Windmill Leasing strikes sponsorship deal with local star

Windmill Leasing has matched the driving ambitions of England and Worcester Warriors rugby star, Andy Goode!

We are delighted to announce the formation of a sponsorship deal which will run until the end of the 2011/2012 season and see local fly-half, Andy Goode, provided with a top of the range Audi A7 four-door coupe sporting the Windmill Leasing logo.

Establishing a local connection

Andy Goode, who helped Worcester Warriors to reclaim Premiership status last season, originates from the same town as Windmill Leasing, where our headquarters are still based in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

The sponsorship agreement recently originated from a mutually attended local charity golf day, during which conversations were initiated.

“I’m delighted to begin a partnership with such a great company like Windmill Leasing,” says Andy Goode. “They are driven to be the best in their field and display great ethics in teamwork and community life which sit very well with my outlook. I hope it’s the start of a long and successful relationship.”

The rugby star has gone on to Tweet to his Twitter followers, “Big thanks to Windmill Leasing for supplying an Audi A7 for me. Great car, great guys and a great company – get following them!”

Promoting our company car leasing services

A sponsorship deal provides a great opportunity for Windmill Leasing to show support for our local sporting hero while continuing to raise the company profile in the business car lease and contract hire market.

“We are delighted to have entered this sponsorship agreement with Andy Goode,” comments Keith Townsend, Managing Director. “At Windmill Leasing we are always looking at new and innovative ways to raise our company profile and promote our company car leasing services to a wider client base. What better way than to team up with a successful local sportsman who shares our top class winning teamwork ethos?”

The sponsorship deal is just the latest initiative in Windmill Leasing’s recent investment into our marketing and operational efforts. As well as the recent launch of our new website, the company has just celebrated the opening of a new office in Sheffield, which will allow us to provide a locally accessible service to our customers in the North of England.

Windmill Leasing is looking to the future

Windmill Leasing is advancing all the time, offering a local service to businesses with the support of our team of experts. We are always looking to explore new and creative ways of marketing our brand nationwide.

To find out more about our services as we expand across the UK, visit the About Us section of this website or give us a call on 0800 121 4020.

Supercars: Present and Future

As the performance car leasing market continues to break its own boundaries, we’ve taken a sneak peek into the word of the supercar: present and future… why not dream with us just for a while?

Desirability

Perhaps the most desirable supercar concept in the market at present is the Jaguar C-X75, unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto-Show.

The concept car featured four powerful electric motors (one for each wheel) and a pair of gas turbines. Tata have since decided to try and produce a production version but, for improved practicality, the car will feature a 1.6lt supercharged engine alongside the electric motors instead of the gas turbines.

The C-X75 is beautifully designed and will offer blistering performance. With a combined power of nearly 800hp the C-X75 should do 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds. However, the cars won’t be the most affordable and some reports suggest that the RRP will be around £650,000 per car; only 250 cars will be built. The C-X75 will feature ultra-lightweight composites such as aluminium and carbon fibre and, because of its aerodynamics and light weight features, the C-X75 is said to produce just 99g per Km of CO2 which is very impressive for such a fast automobile. The C-X75 should arrive sometime between 2013 and 2015.

Supercar competition

Competition in the supercar hybrid sector comes from Porsche, with their 918. The 918 is also a carbon fibre composite design and is powered by a V8 engine delivering more than 500bhp and three electric motors with an overall output of 218hp.

The engine of the Porsche 918 emits just 70 grams CO2 per km and offers a combined fuel consumption of just 94 mpg. The 0-62 time is an impressive 3.2 seconds and the top speed is reportedly 198 mph. The car is said to lap the Nϋrburgring even faster than the original Porsche Spyder which came with a V10 race inspired F1 engine. The Porsche is reported to be cheaper than the Jaguar, with an expected price tag of around £500,000 which is still by no means easily affordable. It is likely however that the technology used in both the Jaguar and Porsche will ultimately benefit the production of mass market cars in the future.

In order to up the desirability stakes, 2012 sees the release of the limited edition Aston Martin One-77 of which only 77 will be produced. The One-77 comes with the world’s most powerfully naturally aspirated engine; a 750bhp V12. The car features a minimalist designed interior and a fully integrated Bang and Olufsen stereo system with a 1000w subwoofer.

