Sunday, 11. September 2011
Sadly it looks as though we are about to lose Saab as a car manufacturer. They applied to the court in Sweden for protection from their creditors but the application was tuned down by a Swedish court yesterday. Whilst Saab are looking to appeal it is unlikely that at this late stage they will avoid bankruptcy. The company was bought from General Read more »
Saturday, 10. September 2011
I have been asked on many occasions about salary sacrifice schemes, whether they are available to small companies and if brokers such as I can provide them. The answer has been no and unfortunately, due to the high set up costs, look to remain so. I was at a meeting yesterday at Buckingham University at which one of the UK’s leading providers of Read more »
Friday, 9. September 2011
Just imagine, you’ve had your car for the last 3 years without any problems at all. You got it from your local dealer on a special PCP scheme they had running at the time which made the deal attractive and the cost low. You know how the PCP scheme works as your last car was on a similar scheme, you put an amount down, make regular monthly payments Read more »
Sunday, 4. September 2011
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Recession? What recession. So far this week I’ve seen photos of the new Bugatti Galibier, said to crossover from concept car to production car as soon as late 2012, now a 4 door car set to hit the streets with a 1,000bhp engine, a £1 million price tag and impressive 8 exhaust tailpipes. This was followed by pictures of the proposed Bentley SUV off Read more »
Saturday, 3. September 2011
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Are you, or someone you know, one of the few that has lost a car in the recent riots to needless vandalism? If so where do you stand regarding your insurance and the 1886 Riot Act? First of all if you have a car that was set alight and destroyed, if you have fully comprehensive insurance you are covered, according to the Association of British Read more »
Saturday, 3. September 2011
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As I write this item we’re into the first day of the new registration and the first day of autumn, not that you’d notice after a terrible summer. But already I am reading about impending pot hole problems this winter, set to get worse after a Highways Agency rule change. The warning raised by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) highlighted the rules Read more »
Friday, 2. September 2011
My gadget of the week is called Anti Sleep Pilot. It attaches magnetically to a 3M pad on your dashboard and consists of a small disc shaped device with light and audio monitors built in. The unit is powered by a single AAA battery and powers on automatically when attached to the dashboard. Mercedes now have an Attention Assist system built into Read more »
Thursday, 1. September 2011
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No sooner have I reported on the new association between General Motors and LG to develop new electric cars than I’m told of the new association between Volvo and Siemens to do the same. It very much looks as though this will be the trend. Apparently Siemens have been having discussions with several car manufacturers but decided upon Volvo Read more »
Wednesday, 31. August 2011
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Those people working on the development of electric cars are yet to run with my idea of replaceable batteries, in the meantime it looks as though we will have to go with the sort of technology that allows you to have a petrol engine in the car as well as the electric motor. However even this technology is split although both types are referred to as hybrids Read more »
Tuesday, 30. August 2011
The ‘silliest remark of the week’ came from NCP managing director Duncan Bowins. It came about when a driver arrived at a railway station in order to catch a train, he had driven into the NCP car park which was full so he had to park his car a little awkwardly. Whilst not causing an obstruction he was parked outside a bay which meant he received Read more »