Top car makers probe allegations by Chinese consumer programme March 16, 2015 CAR MAKERS, including Volkswagen, Nissan Motor and Mercedes Benz, said they were probing allegations aired late on Sunday by Chinese state TV that the firms oversold repairs and spare parts to drivers. The annual consumer rights day investigative special, similar to BBC One’s Watchdog programme, also criticised Jaguar Land Rover for gearbox problems in some [...]
Here’s everything we know about Sakti3 – the US startup Dyson just invested $15m in March 16, 2015 Some 15 years into the entrepreneur game, Sir James Dyson has made his first-ever investment outside his own business, after he ploughed $15m (£10m) in US startup Sakti3. The company, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, develops solid-state batteries. The investment was part of a wider, $20m funding round. Dyson said the company will help it [...]
How a startup can benefit from a hybrid investment strategy March 15, 2015 Different kinds of investors bring different kinds of value to the table. Striking the right balance between them is vital for any young business. At JustPark, I’ve now had exposure to four different types of investor: a corporate investor, an angel investor, a venture capital firm, and currently the crowd – the thousands of people [...]
From BHS and John Lewis to TSB and the Apple Watch: What got us talking this week? March 13, 2015 Jeremy Clarkson punched a man over a steak. Blurred Lines went from being the song with questionable gender politics to being a Marvin Gaye rip-off. And somewhere above our heads, a pilot got bored and drew rude pictures using GPS flight data. Here is what got us talking at City A.M. 1. After 15 [...]
Gotham Air is Uber for helicopters March 13, 2015 Pills, pets, hot stone massages – there's an Uber for all of them. But now the "hail something from your smartphone" model has gone considerably more upmarket, after the launch of Gotham Air – an Uber for helicopters. Admittedly hailing a helicopter comes with more conditions than hailing a cab. Firstly, at the moment it's [...]
Total recall: Could you draw the Apple logo from memory? March 11, 2015 Do you know what the Apple logo looks like? How confident are you that you're right? Chances are you might be deluding yourself if you answered “very”. We are constantly bombarded with logos from McDonald's Golden Arches to Nike's swooshing tick, but a new study suggests we really aren't paying all that much attention. [...]
Wish you still had your Nokia 3210? Now you can play Snake on the fountains at Kings Cross March 11, 2015 Do you wish we could get back to the good old days when mobile phones were for making calls, maybe texting – and, at the absolute most, playing Snake? If that sounds like you, there are two options open to you. First, you could relocate to a county where 4G reception is so bad you [...]
Restaurant review: Typing Room is a local with verve March 10, 2015 On the ever-spinning carousel that is the London restaurant scene, there are inevitably winners and losers. When Nuno Mendes packed up Viajante to help create London’s most papped eatery, Chiltern Firehouse, it seemed Bethnal Green would be one of the losers. But the space he vacated – the old town hall off Cambridge Heath road, [...]
Apple Watch: This is what luxury watch stocks are doing after Apple’s smartwatch launch March 10, 2015 After the fanfare of the Apple Watch, stocks in the world’s traditional luxury watchmakers dipped lower as the historic industry faces up to the modern age. The Swiss watch industry, where the majority of luxury watches are made, exported 28.6m units in 2014, while analysts are predicting challenger Apple (in the watch arena at least) will [...]
Gold Apple Watch: Five things you can buy for $17,000 – classic car, house deposit and four years worth of travel March 10, 2015 Now we know everything about the Apple Watch, the biggest decision is whether to buy one or not. Starting at a respectable $349 (£299), many Apple owners will be eyeing up the entry-level Sport model. At the other end of the spectrum, however, is the 18 carat gold version, coming in at an eye-watering $17,000 (£13,500) [...]