The One-77 will be the most expensive Aston yet, set to retail at around £1.2 million. Even if you could afford one, they are likely to be sold out quickly. The Aston is not a rival to the Bugatti Veyron but sits at the pinnacle of Aston Martin ergonomic design and functionality. The suspension of the One-77 features many of the elements originally intended exclusively for race cars.

Italian supercars of the future

As we move into Italian territory perhaps the three most desirable Italian cars lined up for future production are the Pagani C9, the Ferrari FF and the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4.

The Pagani is the lightest and most agile of the three and probably offers the wildest acceleration. With its titanium carbon composite chassis, the Pagani weighs in at just over 1200 kilos and offers the best power to weight ratio with a new Mercedes sourced AMG motor offering over 700bhp. Closely following the Pagani is the Lamborghini Aventador which boasts carbon-fibre monocoque technology, a 0-60 time of just 2.9 seconds and 700bhp of raw pulling power.

But potentially the most practical of all supercars set for release in 2012 is the Ferrari FF, which is short for Four Four. The car offers four seats and four wheel drive and is the most powerful four-seater Ferrari ever. Under the bonnet there is a 6.2lt direct injection V12 engine that delivers an impressive 660 HP at 8,000 rpm. The FF will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and can hit a maximum top speed of 208 mph.

Finally, from the Best of British, we have the 2011 McLaren MP4-12C which is rumoured to be the fastest car around the Top Gear test track. The car should reach full production in 2011 and around 1,000 are set to be produced annually at McLaren’s state-of-the-art factory here in the UK.

On a more affordable level, there are a wide range of high performance cars available on a business car leasing contract from Windmill Leasing. View our coupé car leasing deals or our prestige car leasing deals to view the best range of current prices, or call us on 0800 121 4020 to discuss your performance car leasing options.

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Windmill Leasing’s Brand New Design

If you’ve browsed our website before you might have noticed a few unexpected surprises! Perhaps you’ve seen a fresh coat of paint or something new to click in the menu?

That’s right, our newly rebranded website has officially landed and, in our humble opinion, it’s bigger and better looking than ever.

Rebuilding our website with you in mind

The most important thing about our new website is that you can uncover the even more great business car leasing deals you came to Windmill Leasing to find.

But now you can navigate the site far more easily, quickly accessing the same great business car leasing deals and contract hire offers you came for. And there’s so many more ways for you to find what you need; we have a Quick Quote tool if you’re in a hurry, a Search Centre if you’re not sure what you want, and our best business car leasing deals are all in one place if you’re just looking for a bargain.

Our website was built with you in mind. We want our customers to have easy access to the best business hire deals available and we want you to be able to search in style.

So what do you think?

At Windmill Leasing, customer service really means something to us and that’s why this website was built based around your needs.

So if you like or dislike it, or you find something difficult to use, why not tell us? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Just drop us a quick email at sales@windmillleasing.co.uk.

In the meantime, go and take a look around. Check out our latest and greatest car leasing deals for all of your favourite makes and models.

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Good Looks vs. Practicality in Your Car Lease

When facing a diverse car leasing market, it can be a struggle to decide; do you opt for the sexy and luxurious drive that will put a dent in your bank balance? Or perhaps settle for a more practical and fuel efficient hatchback that will get you from A-B?

With so many great sporty new models on the market that claim to cut costs and look great, is it too much to resist a heart-over-head decision? Or can you really have it all?

Combining good looks with good sense

So you want to drive a brand new car with head turning appeal and a powerful performance engine, but you don’t want it to cost so much to run that you have to live in it? Some would say that’s an impossible dream. Those people clearly haven’t seen the stylish new MPVs that have hit taken business car leasing market by storm.

The new MPV or ‘crossover’ is a different kind of car, claiming brutal 4×4 capabilities for a fun drive but looking sleek enough to glide through city streets with ease. As we approach the middle of 2011, the business car leasing market is littered with these new machines; the Nissan Qashqai, the Nissan Juke, the BMW X series, and that’s just a selection of what’s out there. With a truly executive style and finish, not only do these cars look and feel like the very essence of luxury, but they promise near-Focus levels of fuel economy.

