Not convinced? September 9, 2013 HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi £19,345 The Ford C-Max Zetec 1.6 TDCi easily outdrives the Citroën and it’s also almost £5,000 cheaper. It’s a tad behind the Picasso on acceleration (0-62mph 11.3 seconds) but trails a bit on top speed (114mph). It’s also behind the Picasso’s impressive CO2 emissions with 117g/km [...]
South African motor and gold strikes ending September 8, 2013 WORKERS in South Africa’s motor and gold industries will return to work this week after strikes that have crippled operations at some of the country’s biggest producers were resolved yesterday. Prolonged labour disputes in the two key exporting industries had threatened to compound the woes of Africa’s largest economy, still reeling from last year’s violent [...]
City Moves for 06 September 2013 | Who’s switching jobs September 5, 2013 Dentons The law firm has recruited Babette Marzheuser-Wood as a partner in its technology, media and telecommunications division. She joins from Field Fisher Waterhouse. Colliers International The commercial real estate services firm has appointed Simon Ford as a director in its corporate solutions team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He joins from [...]
Volvo plans cost cuts to try and stem its losses September 4, 2013 VOLVO Cars said yesterday it aimed to break even this year, banking on a pick-up in China and cost cuts to turn around a first-half loss. It is seeking to take on larger global luxury brands such as BMW, Daimler’s Mercedes and Volkswagen’s Audi and win a market share big enough to foot the bill [...]
Spanish regulator opens probe into claims car sellers fix prices September 4, 2013 SPAIN’S antitrust regulator CNC said yesterday it is investigating possible price-fixing in the country by some of the world’s largest car firms. The probe will examine evidence that affiliates of, among others, Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Toyota, General Motors and Ford shared market-sensitive information to set prices and service contracts. “These are considered very serious (alleged) [...]
New York Report: Syria pause and car sales data lift stocks September 4, 2013 U S stocks rose for a second day yesterday as a possible military action in Syria was seen as limited and strong auto sales lifted investor confidence in the US economy. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a resolution authorizing a limited U.S. military intervention in Syria, setting the stage for a debate in [...]
Not Convinced? September 3, 2013 HERE ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES VW Polo GTI 1.4 TSI DSG, £19,570 If you feel nostalgic about the first Golf GTIs, perhaps this Polo GTI is a better option. It’s only got a 1.4-litre engine that delivers just 177bhp, but it still gets up to 142mph and can hit 62mph in 6.9 seconds. It’s a good-looking [...]
Car production in Britain goes up a gear in July August 22, 2013 CAR MANUFACTURERS in Britain produced seven per cent more cars last month, and analysts are expecting output to accelerate further during the rest of the year. Almost 129,000 cars rolled off the production lines in UK factories in July, compared to 120,391 for the same month a year ago. This jump helped to take year-to-date [...]
Any Other Business – 14/08 August 13, 2013 ■ It’s barely 24 hours since BBC Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman shocked middle Britain with his Twitter-trending facial hair, but bookies are already taking bets on how long the interviewer’s designer stubble will last. Ladbrokes is offering 4/5 odds-on that Paxman’s beard sees out the week – while punters who think he’ll go for a [...]
Another rise in new car sales as industry thrives August 6, 2013 THE AUTOMOTIVE industry registered another expansion in July, with 162,228 new cars registered in the UK, the 17th monthly rise in a row. The announcement, made by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), caused the industry body to raise its forecast for new registrations in 2013 to 2.216m units. This means the SMMT’s [...]