Float through the traffic in the E300 February 25, 2013 Mercedes-Benz’s latest hybrid executive saloon is so smooth it is more magic carpet than automobile Traditionally, delivering high fuel economy hasn’t been a primary focus for large executive cars. But the times they are a-changin’. Car manufacturers know they need to provide cleaner and more efficient vehicles to appease European regulators and discourage buyers from [...]
My recent attempt to pass on some rock solid business advice December 9, 2012 I DON’T want to study rocks!” My teenage son Tom looked at me like I was an ugly alien. We were discussing what he should read at university, and he was keen on economics and maths to pursue a career in finance or business.“But I think the big finance boom is over, Tom. And mining [...]
Higher spenders would be better than a new strategy October 24, 2012 WHAT does the future of retail look like? Clicks-and-mortar is the buzzword of the moment (Tesco calls its version Clicks and Bricks), a Frankenstein-like stitching together of physical retail locations with online, anytime ordering. When Home Retail Group (HRG) announced its strategy to turn around Argos yesterday that’s very much what it had in mind, [...]
Aviation report could alter the route of HS2 September 30, 2012 THE HIGH-SPEED rail link between London and the North could be relocated to pass through Heathrow, if the government allows the airport to expand after 2015. The Department for Transport (DfT) yesterday said that a bill will be introduced by the end of 2013 to get the ball rolling on building High Speed 2, as [...]
Tablet market hots up September 5, 2012 A resurgent Microsoft hopes a new range of devices running Windows 8 will succeed where Google has failed and shake up a tablet industry dominated by Apple. Here are some of the players hoping to steal the iPad’s limelight. Sony Vaio Duo 11 The Vaio Duo 11 is a flippy, foldy, deckchair-like device with a [...]
Introducing the Awards’ sponsors August 7, 2012 Lexus Lexus enjoys a global reputation for innovation, performance and the highest standards of quality, reflected in its multiple awards for customer service and satisfaction. Within the highly competitive luxury car market it has led the world in developing refined and efficient hybrid power models and has pioneered advanced technologies for exceptional safety, handling and [...]
Lexus makes automotive alchemy June 19, 2012 Believe it or not, this is the fourth generation Lexus GS model, a car that has been in production since 1993, quietly going about the business of offering buyers a unique alternative to the more familiar premium saloons like the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XF. Unique? Really? Well Lexus does things a [...]
Mazda’s immensely likeable SUV June 12, 2012 Usually when a motoring hack is invited up to Scotland to drive a new car it is to test a sportscar or an SUV. The Scottish Highlands are the perfect combination of twisting roads and dramatic backdrops for sporting road cars, and provide off-road high jinks for rugged off-roaders on some private estate or other. [...]
Nintendo’s Wii U is an E3 hit June 6, 2012 The world’s biggest gaming event, E3, is well underway in LA – and it is Nintendo that has everyone talking. It showed off, for the first time, a working version of its new Wii U, a baffling tablet/console hybrid that promises to put a new spin on gaming. And it needs to: the Japanese company [...]
advisers vodafone and Cable & Wireless worldwide April 23, 2012 UBS Vodafone has put its long-standing team at UBS, headed by global co-head of investment banking Simon Warshaw, on the case to guide it through its acquisition of CWW. Oxford-educated Warshaw joined the Swiss bank in 1986 and has under his belt the former positions of head of EMEA investment banking, joint head of UK [...]