Businesses choose to ‘do diesel’

When it comes to driving something drop dead gorgeous but without those hefty running costs, a diesel is always a good shout. Modern diesel engines are so efficient and refined that almost half of all new car leases are now diesel-powered. VW, Audi and BMW offer some notably refined but frugal diesel units; undoubtedly powerful but economical enough for everyday driving.

Redefining the hatchback

The medium sized hatchback represents one of the most competitive markets in business car leasing. But despite this, the average hatchback is traditionally associated with a dull drive that doesn’t raise the heart rate. The question is; does this apply to some of the new models on the market?

For instance, take the Audi A3, a powerful drive with classic good looks. Add to that the iconic VW Golf, the sporty Seat Leon and the newly designed and more popular than ever Ford Focus. These are some of the most attractive and affordable cars on the market, each of their designs revisited to make them more inspiring than ever before.

From German engineering to Swedish design to Japanese reliability, the range of medium sized hatchbacks on the market can offer you almost anything your heart desires at reasonable hiring and running prices.

You can have the perfect car for your business car lease

All this said, if you are tempted by the luxury and affordability of something more a little more stylish, there is a fantastic choice of vehicles for your ideal contract hire in 2011 and the market is becoming more competitive all the time.

The UK business car leasing market has a reputation for being among the best for choice and, with a wider variety of good looking cars that don’t break the bank, we consider this to be one of the best times to go after the car of your dreams.

For more ideas about the car you want, why not browse our brand new Windmill Leasing website? We have hundreds of car leasing deals for you to find your perfect contract hire and, if you’re looking for more advice, you can always request a call back or give us a call on 0800 121 4020.

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Hot Hatch of 2011

With the traditional hatchback being the choice of many for a company car, is there any room for something a little bit more exciting in the range? The year 2011 has already thrown into the mix some enticing hot hatchbacks just begging to be your next business car lease, so long as you ask your boss nicely.

The appearance of the French hatchback

The French seem to be dominating the hot hatch market at present but they have often excelled in this marketplace since at least the early 1980s. Think back to the legendary Peugeot 205 GTI which is still desirable today and features in many amateur rallies. Whilst Peugeot dominated the 80s and 90s business car lease markets with legendary cars such as the 205 GTI, the 106 GTI, the 106 Rallye, the 306 GTI and the 306 Rallye, Renault in 2011 have taken their accolade. In fact three of the most desirable hot hatches are now produced by the Renaultsport team.

The cheapest and smallest pocket rocket available today is the Renaultsport twingo 133 Cup. The equivalent to the Renaultsport twingo is the Fiat 500 Abarth but whilst the car offers more refinement and higher levels of equipment the Renaultsport twingo is reportedly much more fun to drive. The twingo 133 Cup comes with sports seats, lowered sports suspension and meaty 17’’ wheels meaning there is very little body roll through those twisting corners.

The next size up in terms of price, size and specification is the Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup. The equivalents in price are the Mini Cooper S, the Polo GTI and the Peugeot 207 GTI. Both the Polo and the Mini are more refined but the Renault just beats them for handling and the fun factor. The Peugeot 207 is attractive and faster than the Polo, but the Polo GTI is available with a paddle shift gear box and the Mini Cooper S has a new engine which offers more power and fuel efficiency. But if it is purest handling and acceleration you are after then the Clio just beats them all.

Hot hatches on a grander scale

If you go up by one level in price and size, things become very exciting. There we have the Ford Focus ST, the Golf GTI, the Seat Leon Cupra R, the Honda Civic Type R and the Renaultsport Megane 250 Cup all competing for hottest hatch of 2011. It becomes very hard to choose between these few cars. The original Honda Civic Type R would probably be a true winner but the new shape is a lot heavier and has less advanced suspension than, say, the Focus or the Golf.

For all out power the Seat Leon Cupra R with its advanced 2.0lt TSI engine pips the post with almost 265bhp, but if it’s a fast car with style and driver comfort you want then choose the Golf GTI. The Focus probably offers the best handling but there is a new one coming soon which should be worth the wait. At the pinnacle of all the above, however, is the Golf R and the Ford Focus RS. The Focus RS offers the most blistering performance but the Golf R wins out of sheer attractiveness and the level of driver aids.

And to think, we didn’t even have time to mention the Subaru Impreza. 2011 is shaping up to be a great year for hot hatch lovers everywhere.

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