, water and fuel in desperately short supply.

Following the success of the Suzuki Alto, a new special edition Suzuki Alto Cruz goes on sale this week.

The new Suzuki Alto Cruz is strictly limited to a run of just 500 cars and is based on popular SZ3 mid-grade model. It offers customers an impressive standard equipment list including air conditioning and pollen filter, as well as a striking new exterior design.

The new Cruz is instantly recognisable thanks to its stylish new wheel caps, black side mouldings, black ‘B’ pillar trims and Cruz badging. The special edition model is also available in two striking paint colours including Superior White and Bright Red.

The new limited edition Cruz carries on the Alto legacy as one of the least polluting five-door City cars on the market, boasting CO2 emissions of just 103 g/km as well as offering 64.2mpg on the EC combined cycle.

The new Suzuki Alto Cruz is available from just £6,953 OTR with Suzuki’s extended ‘VAT Free’ offer.

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