World's priciest and most luxurious golf cart features carbon-fiber roof, just ...

The Garia Edition Soleil de Minuit is priced at $52,000 / €39,000 and will be revealed in Monaco in April 2010.

Designed exclusively for the world's greatest luxury show Top Marques Monaco 2010, The Garia Soleil de Minuit is the most expensive golf car ever made by a manufacturer.

The Garia Golf Car – the ultimate European luxury golf car. Made at the same factory as the Porsche Cayman and the Porsche Boxster, The Garia is the ulti¬mate European luxury golf car.

Innovative thinking and quality craftsmanship make The Garia the only golf car in the world created with a meticulous attention to design and luxury. The result is a truly unique golf car that is guaranteed to give you an exceptional driving experience.

The Garia Edition Soleil de Minuit features carbon roof, one-of custom paint tailored to enhance all design features on The Garia, two-colored hand-stitched luxury seats, alcantara roof lining and numerous hand-made details to create a truly unique luxury golf car.

The base price for a Garia starts at $17,499 / €13,999 (excl. delivery and taxes). Luxury upgrades includes a built-in refrigerator and an exclusive personalization program where you can choose to have The Garia painted in your favorite color or matched to your other cars.

Built to the highest standards of the automotive industry The Garia features a double wishbone front suspension similar to those found in sports cars and inspired by Formula 1 cars. The drive train is built by an Italian company that also produces Ducati gearboxes, and the aluminum profiles in the frame are made by the same company that supplies aluminum profiles to Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo.

There is no doubt that you will get the most desirable golf car ever created.

To experience The Garia Soleil de Minuit visit us at stand A10 at the Top Marques Monaco from April 15-18, 2010.

Filed under: Europe, Toys/Games, Humor, Specialty, Design/Style, Luxury

Tags: Aston Martin, AstonMartin, Ducati, Garia Edition Soleil de Minuit, Garia Edition Soleil de Minuit Golf Car, GariaEditionSoleilDeMinuit, GariaEditionSoleilDeMinuitGolfCar, Golf Car, Golf Cart, GolfCar, GolfCart, Lamborghini, Porsche, Top Marques Monaco, Top Marques Monaco 2010, TopMarquesMonaco, TopMarquesMonaco2010, Volvo

Imagination Caps Off Ford's Auto Show Season with Most Interactive ...

, Imagination's Creative Lead for Ford in The Americas.  "The synergy between what consumers engage with here and Ford's latest innovations is clearly brought to life through live experiences and interactive displays that showcase new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products and technologies."

In order to bring visitors closer to Ford's industry-leading interactive driver connect smart technology, Imagination, Ford's global auto show experience partner, has designed dozens of hands-on, interactive museum-style exhibits to engage visitors.  The innovative experiences showcase specific vehicle features and technology by allowing visitors to explore actual components of the new offerings, play games and engage in interactive demonstrations.

"Today, people want to experience a brand's qualities first-hand and judge innovations for themselves," said Matt O'Mara, General Manager of Imagination.  "Rather than simply tell visitors about how Ford vehicles outpace the competition, we focused on letting visitors experience the Ford advantages in real-time."

Each of the exhibits is designed to help visitors better understand the design, technology and construction of Ford's vehicles, as well as create experiences that allow consumers to spend time with the Ford brand in a fun and engaging way.

For instance, to highlight the automaker's personalized, interactive driver connect touch screen MyLincoln Touch technology system and the all new Lincoln MKZ hybrid and Lincoln MKX, similar touch technology is used to create the most advanced multi-touch table ever used in an auto show.  A "photo studio"-inspired environment also allows visitors to engage with the all-new 2011 Edge in an environment where they can personalize their experience of the vehicle and the technology.

Other interactive highlights at the show include:

"In keeping with our auto show strategy, we focused on providing variety that speaks to a diverse audience and varied mindset, while maintaining continuity throughout the Ford presence," said Andrew Horberry, Strategy Director for Imagination.  " New York in particular has a highly discerning audience, and it was important for us to maintain a high level of interaction and engagement throughout the environment."

Added O'Mara, "Driving traffic and sales to dealers is a critical part of our task.  With that in mind, many of the experiences at the show allow visitors to opt-in, establish a dialog and be connected to Ford and/or local dealers."  

"As the last show of the season, this is an important place for Ford to deeply engage our customers and an opportunity for us to reward visitors with entertaining and richly informative experiences," said

Ford Said to Plan Hybrid Lincoln to Bolster Last Luxury Line

By Keith Naughton

March 30 (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co. plans to expand the Lincoln luxury line by adding a hybrid model based on its top- selling Fusion sedan, two people familiar with the matter said.

The hybrid Lincoln MKZ will be unveiled tomorrow at the New York auto show, said the people, who asked not to be identified because Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford hasn’t announced the details.

Ford’s vision for Lincoln reflects Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally’s decision to focus on the namesake brand and go without a global luxury marque after agreeing to sell Volvo Cars to Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. this week. The Swedish unit was the last of four such overseas brands unloaded since 2007.

“Our track record operating with global premium brands has not been stellar,” Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said last week in an interview. “We are going to continue to focus on Ford and the opportunities to drive revenues on Ford.”

Ford will sell Lincoln only in North America, Booth said. Since arriving in late 2006 from Boeing Co., Mulally has disposed of Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, and stressed rebuilding the reputation, quality and offerings of the Ford brand and the company’s original luxury line, Lincoln.

Ford paid $11.8 billion for Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo, and the sales prices for those brands totaled $4.2 billion. The company said in 2007 it received $848 million for Aston Martin without disclosing what it paid.

‘House of Brands’

Mulally’s dismantling of what he called Ford’s “house of brands” is a departure from the strategy followed by other automakers, which develop global luxury lineups as a source of profits and prestige.

General Motors Co. reintroduced Cadillac in Europe at the Geneva Motor Show this month and sells the vehicles in Russia and China. Germany’s Volkswagen AG offers Audi cars worldwide, and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. has built Lexus into the top- selling premium line in the U.S.

“All of the major players have a global luxury brand,” said Joseph Phillippi, president of AutoTrends Consulting in Short Hills, New Jersey. “There’s a hell of a lot of profit there, five-figure gross profit per vehicle. That’s tough to walk away from.”

Ford is trying to attract younger buyers to Lincoln with a new split-grille design and features such as the Sync voice- activated phone and entertainment system developed with Microsoft Corp. The automaker said it has refreshed 90 percent of Lincoln’s lineup since 2005.

Fusion Roots

All those models are based on Ford cars. The MKZ is the mechanical cousin of the Fusion, for which Ford introduced a hybrid version in 2009. The Fusion hybrid was named the North American Car of the Year at the Detroit auto show in January.

Through February, the Fusion was Ford’s No. 1 car by volume in 2010, according to researcher Autodata Corp. of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

“Ford doesn’t have a true luxury brand anymore,” said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Lincoln doesn’t have a single car to itself that isn’t just a duded-up Ford.”

Lincoln’s performance has lagged behind that of Ford’s namesake brand.

Lincoln’s U.S. sales fell 23 percent last year, exceeding the 14 percent decline for Ford-brand autos, and the luxury division’s 2010 domestic market share was unchanged through February at 0.9 percent, according to Autodata. The Ford brand’s market share jumped to 15.1 percent from 12.1 percent.

After peaking at 231,660 vehicles in 1990, Lincoln’s U.S. sales plunged 64 percent to 82,847 deliveries last year.

Booth said Ford didn’t see a business case for taking Lincoln outside North America, where buyers haven’t embraced U.S. luxury cars, viewing them as too large and not fuel efficient.

“You have to look at the realities,” Booth said.

--Editors: Ed Dufner, John Lear

To contact the reporter on this story: Keith Naughton in New York at Knaughton3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at jbutters@bloomberg.net;

Geely buys Volvo Status symbol

Geely buys Volvo

Status symbol An obscure Chinese carmaker buys a famous but ailing Swedish one

Mar 31st 2010 | From The Economist print edition

IF OPPOSITES attract, Ford’s sale of Volvo to a Chinese upstart, Geely, for $1.8 billion ought to be a marriage made in heaven. Sweden’s Volvo is the epitome of good middle-class taste; its slightly dull but hugely safe and practical cars were, in better days, the default choice on many a suburban driveway in America and Europe. Geely, on the other hand, is barely known outside China, partly because its range of mainly cheap, small cars is not yet capable of meeting the rich world’s more stringent safety and environmental regulations. But it is ambitious.

The deal, which was signed on March 28th, brings to an end protracted negotiations by Ford to sell the last of the European premium brands it acquired in a spell of expansionary hubris starting at the end of the 1980s. Having disposed of Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover, Alan Mulally, the chief executive brought in from Boeing in 2006, was determined to offload Volvo too, which lost $1.3 billion last year and sold only 335,000 cars. Although Volvo this year appears to have turned a corner and is operating at “sustainable levels”, Mr Mulally’s thus far successful “One Ford” strategy involves concentrating all the firm’s financial and managerial resources on reviving the Blue Oval.

For Geely, acquiring Volvo is both an extraordinary statement of intent and a huge gamble. The deal could help Geely realise the dream of its founder, Li Shufu, the self-styled Henry Ford of China, to become a big international carmaker. Even though Ford has done its best to ring-fence its intellectual property, Volvo has plenty of its own, especially in the critical area of safety, to which Geely will have access and which will lend credibility to its cars as its range expands in both scope and scale. It will also learn from Volvo about how to run a global supply chain and an international dealer network.

