Kylie’s favourite luxe eco-mobile May 17, 2011 The Lexus CT200h will probably be familiar to you whether you’re a Kylie fan or not. It’s the hybrid car she’s been driving since February – on TV at least – and it’s the smallest car that Lexus has made. Lexus is the Japanese answer to BMW or Audi and it has stolen a march [...]
CAR TALK May 17, 2011 RENAULT’S ELECTRIC CAR A HIT WITH HOLLYWOOD. If you doubt whether electric cars are glamorous just take a look at the cars Hollywood’s A-listers are being ferried around Cannes in. Fully-electric (and silent) Renault Fluence Z.E models are busy chauffeuring actors and industry bigwigs around the red carpets of Cannes, despite the fact that the [...]
Rival TMX bid could poach LSE’s advisers May 16, 2011 ROYAL Bank of Canada, one of the London Stock Exchange’s advisers for its agreed merger with Toronto bourse operator TMX, could be poached by the rival bidder threatening to derail the LSE’s plans. Luc Bertrand, the chief of the Maple consortium of banks mounting a rival offer, said he would approach Royal Bank of Canada. [...]
Lord Browne shortlisted for the National Grid chair May 15, 2011 FORMER BP boss Lord Browne of Madingley is among the front-runners for the chairmanship of National Grid, a source said yesterday. Browne was approached by the company about taking the job a few months ago, and is now thought to be up against just one other candidate for the role. Browne, who left BP in [...]
LSE cries foul at rival bid for Canada’s TMX May 15, 2011 THE BID threatening to derail the London Stock Exchange’s agreed merger with Canadian peer TMX Group should raise significant regulatory concerns, the chief of the London bourse has claimed. A consortium of Canadian banks and pension funds, known together as the Maple group, tabled a counterbid to the LSE’s offer at the weekend. But speaking [...]
Strong miners propel FTSE to a one-week closing high May 10, 2011 THE FTSE 100 share index hit a one-week closing high yesterday after bumper Chinese trade data boosted miners, although analysts said sentiment could be soured if Beijing opts to tighten its monetary policy. China’s April consumer price inflation index, due today, is expected to have dipped from March’s 32-month high of 5.4 per cent to [...]
Two cylinders: one hot car May 10, 2011 FIAT’S decision to sell its 500 city car with a super-economical two-cylinder engine may not stem from sentimentality. But my desire to drive it does. How would it compare to the original iconic Fiat 500, a car that also had a two-cylinder engine and which I have driven and have a fondness for? The original [...]
CAR TALK May 10, 2011 VAUXHALL’S INSIGNIA VXR IS UNLEASHED Vauxhall has introduced a package to de-restrict the Insignia VXR so that it’s capable of 170mph. Called the ‘Unlimited’ option the package removes the ‘regular’ Insignia VXR’s 155mph restrictor and costs just £250. Available for the hatch, saloon and sports tourer versions it means the Insignia VXR Unlimited’s turbocharged, 321bhp, [...]
BHP Brazil plan gets green light May 3, 2011 BHP Billiton and its partner Vale has given its blessing to a $3.5bn (£2.1bn) expansion project for its Samarco mining project in Brazil. The firms plan to expand iron ore pellet production capacity by 8.3m tonnes to 30.5m tonnes a year, with first production expected in 2014.
Rough with the smooth April 26, 2011 THE drive for good fuel economy usually puts a dampener on fun, with one almost always coming at the cost of the other. If you’ve driven a Mini you’ll know that the Cooper S is an exciting drive. The problem is the minute you hammer one around the Kent countryside then the fuel economy tanks. [...]