PEOPLE like Porsches – of that there’s no doubt.
The German sports car manufacturer has just enjoyed the best year sales in its long history, with turnover up an impressive 25 per cent over 2011.
That means they shifted 143,096 cars – and not just sleek little 911s, Caymans and Boxsters either, as the big muscley Cayenne also does its bit for the company.
THERE are times when I regret saying goodbye to our Audi A4 cabriolet – the other day was one of them.
Not that I would be in the market for the car that started twanging the old nostalgia strings. At £68,985, the RS5 cabriolet is definitely a car for the well heeled (and not just the well coiffeured four inch heeled) as well as the well walleted.
POSSIBLY picked a bad couple of days to go to north Wales to sample the delights of the latest Peugeot 208 GTi.
For so long the bastion of the speeding motorist hating constabulary, it was also, for our brief stay, home to rather a lot of senior police officers in what was Speed Awareness Week. So, you might agree, not a good time to go hooning around the neighbourhood in the latest incarnation of what was one of the very first and very best hot hatches.
THERE was an air of inevitability about this happening, given Audi’s mastery of diesel propulsion and the company’s growing trophy cabinet with its Le Mans successes.
And now it’s here – the Audi SQ5 TDI, the very first S model with a diesel engine.
A REPORT from Nissan has helped dispelled the myth that all white van drivers are a breed apart….
The official launch of the Nissan Van Report says they do actually care about how they drive, and it came as Nissan debuted their 100 per cent electric eNV200 at the CV Show in Birmingham. The report gives an insight into the modern day professional driver and shows that they’ve got more in common with other motorists than we might have thought.
SILVERSTONE’S three day Classic in July is to stage a special tribute to racing legend Jim Clark.
It’s 45 years since the fastest farmer in the world lost his life in a meaningless Formula 2 race at Hockenheim, but his memory lingers on, and those who appreciate the sublime skills he brought to the sport will be eager to pay their respects to the two times world champion at the Northants track, where he won the last of his five British Grand Prix wins in 1967.
MILTON Keynes based Mercedes-Benz UK and its dealer network have achieved their best-ever record-breaking registration performance, according to figures released by SMMT.
March 2013 was the most successful in the company’s history, with 18,655 new cars registered – an increase of 15.4 per cent over March 2012.
THERE used to be a slogan years ago that went along the lines of ‘you’ll be amazed at a Mazda’ – and you would today once you’ve cast your eyes over the all new Mazda6.
It is without doubt the best looking car they’ve brought to the market since someone took a pencil out of the tin and penned the little MX5.
THEY claim racing improves the breed, and that technology developed at the top level of motor sport filters down to those of us with slightly less ability behind the wheel.
And you’ve got to admit they’ve got a point. Just take a look at the average steering wheel these days and you’re likely to find more buttons than a big girl’s blouse on it.
SEAT’S Leon of 1998 vintage was their first C segment car under VW ownership, and sparked the emergence of the FR and Cupra spec cars for the more sporty orientated driver.
And its success here since then has proved it’s not just Spanish holiday resorts and islands that Brits have a strong liking for.
But nowadays the Spanish economy needs a shot in the arm, and the latest model could be just the car to drive to the rescue. Because it’s really quite good.