But Mr Li believes that Volvo too will benefit. Most important, it will realise its potential in China, the world’s biggest and fastest-growing vehicle market. Fifteen years ago Volvo outsold Audi in China, but these days the German premium brand’s sales in the country dwarf Volvo’s, which were only 22,000 cars last year. He also thinks that away from Ford and the Premier Automotive Group that used to house its upmarket brands, Volvo will have freedom to go into market segments that were previously closed to it because they were occupied by models from Jaguar, Land Rover or Ford itself.

Volvo may still struggle to become a genuine competitor for Audi, BMW and Mercedes, which define and dominate the premium end of the market, but Geely should give it a big presence in China. Volvo’s main production sites will continue to be in Sweden and Belgium, but Geely has plans for two factories and an engine assembly plant in China. These, combined with Geely’s clout in distribution, could help Volvo nearly double its sales to 600,000 by 2015, Mr Li believes.

But what should really ensure Volvo’s future success in China is the government’s commitment to it. Although Geely is that rare thing, a privately owned Chinese carmaker, it could not have raised the money needed to buy Volvo (along with the $900m it is planning to inject in working capital) without the support of state-owned banks and provincial governments’ investment funds. The presence at the signing ceremony in Gothenburg of Li Yizhong, the minister of industry and technology, was significant: Geely is buying Volvo, but so too is China.

Nonetheless, doubts linger. The record of cross-border carmaking mergers is atrocious. Geely intends to allow Volvo to operate with a high degree of autonomy, but cultural clashes are almost certain. Within China, there are worries that Geely lacks the expertise to take on the management of a famous but ailing foreign company—a concern of which Mr Li is well aware. Ford, for its part, insists that Geely has what it takes to be a worthy steward of Volvo. Lewis Booth, Ford’s chief financial officer, is said to have taken a shine to Mr Li, seeing in him a real passion for the car business. At a time when relationships between China and other international companies are under severe strain (see Schumpeter), the future of a small Swedish car firm is not the only thing at stake.

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Road tax doubles on many cars

A total of 13 emission 'bands’ have been introduced, with the owners of the highest polluting vehicles paying the most in road tax - and significantly more than before the changes.

An additional one-off 'showroom tax’ will also apply to anyone who wants to buy a new car in one of the most polluting bands. Cars in nine of the 13 bands will incur this tax.

The increases were announced in 2008 but only take force today. Motoring groups said the taxes are an unfair penalty on drivers.

Based on last year’s sales figures, around 1.4 million cars that incur a showroom tax will be sold in 2010/11.

Under the scheme, new cars with the largest emissions will incur a levy of £950 in their first year when the showroom tax and higher road tax bills are combined.

That is more than twice the rate levied on the biggest emitters already on the road.

Smaller cars with low emissions will face no tax in their first year.

The Treasury said the new tax regime would “send a stronger signal to the buyer about the environmental implications of their car purchase”.

But critics said the measures are simply another revenue-raising measure imposed on motorists already hurt by high fuel prices.

The top rate of showroom tax is targeted at high-emitting “supercars”.

Every new car built by Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce will face a £950 tax, as will most new Jaguars. So will some Range Rovers and the Vauxhall Insignia 2.8.

At the other end of the scale, new cars with low emissions, including the Audi A3 1.6 TDI and the BMW 316d will pay no road tax in the first year.

According the AA, around 1.44 million cars last year were sold which would be hit by the new showroom tax this year.

Paul Watters, head of public affairs at the AA, warned that the new tax could be the thin end of the wedge

He said: “The problem is that with any new tax, once it is introduced we have crossed a threshold. It’s open then for any Chancellor to increase it. Okay, those paying £950 a year are going to be driving a pretty special breed of car. But they will be already be paying a far higher rate of tax through fuel duty, because these cars consume more petrol.”

As well as the showroom tax, taxes on cars already on the road will also be increased to penalise those with the highest emissions. Low-emission vehicles will be cheaper to tax.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) suggest that 6.6 million car owners will see the tax on their existing cars increase by well above the rate of inflation.

Any car registered since 2001 that falls into Band I or above will incur higher tax this year.

The Band I tax rate will rise from £175 to £200, a jump of 14 per cent.

Cars falling into that band include the Land Rover Freelander 2.2 diesel, the Toyota Avensis Estate 2.2 and Vauxhall Astra CC.

Band J cars, which include the Nissan Qashqai 2.0 diesel, the Honda CR-V 2.0 petrol and the Vauxhall Corsa 1.6, will incur tax of £235, up from £200.

Paul Everitt of the SMMT said that, with the economy still fragile, ministers should have delayed the tax rise.

He said: “We are disappointed that government didn’t take the opportunity in last week’s Budget to defer the introduction of the first year rate or the increase in standard VED rates.

“Environmental taxes need to be clear and consistent so that motorists can be confident that they will reap the benefits from their decision.”

The Taxpayers’ Alliance said duty rises were “naked money-grabbing dressed up as green taxes.”

Mark Wallace of the alliance said: “After years of painful tax rises, it beggars belief that the Government are punishing drivers again.

“Most people who will be hit by these tax rises are not self-indulgent leisure motorists – they need their cars to get to work and to carry their families.”

2010 New York Auto Show: Can 2011 Scion iQ Out-Smart the Mini?

One year ago, Scion previewed its iQ mini-car, the smallest model yet from a brand known for its small, quirky cars. Today it revealed the production version of the 10-foot-long 2011 Scion iQ. The little "three-plus-one-seater" will go on sale between January and March next year, powered by a 1.3-liter engine producing 90 or more horsepower mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel economy is expected to be in "the high 30s," comparable to the two-seat 2010 Smart ForTwo, which is EPA-rated at 33 mpg city, 41 mpg highway. A Mini-er, Smart-er mini-car Exactly 10 feet long, five and a half feet wide, and five feet tall, the smallest Scion is sold elsewhere in the world as the Toyota iQ urban mini-car. At the 2010 New York Auto Show, Scion chief Jack Hollis went so far as to call it "Mini-er and Smart-er" than the competition, a cheeky nod to the other two tiny vehicles in the U.S. "Premium micro-subcompact" He calls the 2011 iQ a "premium micro-subcompact," certainly a new category of vehicle by most definitions. Who buys such a tiny car? Hollis pointed to "new urbanites" looking for "clever transportation without a sacrifice in style or new features." 10 airbags Indeed, with 10 airbags and a full complement of safety features, the 2011 Scion iQ offers a level of equipment rarely found in tiny vehicles, including the 2010 Smart ForTwo it'll be compared to. The iQ touts the world's first rear-window curtain airbag, since the rear-seat headrests all but touch the tailgate glass. Tiny everything Toyota redesigned every component in the iQ to minimize size. It uses electric power steering and a new, smaller air-conditioning compressor, and the differential is inverted, all to reduce length. The very flat gas tank sits below the floor for minimal overhang behind the rear wheels. Inside, the dashboard in front of the passenger is recessed toward the windscreen, allowing the right front rider to sit further ahead and provide third-seat room for an adult in the rear seat. Super Scion stereo selections Behind the driver, there's room for "a child, small package, or pet." Split rear seats fold flat, providing room for larger packages, luggage or--as Scion says--two golf bags. Because Scion targets youth buyers, the iQ's standard sound system includes six speakers and a choice of stereo units. USB and audio input ports are standard, with steering wheel controls for the audio system. Coming early next year Despite reports that it would go on sale by the end of this year,� Hollis said the 2011 Scion iQ will reach dealers during the first quarter of 2011, e.g. January through March. How many does Scion expect to sell? He said the company projects sales of 1,700 to 2,000 a month, or 20,000 to 24,000 a year. That compares to 24,600 Smarts in 2008, but only 14,600 last year. The luxury version ... The iQ, by the way, also serves as the basis for a very low production, very expensive Aston Martin model called the Cygnet. That vehicle is to be offered, in low volumes, with bespoke colors, trims, and even exterior patterns on body wraps--anything the customer desires--for a mere �30,000 to �50,000 ($46,000 to $76,600).

New York Auto Show: Ford Chief Stresses Growth as Crucial to Success

In a brief keynote address to open the New York auto show Wednesday morning, Alan Mulally, Ford’s chief executive, outlined a succinct philosophy for the automaker’s future: essentially, if you’re not growing, then you’re in trouble.

“I took my vision from the founder himself, Henry Ford, when he said in 1925 that he wanted to open the highways to all mankind,” Mr. Mulally said. “Ford had indeed become a global brand, but we had to work more closely together as a company to harness our intellectual capability worldwide.”

Mr. Mulally’s decision to shed brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and, just this week, Volvo, was essential to “creating a laser-like focus on Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, which was 85 percent of our volume anyway. We had to divest our product mix of everything else.”

That under way, he said, “We needed to take out a little ‘home improvement loan.’ ” Ford borrowed as much money as it could in 2006 before credit markets froze. The company originally sought $10 billion and ultimately secured $23 billion. It was enough to pull the company through the “worst recession since the Depression,” Mr. Mulally noted.

“I am very pleased to say that we respected all of our debt holders and our stockholders,” he said, in an apparent reference to General Motors and Chrysler, which filed for bankruptcy last year and asked for financial bailouts from the federal government to restructure and survive.

“During a time when many of our competitors pulled back, we actually accelerated new development,” Mr. Mulally said. “Now I feel it’s going pretty well. If you want to be in the car business these days, Ford is a good place to be. We are better positioned for the future than ever before. Market share is increasing. Our credit ratings are moving up. We are paying down debt.”

