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Leading car hire company to launch electric rentals by Christmas

Leading car hire company, Hertz, have revealed plans to launch electric powered hire cars in the US by Christmas.

The first fleet of electric cars will be introduced in Manhattan, New York City, next week. Hertz dropped a big hint that eco-friendly car hire was about to be introduced when they pitched up at the busy Times Square in New York this week to give demonstrations of the new electric vehicles, which will soon become part of their fleet.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Nissan Leaf are two of the electric vehicles which will be available to hire through Hertz. However these green cars will only be available to Connect By Hertz members which is a car sharing scheme. It is not known whether the electric cars will be available to hire by non Connect members within the coming 12 months.

It has been reported that Hertz plan to have 1,000 electric powered vehicles within their fleets across the US by the end of 2011.

The first 20 electric cars will form part of the Manhattan branch of hire cars however electric cars are also coming to branches in San Francisco, Texas and at selected College campuses. Outside of the US, Hertz are planning to launch electric car hire in both London and China within the coming 12 months.

Cars for Stars battle the elements to transport terminally ill children to awards ceremony

Despite the heavy snowfall and treacherous driving conditions, Cars for Stars succeeded in transporting 21 terminally ill children and their families to a special awards ceremony in Newcastle this week where all of the youngsters were due to receive awards.

Each of the children has courageously battled a life threatening disease, and all of them were in line to receive a Brave Heart Award at the ceremony held in St James Park, Newcastle this week.

Cars for Stars originally took a booking for a mix of 6 limos and party buses for the event, but a further 5 vehicles were booked at the last minute after another supplier let the Brave Heart Awards organisers down.

In total 11 limos including 4 hummer H2 limos, a H3 hummer, a party bus, Audi Q7, 2 Chrysler limos and 2 Lincoln Towncars supplied by both Millennium Limousines and Elite Limos, were booked to ferry the 21 brave youngsters and their families to the awards ceremony. Tragically, one limo had to be cancelled at the 11th hour after one of the children sadly passed away.

However the planned event ran into serious trouble after the UK, and particularly the north of the country, was hit by snow, ice and plummeting temperatures. The severe weather conditions threatened the whole event as the roads were so treacherous, there was no hope of sending the chauffeur driven limousines to collect the children.

Determined to not let the youngsters down, Stephen Welch at Cars for Stars and Millennium Limousines set to work pressuring the local authorities to bring out the gritting lorries to clear the impassable roads so that the planned limo rides for the sick children could go ahead.

Cars for Stars and Millennium Limousines succeeded in persuading the council’s gritting lorries to put in overtime in order to clear the roads so as to ensure the limos could reach the Brave Heart children so they could enjoy the special treat so they very much deserved.

We are delighted to report that all 21 children and their families made it to the Brave Heart Awards ceremony in their chauffeur driven limos and a great time was had by all.

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Wedding car traded for a skip on bride’s big day

Every bride wants to make an entrance on their big day, and for 43-year-old Noreen Quin from Swindon, her big arrival certainly caused a stir over the weekend.

The happy couple decided to do away with tradition and the usual chauffeur driven Rolls Royce or Bentley wedding car and so opted for something a little more familiar.

Although the Noreen and her now husband Nick Kearns have known each other for 20 years, they didn’t get together until Noreen came to work at businessman Nick’s skip hire firm.

In honour of the business that brought them together, romantic groom Nick decided to convert one of his skips into a “carriage” to transport his “princess” on their special day.

Although the skip hire company owner admitted the wedding skip had been used to transport rubbish in the past, the container underwent a complete makeover ahead of the big day.

The skip revamp took approximately two and half weeks to complete, according to the groom who undertook all of the work himself. The skip was carpeted, painted blue to match the bride’s dress with a glitter effect, a Perspex roof was added, along with seat belts in accordance with health and safety laws, and also a drop down door so as to allow the bride to make a graceful exit.

