Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Keeping an uninsured car soon to be illegal in Britain
New rules will make it illegal to keep an uninsured car in Britain whether it is being driven or not.
Owners who have not declared their uninsured cars and vans off the road could have them seized and crushed.
Transport Minister Mike Penning said uninsured cars were a "real road safety issue". The measure, introduced under Labour, will be made law "shortly".
But the AA said it would not hit the "motoring underclass" who did not register their car.
The new rules will apply in England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it did not have a definite date for when an announcement would be made.
But a spokesman stressed owners who had a Statutory Off Road Notification, enabling them to keep their uninsured car, would not be affected.
'Huge burden'
At present it is illegal to drive a car while uninsured. The penalty for doing so is a maximum fine of £5,000 and six to eight penalty points. The police have the power to seize, and in some cases, destroy the vehicle that is being driven uninsured.
Under the new system, it will be an offence to keep an uninsured car.
It will be enforced by comparing the database of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency with that held by the Motor Insurers' Bureau, which was set up to compensate victims of uninsured drivers.
Owners of uninsured vehicles will then be contacted by letter to warn them they face a £100 fine if the car or van is not insured by a certain date. If the vehicle remains uninsured, regardless of whether a fine has been paid or not, it could then be seized and crushed.
In 2009, it was estimated that about two million motorists in Great Britain drive uninsured.
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
GM chief tees up Buick for luxury market
Carmaker General Motors is planning to rejuvenate its Buick brand to rival German and Japanese luxury brands.
"It has to be at least a flanking brand," GM's chief executive Dan Akerson told BBC News in an interview ahead of the Detroit motor show.
GM also wants to modernise its Cadillac luxury brand by adding smaller and more fuel-efficient models.
The efforts should help the automotive giant compete globally in the fast-growing market for luxury cars.
'Understated elegance'
US luxury cars are currently struggling to compete outside their home market, whereas foreign rivals such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus are growing fast both in their home markets as well as in the US and in Asia.
Mr Akerson said he was confident its latest Buick Verano, which has just been unveiled, would do much to change that.
"We just want to have a bit of understated elegance," he said, insisting the car "looks like a really cool BMW".
Buick is currently the fastest growing brand in its US home market, having seen sales rise 52% in 2010.
"We do think Buick has a different position than it has had in the past," Mr Akerson said, pointing out that Buck customers are now a full 10 years younger than they were in the past.
Smaller Cadillacs
The all-American luxury brand Cadillac could also do with some refinement, he acknowledged.
"We're not happy with the position internationally," he said, though in the US market, he insisted, the marque is outperforming all its rivals in terms of sales growth.
"I think we need one or two more models for Cadillac."
By 2012 Cadillac will have two new models, one of which will be smaller than the marque's current offering, Mr Akerson revealed.
DATED: 11.01.11
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Chinese lift Rolls-Royce car sales
China has now overtaken the UK to be Rolls' second- biggest market after the US, while Asia-Pacific is the biggest region thanks to strong growth in the UAE, India, Korea and Japan.
In 2010, 2,711 cars were sold in total, the highest level since new Rolls cars re-emerged under BMW ownership in 2003. The total is 171pc up on 2009 sales and more than double 2008's previous record of 1,212.
Rolls cars have a rich heritage in the UK, with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall using a classic Rolls-Royce Phantom VI on the night their convoy was attacked by rioters. That car had been with the Royal family for more than 30 years and the prestige associated with the brand has made Rolls popular in Asia.
Demand in 2010 was also fuelled by a new model, the Ghost. The car has been designed to be driven primarily by its owner, as opposed to the chauffeur-driver Phantom, and 80pc of buyers have never owned a Rolls car before.
However, Phantom sales also held firm as bespoke sales rose to record levels, according to Rolls. Bespoke models allow the customer to personalise various features, such as unique exterior paints and internal stitching.
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
Land Rover Defender
Land Rover has gone public on its thoughts for the next generation Defender.
The current Defender sells approximately 22,000 units per year and although received a facelift in 2007, hasn’t really changed much since its launch in 1948. Land Rover believe that any modern replacement for the iconic workhorse should be instantly recognisable and include an extended range to include a more refined version to cater for the urban environment.