The biggest challenge facing Ford, Mr. Mulally reiterated several times, is domestic manufacturing. “America needs to have a continuous, lifelong commitment to manufacturing in the U.S.,” he said. When he took over Ford, he noted, the company “could not make cars profitably” in the United States. “Now thanks to our partners such as the United Auto Workers and the financial industry, we can.”

2011 Ford Mustang V6 unveiled

Ford group’s marketing manager for cars and crossover vehicles, Amy Marentic, talked of the new model and summed it up as, “It's fast, it's fun and it's affordable.”

Ford’s Mustang
The 2011 Mustang V-6 is a cruiser-convertible, very satisfying to drive. It has a 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.

“Our customers want naturally aspirated engines,” said Dave Pericak, Mustang chief engineer.

Its other fuel-saving features include dual exhausts, low-rolling-resistance tires, aerodynamic front-end modifications and computers.

“The mind-set that you need a V-8 to get good performance is a little bit of a fallacy,” said Michael Robinet, vice president of consultants CSM Worldwide.

Known as one of the most successful models of Ford, the Mustang 2011 is lighter than its predecessors. The vehicle has highly advanced technologies.

The V-6 engine is supposed to be brilliant and beautiful, not only in looks but also sound.

The Mustang, having a top speed of 186.70 mph, also impresses in the handling and braking arena. Its electronic power steering assist (EPAS) impresses the user and improves performance and efficiency.

“I was impressed. We jumped out into traffic, and it was just very confident,” said Charlie Vogelheim of IntelliChoice, who drove one last week.

The car also includes new spring rates and dampers to improve quality and control, with a standard traction control system and stability control system.

Known as one of the most successful models of Ford, the Mustang 2011 is lighter than its predecessors. The vehicle has highly advanced technologies.

About Ford Motors
Ford Motors, founded in 1903, is the fourth largest maker of automobiles in the world. The company owns Volvo cars of Sweden, along with stakes in Aston Martin of England.

As of 2008, Ford became the second largest automaker in Europe, and the seventh largest American-based company according to Fortune’s 500 list based on global revenues.

In Jan. 2009, Ford announced a $14.6 billion loss due to the financial crisis of 2009, making 2008 the worst year in its history. However, the company never asked for government aid. In April 2009, it yielded a $2.7 billion profit, the first full-year profit in four years.

Mr Money: You think fuel's expensive? Try April's road tax increases

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The motorist driving 12,000 miles a year in, say, a 1.6-litre diesel capable of 60-70mpg on the EU's official Combined cycle should average at least 50mpg in real world conditions. As should a supermini with a 1.0-litre petrol engine.

Such motorists therefore buy about 20 gallons a month which, at £5 a gallon, equates to a fuel bill of £1,200 annually. When the price of a gallon hits £6 (if it hasn't already), expenditure rises to £1,400 a year. Equally inevitable is the £7 gallon in the near future. At this point, annual spending at the pumps for the 50mpg driver will rise to £1,680.

Although they probably daren't think about it, motorists achieving only 25mpg in a Range Rover 3.6 TDV8 must double the above figures. A handful of drivers in cars such as the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, which does nearer 12.5mpg, will need to quadruple them.

But the case for buying a new car with a powerful engine becomes even harder to justify from next month when the Government massively increases the price of vehicle excise duty on thirsty, factory?fresh models.

Traditional heavy drinkers such as hard-core sports cars, big 4x4s and luxury limos are on the Treasury's hit list. But so are some modest hatchbacks, saloons, workhorse repmobiles and family MPVs.

The Government says that from April 2010, anyone buying a new car which sits in tax band M (thereby boasting a high CO2 g/km rating above 255) will pay £950, instead of the current £405, for a 12-month tax disc.

The buyer of the 495g/km-rated Lambo will require this £950 road fund licence. But the driver ordering a cleaner, greener, 294g/km Range Rover will pay the same. And it gets worse because even a new, 25mpg Vauxhall Insignia 2.8 will need a £950 tax disc from next month.

As will most new Jaguars, and every car built by Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce. It's another kick in the teeth for the struggling British car industry.

The VED rate for new L-Band cars (ranging from 226-255g/km) will be £750 per annum and that will hit sales of models such as the 30mpg Land Rover Discovery 2.7 TDV6, 29mpg Ford S-Max 2.3 and 27mpg Jaguar XF 3.0.

Owners of Band K (201-225g/km) cars will pay £550, up from £215, and that's bad news for consumers buying new 30mpg models such as the Ford Mondeo 2.3 or Focus 2.5 and Renault Espace 2.0.

Band J (186-200g/km) cars include the 40mpg seven-seater Nissan Qashqai 2.0 diesel, 38mpg Honda CR-V 2.0 petrol and 36mpg Vauxhall Corsa 1.6, which are all having their VED rates hiked to £425.

In band I (176-185g/km) sit cars such as the 42mpg Land Rover Freelander 2.2 diesel and Toyota Avensis Estate 2.2 T Spirit, plus the 38mpg Vauxhall Astra CC, which will require £300 tax discs.

Band H (166-175g/km) cars include the 38mpg VW Beetle 1.6, which will cost £250. Band G (151-165g/km) contains the 42mpg VW Fox, which will cost £155 to tax. Sitting in Band F (141-150g/km) with a disc priced at £125 is the little, 43mpg Nissan Note 1.4. Creeping into Band E (131-140g/km) are sub-superminis such as the 50mpg Chevrolet Matiz 0.8 Auto, with a new VED rate of £110 a year.

Cars occupying bands D-A (rated 130g/km or less) are the big winners as they qualify for free tax discs. The 69mpg Audi A3 1.6 TDI and 63mpg BMW 316d are qualifiers, along with several other diesels and some petrol-engined superminis capable, on paper at least, of 50mpg-plus.

It's worth repeating that the new rules above apply only to motorists buying "new" cars from next month. Owners of existing cars in Band A will continue to pay nothing for discs. Prices will range from £20-£110 for cars in Bands B-E. Those in Bands F?K will need discs priced from £125-£245. Band L cars will cost £425 to tax and occupants of Band M, £435.

• The revised car tax rules and regulations can be found at direct.gov.uk/motoring.

Ford and Geely Finally Agree on Volvo Sale

Ford and Geely Finally Agree on Volvo Sale

Posted: Mar. 29, 2010 11:03 a.m.

In an agreement that almost didn’t happen due to Ford’s reluctance, Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will finally buy the Volvo cars unit for $1.8 billion.

According to Automotive News, this is “the country’s biggest overseas auto purchase.” They add, “The takeover underscores China's arrival as a major force in the global auto industry and ends nearly two years of talks with Geely over Volvo -- the last sale from Ford's former premier group, which also held Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover.”

Ford sold Aston Martin in 2007 to a consortium of investors, and Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008 to India’s Tata Motors. After the sale, Geely will own 100 percent of the Volvo brand, including some of Volvo’s intellectual property.

“Because of the component sharing between existing Volvo vehicles and Ford models, Ford has agreed to continue supplying powertrains, stampings and other systems to Volvo for an undisclosed transition period,” explains Autoblog. “Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this deal is the intellectual property situation. Volvo will be granted licenses to use some Ford-owned technology and will have the ability to sub-license some technology to third parties, including Geely.”

According to Auto Week, “Volvo will maintain its manufacturing base in Sweden and Belgium, as well as its Swedish headquarters. Geely is planning for a factory in Beijing to build 300,000 Volvos for the Chinese market, Reuters reports.”

The deal is based mostly on cash. According to the Detroit News, Geely “will pay Ford $1.6 billion in cash, and the remainder in the form of a $200 million note.” China’s largest private automaker bought Volvo for quite a bargain; Ford originally paid $6.5 billion for the brand in 1999, says Automotive News.

Though the agreement has been made, the sale won’t close until the third quarter of 2010, pending regulatory approvals. The Detroit Free Press cites an even earlier date, noting “Ford expects the sale will close before Sept. 30.” The Chinese government is expected to approve the deal.

If you're in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year's best cars as well as this month's best car deals.  

China's Geely to Buy Volvo From Ford for $1.8 Billion

(Adds price of sale in first paragraph, comments from Ford CFO, Geely chairman in second, fifth.)

By Ola Kinnander and Keith Naughton

March 28 (Bloomberg) -- Zhejiang Geely Holding Co. agreed to buy Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Co. for $1.8 billion in the biggest overseas acquisition by a Chinese automaker.

The deal will close in the third quarter, after which Ford and Volvo will continue to cooperate, Ford Chief Financial Officer Lewis Booth said told reporters today in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Chinese company will pay $1.6 billion in cash and the rest in a “note,” Ford said in a statement.

Booming auto sales in China made the nation the largest car market last year, generating profit that’s allowing its manufacturers to reach out to Western markets and technologies. Selling Volvo will complete Ford Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally’s strategy of divesting European luxury lines to focus on its namesake brand. Ford has sold Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin since 2007.

“This could set the benchmark for more Chinese deals to come,” said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at IHS Global Insight of Lexington, Massachusetts. “It potentially could allow Geely to come into the West with its own brand of vehicles.”

The Swedish carmaker will tap China’s growing car market, Geely Chairman Li Shufu said at the press conference.

Drop in Price

Geely first approached Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford about buying Volvo in mid-2008, two people familiar with the talks have said. Ford named Geely its “preferred bidder” in October 2009 and said on Dec. 23 that they had agreed on the major terms of the transaction. Ford paid $6.5 billion for Volvo in 1999.