As the skip has no engine, it had to be transported to the registry office on the back of a lorry. After the service, the bridal party were treated to a ride in the wedding skip back to the reception venue.

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US schoolboy rewarded for good grades with chauffeur driven limo ride

A former problem teen who was failing all of his classes and on the verge of expulsion was rewarded with a chauffeur driven limo ride and shopping spree for turning his life around.

Ki’Angelo Carpenter was in constant trouble at school for one reason or another, and his mother described how she’d receive daily phone calls because of something her son had done wrong.

After being suspended from school and failing every single class, the eighth grade pupil from Toledo, Ohio, decided to change his ways.

Over the course of the last school year, the youngster has succeeded in changing his grades from E’s and F’s to A’s and B’s, plus his teachers say his general attitude and behaviour has improved dramatically.

The teen’s turnaround in his academic achievements and also his general attitude to school life has not gone unnoticed by his teachers. As part of the annual “Big Give” campaign organised by Kings Kids Academy, Ki’Angelo was awarded a chauffeur driven limo ride and a $500 shopping spree at the local Westfield Franklin Park Mall as a reward for his effort in turning his life around.

The youngster was told about the limo treat during a school assembly, after which Ki’Angelo was immediately whisked away in the chauffeur driven stretch to enjoy his prize.

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6 wheeled sports car is unveiled

It’s been 32 years in the making, but Italian car maker Covini Engineering has finally completed their 6-wheeled sports car, and it’s ready for its debut this week.

Covini Engineering’s C6W is due for its first public outing this week where it will be unveiled at the Racing Professional Motor Show in Bologna.

The unusual sports car takes its inspiration from a 1976 Formula 1 racing car, the Tyrell P34 which boasted two pairs of 10 inch wheels at the front of the vehicle.

Covini are convinced 6 wheels are better than 4. The Italian car maker says the addition of two extra wheels on the front of the vehicle helps improve traction, and the smaller space on the front of the car makes for a reduction in drag, which in turn increases speed.

According to Covini the 6 wheel car also offers a reduced risk of front tyre deflation, better grip and braking, and improved absorption of front impact. The C6W is equipped with a 4.2 litre Audi engine which provides 433 BHP, with a six speed gearbox. The sports car’s top speed is reported to be 185mph.

The C6W sports which is scheduled to makes its debut in Bologna this week is reported to be the final production model, however there’s no word yet on when the unique sports car will be available to buy, and crucially, how much it will cost.

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Katie Price handed a 6 month driving ban

Former glamour model and reality TV star Katie Price has been handed a 6 month driving ban today after she was caught speeding at 83mph.

The mother-of-three’s most recent court hearing marked the third time this year she’s been convicted of a driving offence. After a further three points were added to her licence after she pleaded guilty to speeding, this meant the model had a grand total of 13 points on her licence, any more than 12 and you’re given an automatic 6 month ban.

The 32-year-old seemed unfazed by the driving disqualification and took to her Twitter account to blast the news sites reporting the story writing, “Big deal report on real news.” The celeb later joked that at least her family and friends would now have a chance to drive her vehicles, of which she has several. The model owns two Range Rover, pink VW Beetle, and two pink horse boxes.

Katie Price’s lawyers argued that she was speeding in order to get away from a gang of paparazzi who were pursuing her. She had also notified the police in regard to over the zealous and potentially dangerous behaviour of the photographers.

However the judge overseeing the case concluded that this kind of attention “goes with the territory” referring to Price’s celebrity status.

As well as a 6 month driving ban, Price was also fined £1,000 because this was the third court conviction for a driving offence in 12 months.

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Avis car hire launch female only chauffeur service in India

Avis rent-a-car has become the first premier car hire provider to launch a female only chauffeur hire service in India.

The female only chauffeur hire service will be available in India only initially at a top Mumbai hotel, The Oberoi. A fleet of luxury cars, including the BMW 5 Series, will be used for the service based at the Oberoi Hotel. Avis are planning to roll the scheme out to other parts of the country if there is enough demand.