Full size design concepts have already been completed and Land Rover expect the next generation Defender to be on sale in 2014 or 2015.
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
HPI gets contract with finance provider
HPI has signed a deal with car finance provider Duncton to provide vehicle data for its finance application assessments.
The data from HPI will ensure Duncton eliminates data capture errors and finances the right car.
Shamus Hodgson, Duncton’s director of sales and marketing, said: “Ensuring we know the provenance of the vehicle we are financing is key to our business model.”
Working closely with Duncton, HPI is applying its vehicle data, including Glass’s Code, to streamline the finance application process. Following the initial application review, an HPI Check is conducted to ensure there is no hidden history, before the loan is finally sanctioned.
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: AM
The Electric Rolls-Royce
The electric Rolls-Royce: Luxury firm plans eco-friendly vehicle
Rolls-Royce is planning an electric limousine, which would be rechargeable...with zero emissions.
There has been speculation for two years that Rolls-Royce was planning a top secret electric model.
Then, before Christmas, Rolls-Royce's chief executive said an electric or alternatively-fuelled 'experimental' Rolls-Royce model would be a 'good idea'.
And yesterday (January 10th), Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes confirmed 'all options' for alternatively-fuelled vehicles were being considered.
Mr Mueller-Oetvoes said: 'We are not going to make any rash decisions. It would be wrong for the brand and wrong for our customers if we were to take a decision without fully exploring all options.'
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
Toyota expands Prius hybrid car brand
Japanese carmaker Toyota is adding new models under its Prius petrol-electric hybrid label.
The move aims to capitalise on the green image of the Prius, which even rival carmakers say has become synonymous with hybrids.
"In the US, hybrid means Prius," said Jim O'Donnell, chief executive and president of BMW of North America.
"No other manufacturer sells significant numbers of their hybrid vehicles."
Toyota has clocked up sales approaching a million Prius cars in the US over the past decade.
"We're doing this because our customers told us they wanted all the benefits of Prius in a variety of vehicles," said Bob Carter, head of Toyota in the US.
The first new Prius to hit the road will be the Prius V, a family vehicle. A smaller Prius C is set to follow, as is a plug-in Prius.
"As the family expands, each member will be an all-new model, not a re-badged version of an existing Toyota hybrid," vowed Mr Carter.
'Best fuel economy'
The compact Prius C model is under development In the US, the third generation Prius, which was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2009, still "delivers the best fuel economy of any car without a plug sold in America", according to Mr Carter.
This is essentially because European rivals tend not to offer diesel versions of their cars in the US. In Europe, Prius is facing much tougher competition.
"Don't underestimate the differences between the US and Europe," says BMW's Mr O'Donnell.
"In the US, people are impressed with anything above 30 miles per gallon.
"And that's even when considering how the US gallon is much smaller than the UK one," he adds, referring to how a US gallon is equivalent to 0.83 UK gallons or 3.785 litres.
Even so, hybrid sales in the US command just 2% of the market, observes Mr O'Donnell.
"There's been so much hype about hybrids," he says, insisting that Americans would do well to also consider diesel, or perhaps even diesel hybrids, in their efforts to improve fuel economy
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
Renault spy scandal: China denies involvement
China has denied any involvement in an industrial espionage scandal involving French car maker Renault and alleged leaking of electric car technology.
The scandal has rocked France, with a legislator saying last week that there were indications of Chinese involvement.
But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the claims were irresponsible and unacceptable.
He said the government had seen the reports but found they were groundless.
"We have taken note of the relevant report," Mr Lei said.
"As for the so-called story that China is involved, we believe this is totally groundless, irresponsible and unacceptable."
Last week, French politician Bernard Carayon, an expert on industrial espionage, said "proven, diverse and reliable" sources pointed to an effort to obtain secrets from three Renault executives.
The trio were suspended by the carmaker last week.
"There are in effect several sources that are typically thought to be serious who consider that a Chinese buyer is in fact behind this operation," Mr Carayon, a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, had said.
France's industry minister has refused to speculate whether China was involved.
Renault, which with its partner Nissan of Japan has invested $4bn to develop electric cars, has said it plans to take legal action.
DATED: 11.01.11
FEED: GG