“Compared to the business environment when we bought it, it’s a very different world,” Booth said in a March 24 interview. “We only have so much management resource, we only have so much capital to invest and we needed to make sure we were focusing on the Ford business.”

Geely, China’s largest private automaker based on 2008 sales, will gain access to Volvo’s technology as well as an image boost because of the brand’s status as a premium vehicle line in China, said Vivien Chan, an analyst at SinoPac Securities Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong.

Li, Geely’s founder, has said he is seeking to have half the company’s sales from overseas markets by 2015. He aims to sell 200,000 Volvos a year in China, up from 22,405 last year, and has been seeking locations for a new plant there.

Biggest Car Market

Sales-tax cuts for smaller vehicles combined with rural subsidies boosted nationwide auto sales in China 46 percent last year to 13.6 million, helping it supplant the U.S. as the world’s largest auto market.

Volvo sold 334,808 cars worldwide last year, a decline of 11 percent from 2008 and 27 percent from a peak of about 460,000 in 2007, according to the company. Its sales in the U.S. have risen for nine consecutive months and increased 40 percent this year through February.

Volvo CEO Stephen Odell said at the press conference today that the Swedish company plans to produce 390,000 cars this year, compared with 330,000 in 2009. Geely will restore profitability to Volvo, Booth said.

The Swedish carmaker has about 20,000 employees worldwide, including almost 14,000 in Sweden. It has about 2,500 dealers in 100 countries. The unit’s pretax loss narrowed to $934 million last year from $1.7 billion in 2008, Ford said on Jan. 28. Volvo’s last annual pretax profit was $377 million in 2005.

Saab Automobile, the Swedish auto brand that was under General Motors Co.’s control for the past two decades, was sold last month to Dutch luxury-car maker Spyker Cars NV for about $400 million.

Sharing Technology

Ford ended three years of losses with net income of $2.7 billion in 2009 and was the only major U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy.

Ford has said it and Volvo will continue to share parts and technology. The Swedish carmaker’s S40 model is built on the mechanical foundation of the Ford Focus now sold in Europe. Volvo supplies diesel engines for Ford’s European lineup.

Volvo’s managers endorse the sale to Geely, according to the Ford statement.

--With assistance from Tian Ying in Beijing. Editors: Kenneth Wong, James Amott, Will Kennedy.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ola Kinnander in Stockholm at okinnander@bloomberg.net Keith Naughton in Dearborn, Michigan, at Knaughton3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at jbutters@bloomberg.net Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net

DoE Says No, Denies Secretive Startup V-Vehicle Loan Request

Looks like secretive startup V-Vehicle Co. won't be joining Ford, Nissan, Tesla, and Fisker in getting government guarantees for low-interest loans to invest in advanced vehicle technology. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Energy turned down a $321.1 million loan application by V-Vehicle (VVC), which hoped to retrofit a former headlight plant in Monroe, Louisiana, and hire 1,400 workers to build its car. "Not ready to move forward" VVC had applied for two loans in March 2009; the first, for $79.9 million, would let it complete engineering work with 30 suppliers. The second, for $241.2 million, would have gone toward tooling and equipment for the Monroe plant. The DoE said only that VVC's applications were "not ready to move forward." Founder and CEO Frank Varasano said the company was "extremely surprised and disappointed" by the DoE decision. $133 million from Louisiana VVC had been granted $133 million in funds by the State of Louisiana, contingent on raising $350 million in capital by April 1. The company so far has raised $90 million, including backing from noted venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. The fundraising deadline seems unlikely to be met, meaning VVC must return the $6.2 million Louisiana has provided thus far. Secretive low-cost car Unlike startups Tesla and Fisker, which revealed their car designs early in the process, V-Vehicle has been secretive about its car, releasing only sketches last June of its vehicle, created by former Mazda designer Tom Matano. The V-Vehicle would have used a small conventional gasoline engine, not an electric or hybrid powertrain. That may have been a drawback for DoE assessors, since Ford and other established makers plan to raise fuel efficiency significantly by using smaller, more efficient engines as well. 50 mpg? VVC claimed its fuel efficiency would be among the highest for four-passenger vehicles, and its car would save 300 gallons of fuel a year against fleet averages. On annual mileage of 10,000, even assuming a fleet average as low as 20 miles per gallon, VVC's car would thus have to achieve fuel economy of 50 mpg--or the same as the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. It was to use a new composite material for the bodyshell. All models would have been built in white, with colors and patterns added via plastic body wraps (as Aston Martin plans for its Cygnet mini-car). Up to 40 percent cheaper? The V-Vehicle team believed a simple, option-free, low-cost car, produced in high volume, would find a new niche in the market. The price was said to be up to 40 percent cheaper than comparable cars--presumably in the $10,000 to $12,000 range--and VVC was said to target volumes of 100,000 cars per year or more. The DoE encouraged VVC to reapply for the loans at a later date. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) said she will press the DoE for specific reasons it denied the loan application. [Baton Route Advocate]

DRIVE TIME: Audi R8 Spyder makes other supercars look from another age

NICE, France: Built for speed and guaranteed to impress doesn't begin to describe the 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder.

From any angle, especially the rear with its deck-mounted twin exhaust ports, the R8 Spyder makes other supercars look somehow from another age.

And that's the strange part. Except for the drop top, the Spyder is the same as the Coupe in most respects. In fact it is identical from the A pillar forward.

But with the roof gone and the side blades deleted, the Spyder looks lower, more aggressive and, I have to say, it is one of the handsomest cars I have ever driven.

Yes handsome, not pretty like an Aston Martin, but muscularly handsome.

You will not go unnoticed arriving in a R8 Spyder.

Yes, there are Lamborghinis that have a similar shape, and in fact, the R8 incorporates a lot Audi learned when it bought Lambo.

But instead of Fantasyland prices, the R8 Spyder is going to start at about $190,000 when it hits Audi showrooms in the late summer. You may say 190 grand is a lot, and it is, but how about $323,195 for an Aston Volante convertible?

So many things stand out with the Spyder, starting with the fittings.

An example is the engine exhaust ports. Finished in a titanium color, they arc back with the openings glaring straight into the eyes of the driver behind you.

Then there is the flat-bottomed steering wheel trimmed in leather that has just the right amount of tactile feel without being sticky.

Start the engine and it lunges into life with a bark that settles down to a gruff idle. Immediately, you sense there is so much on tap that you tend to move off gingerly - at first. But with leading-edge engine management, this 525 hp beast is actually a pussycat around town.

But all pretensions of civility vanish when you start using the right pedal with intent.

The 5.2-litre V10, besides 525 horses, has 390 lb/ft of torque routing power through a single-clutch six-speed Rtronic sequential transmission and quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) with torque split to a constant 30/70 per cent front/rear.

Top speed is limited to 313 km/h and it goes from 0-100 km/h in a mere 4.1 seconds.

At low speeds the Rtronic is annoying. Being sequential, it gains pace until it shifts up and the revs drop down and build again in what is called "rubberbanding". At all times, it is better to shift with the paddles on the steering wheel.

Because the torque is modest compared to the horsepower, it's actually a bonus because the power comes in linearly like turning on a tap.

And then from around 4,000 rpm, the Spyder goes from fun to glorious.

At the press launch in Nice, my driving partner (David Booth of the National Post) and I roared up and down the coast highway to St. Raphael passing through tunnels and sheer rock faces with the reverberation from the exhaust reminding both of us of F1 cars.

Optional, and fitted to our test car, were carbon fibre reinforced brakes with specially developed cooling ducts and internal ventilation. As big as manhole covers, the fronts featured nothing less than six piston monobloc aluminum calipers developed for the R8 by Brembo.

In Nice with its narrow streets and chaotic traffic, the brakes were actually irritating. Sensitive with a sudden grabbiness, they came into their own flowing through the roads outside of built up areas.

With any kind of speed built up, the brakes could be modulated all with the ball of the foot.

In fact, once you got the feel of the torque flow into the drivetrain, it was possible to feather the brakes letting the huge engine braking and the tenacity of the AWD system do most of the work for you.

David Booth drives a car like he drives his beloved motorcycles, going in nose first and holding off braking to the last second.

Instead of giving me motion sickness, which I expected having endured his driving style before, his entry and exit to turn after turn was smooth and controlled with no failing of arms and expletives.

There was no squealing rubber or the sensation of the rear coming around as the yaw limit with reached. All the fantastic driver aids like Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive, magnetic ride system with adaptive damping and selective suspension tuning performed superbly.

I thought the Spyder was somehow much easier to point than the Coupe which the Audi engineers found hard to believe but Booth concurred.

The top has to be seen in action. The multi layered cloth bonnet can be lowered at speeds up to 50 km/h. To test Audi's claim that it is one of quietest vehicles in the supercar segment, we put the top up and hit the super highway. At the legal limit of 120 km/h, our conversation was normal, even with the windows open.

One of the truly great features is three, yes three, tiny microphones imbedded in the driver's seatbelt. They allow the driver hands-free Bluetooth cellphone connectivity.

But Audi doesn't end there with the cool stuff.

You would expect the security system to monitor the cabin for intrusion but the R8 Spyder's horn operates independent of the electrical system. And if someone tried to tow the car, there is a tilt sensor that sounds an alarm if the car is being boosted.