It is anticipated that the service will be especially popular with females travelling alone in India. Avis believe their female chauffeur policy will help alleviate any feelings of insecurity a female traveller may have when visiting an unfamiliar city alone.

All of lady chauffeurs are aged between 25-53 years of age and are all fluent in English which will benefit those visiting India on business from the UK. Each chauffeur has undergone 2 months of training before getting behind the wheel as an Avis chauffeur. The training includes enhancing customer relation skills, instruction on handling a luxury car, and improving their navigation ability around the city of Mumbai and other local areas.

Avis car hire currently operates in 16 cities across India, but has outlined expansion plans to launch a number of new branches in various locations across the country.

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Car hire firm outlines development plans for 2011

Car rental firm, Economy Car Hire have outlined their plans to develop their business in the coming year.

Economy Car Hire has revealed their intention to expand their service to a number of key locations including launching a car rental service in Portugal, Turkey and Spain. The vehicle hire firm is also planning to expand further in the UK by introducing a number of new branches in specific areas of the country.

By opening a number of new rental outlet in the UK, Economy Car Hire are hoping to tap into the growing trend for “staycations” in Britain.

By expanding in a number of key areas, both in the UK and in European destinations, Economy Car Hire is aiming to offer a wide of choice of available vehicles for hire, which will ensure the company can continue to offer highly competitive rates.

The head of Economy Car Hire believes the firm has a number of important features which will help the business grow, and potentially become one of the leading car hire providers in the UK. Economy Car Hire doesn’t charge customers for extra drivers, for example, and nor do they add on extra cost for taxes or insurance, unlike many other car hire providers.

The boss of the car rental provider also revealed that 93% of their customers would recommend their services to others, which is an encouraging statistic for Economy Car hire.

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Women only chauffeurs for new private hire service in Prague

A brand new private hire transport service has been launched in Prague using only female chauffeurs.

The new service is offered by GlamourCars and aims to provide a luxurious and refined transport experience for tourists, locals and business professionals visiting the city.

With female only drivers who are fluent in both Czech and English, driving top quality saloon cars with perfumed interiors, onboard refreshments, newspapers and magazines and Wi-Fi facilities, GlamourCars are aiming to target a high calibre of clientele.

However all of this comfort and luxury does come at a price, roughly double the cost of your average taxi cab in Prague. However regular clients will receive some kind of concessionary rate or special discounts of other services it has been claimed.

All of the female chauffeurs possess excellent local knowledge of Prague and are experienced and safe drivers who adhere to all speed limits and driving regulations, the private hire company states.

The female only chauffeur driven car hire service in the Czech Republic’s capital city is planning to start out small in order to test the water to see how well the scheme is received. Initially the private hire service will only be available on weekdays, with one car in operation with a pool of professional female drivers working on a rota system.

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New McLaren sports car unveiled in Bahrain

The British car manufacturer famed for its motor racing connections has unveiled its latest high powered sports car for the first time in Bahrain.

The MP4-12C made its debut at the Royal Bahrain Golf Club over the weekend. A unique feature of the new luxury sports car is its one piece chassis, known as the carbon Monocell, which has been seen before in motor sport racing, but now in sports cars for leisure and domestic use.

The MP4-12C hopes to rival the likes of the Lamborghini and Ferrari. With a 3.8 litre V8 twin-turbo engine producing 600 brake horse power, a duel clutch gearbox, and the ability to hit 60kmph in less than 4 seconds with a top speed of 322kmph, the new McLaren sports car is certain to cause a stir in the world of luxury sports cars.

Those wishing to drive away in their very own McLaren sports car will have the choice of 17 different colours and the choice of 14 different internal trims. A number of extra features can be added to the car to customise it to a customer’s personal preference.

However this high performance car comes at a price, and that price is believed to start at £168,500.

McLaren’s sports car will go on sale in Europe early next year, before being sold in the Middle East.