If you can ever tear yourself away from the sound of the engine, the R8 comes standard with a great sound system. However, optional is a 12-speaker (I couldn't find them all), 465-watt Bang & Olufsen unit with, get this, a 10-channel amplifier that is constantly sampling the acoustic mapping of the cabin top up or down that compensates for intrusive sounds.

If you want options, you can have the whole interior done in carbon fibre instead of leather. Or for that matter you can do the entire engine bay in carbon fibre. But it's kind of a waste because the view is hidden by the cloth top where it is visible for all the world to see through the glass rear window on the Coupe.

The only problem for Audi, as it was with the Coupe, is getting enough. The first batch will probably be sold before they leave the factory.

Happily, Audi found that impulse buyers with deep pockets were prepared to wait for the Coupe and they hope the same holds true for the Spyder.

For the price, and what you get for it, there really isn't much that compares.

But most of all, it's fun - with a serious side.

(AUDI R8 V10 Spyder 2011 AT A GLANCE)

BODY STYLE: Premium roadster.

DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, all-wheel-drive.

ENGINE: 5.2-litre DOHC V10 (525 hp, 390 lb/ft).

FUEL ECONOMY: 13.9L/100 km combined.

Tow Rating: NA

PRICE: (Approx.) $190000

WEB: www.audi.ca

Aston Martin Rapide: All things to all men

In all honesty i don’t think I need to say too much about this car. It’s an Aston Martin with a 6 litre V12 and room for four. I think this just might be a car which is all things to all men.

We will start with the show stopping looks. The front end is essentially that from the DB9 and is therefore very pretty.

Stunning; just one word to describe the new saloon

The grills are slightly larger with the bottom being more prominent giving it its own look of sorts. The new LED lights which run along the inside of the headlights give it a slightly more menacing look than its smaller sister, the DB9. Working back down the body it is clear to see that Aston have not fallen into a similar trap that the Porsche Panamera fell into. On the Porsche, incidentally one of Aston’s main rivals, was that it looked too much like a stretch 911, the rear doors seemed a bit out of place. On the Rapide the doors fit sleekly into the body line without losing the trademark Aston bodyline. The back end is lifted if the rear of the Vantage which in certainly my opinion anyway is better looking than the DB9’s. So certainly in terms of looks the new Rapide is a blend of everything Aston has done so well in recent years.

The interior is the usual blend of exquisite leather, shiny surfaces and brushed aluminium. As with any Aston Martin the interior is very simple. There are two crystal clear dials, as well as a digital speedo in the centre for extra clarity. The centre console looks considerably more appealing that the Porsche’s given that there is half the number of buttons yet boasts most of the same functionality. But of course with this car it is all about what is happening in the back. The rear leg room does leave a little bit to be desired. Also head room is a bit restricted. This comes at a cost of the Rapide’s body line which conceals those rear doors so well. Whilst the Porsche’s doors stick out a little more the rear head room and leg room is better as a result. There is no shortage of entertainment for rear passengers though. Rear screens are fitted as standard with simple controls on the console separating the two seats.

The 6.3 litre heart that beats beneath the bonnet

Of course the main party piece of the Aston is the glorious 6 litre V12 engine lurking under the surface. The ford derived engine boasts an impressive 470 bhp, although it is not quite the 510 you get from the DBS it is still enough to shake up the passengers in the back a little bit. The gear box is a six speed ‘touchtronic’ paddle shift. By now Aston has worked out the bugs that plagued the gear box when it first featured in the Vanquish and early DB9 models. A lot of effort has gone into making the Rapide not just powerful but good in the corners as well. It features the same under pinned chassis that the DB9 and DBS run on as well as sport suspension and a limited slip differential. Then there is the addition of a sport mode which sharpens up the suspension, throttle response and gear changes. All this makes it handle like a proper Aston.

The Rapide is certainly a terrific car. Sensational looks boosted by impressive performance and crisp handling put it above the Porsche Panamera. The danger is with this car is that it might be compared to the Rolls Royce Phantom or the new Ghost. Both these cars sport similar engines to the Aston but have twice the leg room and luxury. The difference is the Rolls Royce is a car to be driven in on your way to your private jet or luxury yacht. The Aston Martin Rapide is a car to drive, one to get behind the wheel and properly enjoy.

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Porsche Panamera 4S: Can a four-door be a real sports car?

Why would a renowned sports car maker like Porsche want to produce a four-door sports coupé? For the same reason it builds the highly successful Cayenne SUV: more market share, more volume and, ultimately, more profit. But does the four-door Panamera make sports car sense?

Well, yes and no. But before we sample the latest hot metal from the Porsche foundry first hand, let’s embark on a short history lesson.

The notion of a four-door performance car from Porsche is nothing new. Way back in 1988, the then much smaller specialist sports car maker from Zuffenhausen started investigating the viability of a four-door performance car.

At the time, Porsche’s front-engined 928 and 944 cars were selling well, and the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive 911 seemed doomed. For the Porsche family, a four-door flagship was the obvious next step – a car that, ultimately, would replace the ailing 911.

Now here’s the interesting part. The man in charge of the four-door project, known as the 989, was a certain Ulrich Bez, a charismatic engineer with an appetite for speed, performance and motorsport. Some of Porsche’s greatest cars, including the immortal 993-generation 911, were developed under his auspices.

But the 989 would not be one of his successes. The 989 looked like a stretched, four-door 911, and was powered by a 220kW, liquid-cooled V8. By 1992, four years after development started, it was very close to production, when the plug was pulled.

A slump in 928 sales, and a general decline in economic conditions, were blamed for the decision. The big winner was the 911, which became central to Porsche’s future plans, and continues as the brand’s icon to this day.

Ulrich Bez would ultimately head up Aston Martin, revitalising the ailing British brand – and recently launching a four-door performance coupé called the Rapide. Wonder where that idea came from ...

And Porsche? Well, it did break out of the sports-car mould, after all – but chose the burgeoning sports utility vehicle arena as its battleground. Launched in 2002, the Cayenne was greeted with derision by purists, but embraced by the posh crowd, ensuring instant sales success and greatly enhancing the brand’s profitability.

Eight years later, Porsche has finally entered the four-door performance segment. The Panamera is not a revitalised 989. But it does have a big, 4,8-litre V8, installed into a long and prowling nose, and in the case of the 4S version we’re about to drive, powering all four wheels.

The shape is, well, controversial. There are enough visual pointers to confirm the Panamera’s Porsche citizenship, but that doesn’t make it a pretty car. Imposing is a better description.

The four doors demand an extended wheelbase, while the low-slung stance is pure performance coupé. Those muscular haunches are pure 911, but the bulk and presence of the Panamera are almost brutal – it’s a car spoiling for a fight.

And yes, the competition has every reason to be intimidated. The Panamera is a serious piece of automotive kit, wielding a combination of heritage, technology, exclusivity and integrity very few, if any, of its rivals can muster.

Not that there are too many rivals. The upcoming Aston Martin Rapide is one. AMG-tweaked performance versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLS four-door coupé is another. And then there’s the quirky Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S.

But the Panamera will also aim its considerable firing power at the broader luxury market, populated by meeker, but still rapid and high-tech machinery such as the BMW 7-Series, AMG/Merc’s S-class and a future Audi S8.

And let’s not forget that there is an entire generation of wealthy sports car buyers that would perhaps enjoy the space, luxury and ease of use epitomised by the Panamera, while still enjoying the brand’s obvious cachet and dynamic credentials.

So, here we are, at the foot of  a twisting, turning, serpentine 40km route that leads to and from a peaceful haven called Kaapschehoop, in the Mpumalanga mountains near Nelspruit. The Panamera’s V8 is ticking over expectantly, and the road ahead is devoid of traffic. Time to give it stick.

The low roofline defines an even lower seating position, so that the first impressions behind the thick-rimmed, Porsche-crested steering wheel are pure sports car – and pure Porsche. The same goes for the traditional five-dial instrument layout, dominated by a large rev counter and the bolstered bucket seats.

But that battery of switchgear on both sides of the high, dividing centre console is more Star Trek than sports car. There’s a touch-screen display, too, with more buttons directly below it. Best you peruse their features and functions before you get going, because at cruise missile speeds, you don’t want to be fiddling with anything except the steering wheel.

And yes, the aura of luxury is tangible – you can smell the hand-stitched hide, feel the cool, hard metal of the door handles (no plastic here!). There’s a heft and weight to the controls that exudes heirloom quality.

Under the bonnet of this Panamera 4S is a 4,806cc V8, with twin camshafts per bank and direct injection, pumping out a not-too-shabby 294kW of muscle at 6,500rpm. The torque peak is a meaty 500Nm, maintained between 3,500rpm and 5,000rpm.

The switches on the steering wheel spokes confirm that the V8’s urge is harnessed by Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch gearbox, which delivers its motive wares to all four wheels.

Big 19-inch spoked alloy wheels and fat Michelin rubber are suspended from all-aluminium dual wishbones up front and a fancy multilink arrangement at the rear, while massive, ventilated disc brakes promise vital stopping power.

With 1,860kg to propel, even the big V8 can’t escape the effects of initial inertia. But throttle response is instant, and the Panamera gets off the mark with almost disdainful alacrity. We’re driving the Porsche in Sport Plus manual mode, so cog swaps are instant and almost percussive.

And yes, progress is rapid and relentless. In the first three gears, the rev counter needle sweeps around the dial so quickly that you’re almost caught out by the rev limiter. And the speedometer keeps on piling the numbers. The first corner arrives in a blur.

Don’t expect the nimble road manners and the trigger-hair finesse of a 911 GT3, but the Panamera turns in with meaty resolve and surprising poise. Mechanical grip is phenomenal and the chassis composure eradicates any form of body roll as the G-forces load up.

Whatever you do, don’t look at the speedo – you’ll be going a lot quicker than you think. Rather concentrate on the ribbon of tar rapidly unwinding ahead.

Porsche claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of five seconds dead, while 0-160km/h is despatched in 11,5 sec. A top speed of 282km/h seems more than feasible, while covering a standing-start kilometre requires a mere 24 seconds. No argument – these figures emphatically confirm the Panamera’s athletic prowess.

As the pass heads up into the hills towards Kaapschehoop, the lefts and rights provide an intoxicating rhythm of twists and turns that show off the Panamera’s  dynamic prowess. In sport mode, the suspension is communicative as only a sports car chassis can be, allowing a thrilling dialogue between car and driver.

And yet, the cabin has all the quiet, businesslike decorum of a command centre. The engine’s wail is muted, the air-con keeps the ambient temperatures pleasantly cool, and there’s some classical tune burbling from the multispeaker Burmester sound system.

You  can time your progress on the Sport Chrono package’s analogue stop watch, monitor vital engine and vehicle statistics on the relevant displays and adjust chassis and vehicle management parameters to suit mood and ability.

Kaapschehoop’s quaint houses, all cottage pane windows and coloured roofs, appear as we crest a rise, and we slow right down, in case the town’s famous wild horses are trotting around – but the place looks fast asleep.

Then it’s the plunge back down towards the N4, with the up run’s tight corners replaced by fast, open sweeps, with the odd undulation tightening corner thrown in to keep you on your toes. This is what the Panamera likes best. It feels more aircraft than car as we fly down the pass.

At high speeds like this, the weight transfer is obvious, and under braking, you realise just how much metal is being retarded. But the Panamera remains supremely unruffled, always flattering the driver and graciously smoothing over any small driver mistakes.

Of course, owners of the Panamera won’t exercise their steeds to this extent – at least not all the time. Which means the Porsche also needs to fulfil the more prosaic role of luxury car. And it does so with convincing ease.

Set the suspension to comfort mode, switch the gearbox to automatic, define a destination on the satellite navigation system, dial in a suitable velocity for the cruise control and the Panamera does the rest. Even the long and boring haul up the N4 towards the Big Smoke becomes more tolerable.

A perfect time, then, to mull over the essence of the Panamera. Is this big, imposing machine really worthy of the Porsche ethos? Or is it simply a ruthlessly competent, but ultimately soulless luxury cruiser on steroids?

Frankly, that’s what I expected when I first settled in behind the wheel of the Porsche. But the curves and corners of the Kaapschehoop route have persuaded me otherwise. The Panamera is every high-tech inch an authentic Porsche.

No, it’s not a four-door 911. But it isn’t just another luxury limousine either. Instead it is the ultimate crossover, delivering luxury, technology and performance in equal measures. Vitally it feels like a real Porsche, despite its bulk, its mass and its four doors.

For purists, the 911 will remain the quintessential expression of the Porsche art. But the Panamera offers those intimidated by the 911’s sports car persona, and don’t need the Cayenne’s SUV space and presence, a sophisticated, multifaceted and ultimately rewarding alternative.

By Deon Schoeman

deon@rpmtv.co.za

See the Porsche Panamera 4S in action on RPM TV on Wednesday 31 March 1t 20h30 on SuperSport. More transmission times can be found on the RPM TV website.

KEY STATS
Porsche Panamera 4S

Engine
4 806 cc V8, DOHC per bank, direct injection

Gearbox
Seven-speed PDK dual-clutch

Power
294 kW @ 6 500 rpm

Torque
500 Nm @ 3 500 rpm

0-100 km/h
5,0 sec

Top speed
282 km/h

Fuel consumption
11,1 l/100 km (combined cycle)

Carbon dioxide emissions
260 g/km

Retail price
R1 065 000 before options

Fisker Karma Sportcar

Henrik Fisker (with BMW Z8, Aston Martin DB9 & V8 Vantage designs to his name) has designed the Fisker Karma to give the ultimate in driving pleasure. Imagine an exotic and luxurious sportscar package with zero emissions while driving.

The Karma uses Quantum Technologies Q-DRIVE plug-in hybrid technology, giving the Karma a 50mile (80kms) range on electric power only. Once past the 50 mile (80km) range, the car becomes an extended range electric hybrid vehicle, with the gasoline engine driving a generator to charge the lithium ion battery and the electric motors.

For drivers who commute less than 50 miles (80kms) a day and plug-in to recharge at night from grid electrical power, the Karma has an average fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.4L/100km) per year, giving a low average CO2 emission of just 83g/km (0.296lb/mile).

The Karma can carry four adults and luggage in a luxurious interior. It has the following proportions - height of a Porsche 911, length of a Mercedes Benz CLS and the width of a BMW 7 Series. It has a 0-60mph (0-96kph) time of less than 6 seconds and a top speed of 125mph (200kph), with regenerative braking and two drive modes – Stealth for economy and Sport Drive for some added torque and driving fun.

Keeping with the enviro-friendly angle, the Karma equipment and parts are sourced from environmentally conscious partners. The interior wood is from fallen trees and recovered trees from lake beds.  The EcoGlass is made from recyclable sand, and the interior is animal-free, using 100% Bamboo Viscose instead for the EcoChic model. The EcoSport model uses leather but from a supplier that uses 85% of the hide.

Fisker has 42 North American distributors lined up for their exotic machines, initially priced at US$87,000 (€65,000) according to the Fisker website. Additional options include a full-length roof mounted solar panel to charge the battery and cool the interior while stationary.  They will also sell a home roof mounted solar panel to collect solar power during the day to charge the car via solar power at night.

Visit: http://karma.fiskerautomotive.com/

Stunning 2007 AMV8 Roadster Sportshift Only 6300 miles

2007 07 Plate Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster Sportshift in Toro Red Metallic, Full Black Leather seats with Red stitching. Satellite Navigation + CD, 19" Upgraded Alloys, Electric Heated Seats, Folding Exterior Mirrors, HID Lights, Lumbar Support, Park Distance Control (rear), Bluetooth, Cruise Control, Wind Deflector and music upgrade.

This is a stunning car with full Aston Martin service history.

Car due in at the end of the week but to avoid disappointment please don't hesitate to call or email your interest in the vehicle. These are actual pictures of the car as we sold the vehicle to the current client.

Hpi Checked & Clear

Full finance facilities available, part exchanges a pleasure.

Nationwide delivery available

Excellent export facilities available

At Adaptive Vehicle Solutions we pride ourselves on being able to adapt to your vehicle needs no matter what you want and desire. We offer a more efficient and friendly service than your local dealer, and without the hassle of spending a whole day in a showroom, pushed from pillar to post drinking tasteless coffee!! Stocking many vehicles for immediate delivery sometimes isn't enough, the wrong colour, too old, too new. Sourcing the vehicle of your desires, we can and will fulfill your demands to the exact specification.

This is one of our recent testimonials,

Richard, again many thanks for the excellent service you gave to me prior to Xmas
'09.

In today's world we are always too busy and have little personal time to do
stuff for ourselves.

Once I had decided I wanted a Aston Martin DBS, I was deeply impressed in
how quickly you moved to take my Porsche (px) away, source a new DBS and
delivered it to my door step with a knowledgeable person that took me
through the car. Good old fashioned customer service from end-to-end.

Every little thing was handled with care and communicated clearer and always
promptly, at any hour. It was stress free, the car arrived more perfect as I
could have wanted.

I think from the first conversation I had with you to car delivery it was not
more than a week and a half. No hassles with a dealership, no hassles with
paperwork, I did not have to do anything except wire you some £s. By all
means use this as a reference. Will return to do business with you again.

Simon Jenkins
London

Please contact our experienced team with any questions on 02920 685080 or alternatively call 07989 746456 weekends/evenings. Location: Based in Cardiff Supplying Nationwide,United Kingdom Website: Adaptive Vehicle Solutions Ltd Phone: 02920 685080 or 07989 746456 Email: CLICK HERE TO EMAIL Insurance Estimate For This Car... HPI Check This Car...

An HPI Check costs just �19.99 online. With more vehicle information than anybody else and full telephone support if you need it, we can tell you whether the car you want to buy has been stolen, written-off, clocked, or has outstanding finance.

Aston Martin's ugly duckling

It's called the Cygnet Concept and Aston Martin says it's a bold step towards a new form of transportation. Well compared to a DBS or vantage it certainly is.

It's a luxury commuter car, a form of personal transportation that sees the company's core values engage with a new environment. it's a bit like one of those posh custom branded cellphones that cost several thousand dollars but in truth have the innards of an ordinary $200 unit that truth be known you could have for nothing on some plans.

In this case, the Cygnet Concept's innards are straight from Toyota's tiny and very practical iQ hatch. 'Many of our customers have a need for a small car for urban and city use,' says Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, 'The Cygnet Concept brings intelligence, innovation and artistry to the small car market. The Cygnet Concept represents the natural choice for those customers looking for a premium commuter car.

"Our past, our future and our backbone will always remain sports cars, but the Cygnet Concept will support this by offering our customers a greater degree of freedom in the urban context."

The Cygnet Concept is the result of a collaboration between Toyota and Aston Martin and it has to be said that it's quite an inventive solution, to looking a cut above on the daily commute.

Aston Martin has always understood the importance of an emotional engagement with its products, whose emotional design will remain at the heart of its strategy, be it through the exhilarating sound of a V12 engine, the unmistakeable silhouette of an Aston Martin sports car or the quality, craftsmanship and skill that is evident in an Aston Martin interior. The Cygnet Concept says Aston, exemplifies the latter attribute, demonstrating the high levels of detail design and craft that are integral to every Aston, presented within a compact and highly advanced technological package.

The Cygnet's rich blend of hand-stitched leather, Alcantara and aluminium is shared with Aston Martin's sports cars though all the while as a commuter car the iQ-derived concept can slip easily and unobtrusively into the city.

Using Toyota's tried and tested technology, together with Aston Martin's personalisation and customisation skills, material quality, craft skill and tactile delight, the Cygnet Concept is a genuine solution for future mobility and a natural partner for Aston Martin's luxury sports cars.

Prestige car hire manufacturer Aston Martin starts Le Mans series with a podium

Prestige car hire manufacturer Aston Martin starts Le Mans series with a podium Mar 23 2010, 01:49 PM Individuals with an interest in Aston Martin car hire may wish to hear that the manufacturer has started the American Le Mans series strongly.The Aston Martin 007 car finished third in the 12-hour long race and was the fastest petrol-based car to complete the circuit at Sebring.A total of 1,347 miles were covered by the vehicle during the opening round of the endurance competition and the manufacturer's racing team believe the result has set them up well for the 24-hour Le Mans race.George Howard-Chappell, team principal, said: "It's the best we could have expected if all front running cars were reliable - which they were."We wanted to be the fastest petrol car at Sebring and it's excellent preparation for Le Mans, having a completely clean run with no issues at all."Last year, Aston Martin powered their way to victory in the 24-hour Le Mans race, the first time the company achieved the feat since 1959.The next race in the series takes place in France on April 11th.Click here to see our range of cars.Posted by Chris Weaver

The Sun team gives its verdicts

'Jobs will go' ... Jane Hamilton

Our Consumer Editor JANE HAMILTON also slammed the Budget for hitting drinkers — especially cider fans.

She said: "Today's announcements have seen drinkers clobbered with a huge TEN PER CENT duty hike on cider, which starts midnight this Sunday.

"Darling's 5.1 per cent booze duty increase sees pints up by two pence, another ten pence slapped on a 75cl bottle of wine and 36 pence on a 70cl bottle of spirits.

"In a triple blow for Britain's pubs, since 2008 tax on wine has soared 25 per cent, spirits cost 20 per cent more and beer prices have increased by an eye-watering 26 per cent.

"With six pubs a day closing around the country, this is terrible new for drinkers and for communities losing their precious locals. Jobs will go as yet more pubs shut.

"Smokers were left spluttering by an immediate one per cent rise on a packet of cigarettes, pushing the price up by 33p since January. And there's another two per cent rise each year every year until 2010.

"The Chancellor boasted the fuel duty rise will be staggered - with penny increases in April, October and a final instalment in January - but it still means you're paying out more even at the pumps.

"The April rise alone will cost motorists an extra 50p every time they fill up. And with petrol set to hit a record �1.20 a litre within weeks, it's additional payouts drivers can ill afford.

Fuel hikes ... Ken Gibson

"Coupled with new cash grabs which kick in April, like the �6 broadband tax, hard-pressed UK consumers will be digging even deeper into their almost-empty pockets. "

Motorists will also upset drivers with yet more fuel rises on the way.

Our Motoring Editor KEN GIBSON said: "The Chancellor's decision to phase in fuel duty rises may avoid total misery for drivers of a 3p a litre increase on April 1st but motorists are still being clobbered by the Government.

"The 1p increase on April 1st will still mean 50p a tank and �2.12 a month for a family with two cars. And by next January that will have risen to an extra �1.50 a tank and an extra �37.50 a year on the fuel bill for the average motorist.

"The fuel tax rise will eventually be worth an extra �100million plus to the Government, who already screw a staggering �45BILLION a year from motorists on taxes.

"And with experts predicting that the price of a gallon will hit a record 120p per litre within weeks, any relief for motorists will be short lived.

"Motorists remain the Government's favourite whipping boy, the average price of fuel has risen by 27 per cent in the last 12 months, that 's an extra �264 a year for the average driver.

"And the Government is already raking in millions from motorists with VAT on new cars going back to 17 per cent in January, and is set for a further windfall with a new Showroom Tax due on April 1st that will be a one off tax based on C02 emissions of new cars.

"That tax will mean buyers of new cars in the top polluting band of M (255 g/km of C02 and over) paying an extra �515 on top of the current �435 VEX tax for a total payment of �950.

Rental car biz revs up

By Christopher Tan

DEMAND for rental cars is revving up, thanks largely to a growing expatriate community and, to a lesser extent, rising tourist numbers.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), there are now about 13,000 rental cars here - 68 per cent more than there were just five years ago.

The rate of expansion is more than double that of the general car population, which went up by 32 per cent in the same period, to 577,000.

Mr Neo Nam Heng, chairman of rental firm Prime Leasing, said: 'In the last five years, our fleet has been growing by about 20 per cent per year. Today, we have 750 cars.'

He attributed the fast growth to a rising number of foreigners in Singapore.

'Our clients are mainly in the oil, gas, marine and financial sectors,' Mr Neo added.

Another firm that has been seeing brisk business of late is Daimler Fleet Management Singapore, which is owned mainly by German carmaker Daimler AG and has more than 200 Mercedes-Benzes in its fleet of 550 cars.

'We didn't suffer much from the financial crisis because most of our cars are on long-term leases to senior executives,' said Daimler Fleet Management general manager Peter Choong.

'These people don't usually get moved around on short notice,' he said.

Mr Choong is also president of the Vehicle Rental Association, whose membership has also grown to 40, from 30 five years ago.

'Singapore is a hub for meetings, conventions and exhibitions. And in recent years, the number of such events has risen. Because of this, so many new limo companies have sprung up,' he said.

Hertz Asia Pacific's fleet in Singapore has also expanded, from 220 units three years ago to 350 today - a 60 per cent increase.

Its general manager Goh Kim Guan said the growth in tourism in 2007 and 2008 was a major reason for this. The company also added cars in anticipation of a surge in tourists after the opening of the two integrated resorts here.

He said relatively low certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums last year also prompted many rental firms to bolster their fleets. Last year's car COE prices averaged between $15,000 and $16,000. They have now shot up to above $25,000.

Fleet operators said an LTA rule change was another reason for the growth in the rental car population. In 2006, the authority changed a three-decade regulation to allow second-hand cars to be used as rentals.

Operators who said this noted that some of the more established companies had not, in fact, increased their fleet sizes. But some used-car operators have converted part of their unsold stocks into rental cars.

ComfortDelGro Leasing's fleet, for instance, has shrunk from 1,252 in 2008 to 1,150 last year. Orix, largely owned by Nissan distributor Tan Chong International, has not grown its fleet of about 1,000 vehicles.

Others which have added to their fleets have done so cautiously. Premier Rent A Car managing director Lim Chong Boo said his company has been tempering growth 'to maintain high service standards'. Its fleet inched upwards to 420, from 380 two years ago.

Perhaps the most bullish new player is Luxe Car Rental, the only company offering supercars.

Since starting up in 2008, the company said business has been growing by 'between 15 per cent and 30 per cent a month'.

From just four cars, it now has nine, including a Lamborghini, a Bentley and an Aston Martin. The company is not stopping there either.

'We are planning to expand our fleet to 15 cars in the near future,' said a spokesman. 'Models such as the Lamborghini Murcielago and Audi R8 are being considered.'

Other firms are also seeking some separation as the market gets more crowded.

Smart Car Rental owner Johnny Harjantho, for one, plans to include three electric cars in his fleet of about 70 from as early as the fourth quarter this year.

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.

Fisker Karma: Hollywood Helps Drive Demand for Hot Hybrid Car

By Jonathan Welsh

Count Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter among the people waiting in line for the Fisker Karma, a gasoline-electric hybrid car that accelerates like a sports car and can travel 50 miles on battery power alone.

The Irvine, Calif., carmaker says Lasseter, a well-known car enthusiast who directed “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life” and of course, “Cars,” is among many Hollywood notables who have ordered the car. Lasseter declined to comment. The company, which also released a photo of U2’s Bono checking out the car, says it has orders for about 1,600 Karmas. The deposit is $5,000 for the coupe, which has solar panels in its roof to help charge the batteries, and $25,000 for the convertible.

The Karma is the signature design of Henrik Fisker, who worked for BMW and Aston Martin before striking out on his own in 2005. People who follow car design are quick to point out similarities in ”design language” between the Karma and earlier cars he worked on like the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB9. With just over 400 horsepower under the hood, the Karma even has about as much muscle as those speedy sports cars. From a practical point of view, though, it has more in common with the Toyota Prius or the Chevrolet Volt, which also use a combination of batteries and gasoline engines for power.

The base model of the Karma costs $87,900. The top-of-the-line EcoChic version has an animal-free interior including upholstery made from bamboo instead of the luxury-car cliche, leather.

The carmaker plans to begin delivering the karma late this year and reach full production of about 15,00 cars a month by early 2011.

Cygnet - Aston Martin's ugly duckling

It's called the Cygnet Concept and Aston Martin says it's a bold step towards a new form of transportation. Well compared to a DBS or vantage it certainly is.

It's a luxury commuter car, a form of personal transportation that sees the company's core values engage with a new environment. it's a bit like one of those posh custom branded cellphones that cost several thousand dollars but in truth have the innards of an ordinary $200 unit that truth be known you could have for nothing on some plans.

In this case, the Cygnet Concept's innards are straight from Toyota's tiny and very practical iQ hatch. 'Many of our customers have a need for a small car for urban and city use,' says Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, 'The Cygnet Concept brings intelligence, innovation and artistry to the small car market. The Cygnet Concept represents the natural choice for those customers looking for a premium commuter car.

"Our past, our future and our backbone will always remain sports cars, but the Cygnet Concept will support this by offering our customers a greater degree of freedom in the urban context."

The Cygnet Concept is the result of a collaboration between Toyota and Aston Martin and it has to be said that it's quite an inventive solution, to looking a cut above on the daily commute.

Aston Martin has always understood the importance of an emotional engagement with its products, whose emotional design will remain at the heart of its strategy, be it through the exhilarating sound of a V12 engine, the unmistakeable silhouette of an Aston Martin sports car or the quality, craftsmanship and skill that is evident in an Aston Martin interior. The Cygnet Concept says Aston, exemplifies the latter attribute, demonstrating the high levels of detail design and craft that are integral to every Aston, presented within a compact and highly advanced technological package.

The Cygnet's rich blend of hand-stitched leather, Alcantara and aluminium is shared with Aston Martin's sports cars though all the while as a commuter car the iQ-derived concept can slip easily and unobtrusively into the city.

Using Toyota's tried and tested technology, together with Aston Martin's personalisation and customisation skills, material quality, craft skill and tactile delight, the Cygnet Concept is a genuine solution for future mobility and a natural partner for Aston Martin's luxury sports cars.

Wheels For Aston Martin V12 Vantage

As reported by Alcoa Auto Wheels

Cleveland, OH - Alcoa Auto Wheels is providing advanced lightweight wheels for the V12 Vantage – billed by Aston Martin as its most exhilarating sports car.

"The forging technology behind these wheels enables significant weight savings directly benefiting handling performance, ride quality, acceleration and braking,” explains David Yates, marketing manager for Alcoa Europe. “Our forging process results in a superior metal structure that also improves strength and durability, allowing finer wheel detailing and lighter weight.”



photo: Alcoa Auto Wheels
The exclusive diamond-turned, ten-spoke design is one of the key visual features chosen by Aston Martin to differentiate the V12 Vantage. Wider than the V8 Vantage wheels, at 19”x9” front and 19”x11” rear, they accommodate wider tyres which enable higher cornering forces than any previous Aston Martin – up to 1.3g. Lowering the unsprung mass at each corner results in more responsive steering, braking and suspension behaviour while improving straight line acceleration and fuel efficiency.

Alcoa has been at the forefront of developing, producing and supplying forged aluminium wheels to the global automotive industry for over 60 years, with the V12 Vantage being one of their latest applications. Alcoa also supplies Aston Martin with other high technology aluminium components.

For more information, visit www.strongwheels.com.



Topics: accessories, news, wheel

Darren Bent in row over Aston Martin hire car

WITH his £70,000 car off the road, Sunderland striker Darren Bent needed a hire car to commute to training and matches.

But an insurance company is now locked in a legal battle with the Black Cats star after he claimed an ‘excessive’ £63,000 to hire a top of the range Aston Martin while his own Mercedes was being repaired.

Bent’s Mercedes CLS Coupe was left with around £20,000 worth of damage after he was involved in a collision with another motorist in February 2007.

And with his sports car off the road he contacted credit hire firm Accident Exchange to arrange for a replacement vehicle.

But the car Bent selected was not a simple runaround.

He went for a luxurious Aston Martin DB9, which he hired for more than three months, at a cost of more than £500 a day payable by the other driver’s insurance company.

But the firm, Allianz, has now won a right to appeal against a court’s decision to award Bent the £63,000 it cost him to hire the vehicle, which most of his fans could only dream about driving.

Last night Martin Saunders, motor and casualty claims manager for Allianz Insurance, said the company planned to continue fighting Bent’s claim, which they believe was both excessive and unnecessary.

Pasco port selling vintage Aston Martin, Jaguar

Last updated March 20, 2010 3:58 p.m. PT

Pasco port selling vintage Aston Martin, Jaguar

By KRISTI PIHLTRI-CITY HERALD

PASCO, Wash. -- Someone who perhaps has imagined life as Agent 007 may get to experience at least part of the role - by driving a vintage Aston Martin.

The Port of Pasco is taking sealed bids on two vintage cars - a 1974 Aston Martin and a 1972 Jaguar E V12 Coupe.

No, they weren't port work vehicles, and this is an unusual situation, said Jim Toomey, port executive director.

Normally when the port has to clean out after a tenant leaves a business space, what's left behind goes into the trash, he said. This is the first time the port has been left with vintage cars.

Aston Martin is the same brand of car that James Bond had, Toomey said. But the port certainly doesn't think Bond ever drove this Aston Martin.

"This is not bulletproof with machine guns and radar in it," he said.

As for the Jaguar, Toomey said it's the car he used to dream about as a teen.

Both vehicles were left in the port's former mini-storage building, said Linda O'Brien, port director of finance and administration. The tenant disappeared, and the port hasn't been able to contact him to get the rent owed, or the vehicles out.

She said port officials hope the cars will bring in enough money to make up for the back rent.

The port had to take down the mini-storage building to make way for Osprey Pointe, a business park the port is developing around Ainsworth Street, O'Brien said.

The port couldn't find a title for the Aston Martin, so whoever buys it will need to retitle it, she said.

The minimum bid for the Jaguar is $750, and the Aston Martin has a minimum of $500.

Bids will be accepted until 10:30 a.m. March 31 at the port's administrative building at 904 E. Ainsworth St. The vintage cars and other surplus vehicles and parts can be viewed from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday and March 30. All items are being sold as is.

---

Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

New set of wheels could improve Aston Martin car hire

New set of wheels could improve Aston Martin car hire Mar 18 2010, 02:21 PM Aston Martin's "most exhilarating sports car" ever has been given a new set of wheels to help it live up to its impressive billing, it has been announced.The manufacturer's high performance vehicle has been given a makeover by Alcoa Auto Wheels to further improve the V12 Vantage's impressive performance.David Yates, marketing manager for the company, explained the benefits motorists would be able to experience with the addition of the wheels."The forging technology behind these wheels enables significant weight savings directly benefiting handling performance, ride quality, acceleration and braking," he said.They have been designed to ensure that the V12 Vantage stands out from the other members of the Vantage range, according to Alcoa Auto, which says that the diamond-turned, ten-spoke design is a key and unique aesthetic feature.Furthermore, Aston Martin car hire fans may be interested to know that the wide design ensures that motorists will be able to experience better cornering as well as more responsive steering, braking and suspension behaviour.The Aston Martin Vantage V12 features a 6.0-litre V12 engine which produces 510bhp and has a top speed of 190mph.Click here to see our range of cars.Posted by Lucy Jones

Celebrations for Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin at Bromley

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Bromley Pageant of Motoring returns to Norman Park, Bromley, on Sunday 13th June, with celebrations for the centenary of the Alfa Romeo and the 75th anniversary of the Aston Martin Owners Club. Held in association with specialist insurance company Footman James, the Pageant has more than 3,000 classic cars and bikes on show and attracts around 30,000 visitors.

The Pageant is the biggest one-day classic vehicle show in the World and features an automotive extravaganza of classic cars, bikes, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, stationary engines and much more. From family favourites through to thoroughbred exotic sports cars, there is a marquee to suit every passion, from Morris to Porsches, Triumphs to Jaguars. It’s a truly international show with Italian exotica, American Muscle, Japanese performance as well as the best of British coming together for the ultimate ‘great day out’.

The popular ‘One Make’ section continues where vehicles of each make and model can be entered and parked together. From Mini’s to Ferraris, around 1,000 cars featured in this area last year. Entries are now open for this incredible feature and entry for the vehicle is free (both driver and passenger require tickets) and includes a free show programme and plaque.

The organisers are continuing to expand the classic bike area and are welcoming more bikes to the show this year than ever before by offering free space to classic bike clubs. Also individual owners can get in for just £5. This area has constantly grown over the past few years and is now a significant part of the show.

In the main arena, host and compere Jerry Thurston from C4’s ‘Salvage Squad’ will be at the show working on a special restoration project as well as bringing together a fantastic display of Allards to marquee the 100th birthday of founder Sydney Allard. He’s already got three of his own but is looking for more! He will also host a number of parades of exceptional vehicles from throughout the years as well as introducing other entertainment which is still to be confirmed.

With a huge Cars for Sale area, the Pageant also hosts one of the biggest classic vehicle trade shows in the UK with hundreds of Autojumble and trade stands selling the latest products, parts, services and new vehicles on display.

Bromley Pageant is a superb celebration of this wonderful way of life - a true flavour of a by-gone age and provides one of the best opportunities available to soak up Bromley's unique atmosphere of friendly club stands, displays and fellow enthusiasts.

Ticket prices are £10.50 for Adults when booking in advance with Senior Citizens tickets costing £7.50 and just £4.50 for children. There is also a family ticket on offer for two adults and two children at just £25.50, again when booked in advance. Show opens from 9.30am and parking is free.

For more information, visit bromleypageant.co.uk.