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Sales of luxury German cars on the rise

The German car makers of luxury car brands such as Audi, Rolls Royce, and BMW have reported very healthy half year sales with countries such as China and the US coming out as the biggest consumers of these vehicles.

The BMW group, which also owns Mini and Rolls Royce, reported that sales during the month of June increasing by 12.2% on the year which equates to 145,157 vehicles being delivered.

Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen AG is one of the biggest success stories of the year having reported a massive 61.6% rise in car sales in China and an overall year on year increase in sales of 8.7% The Audi A3 and the mid-size Audi A5 have been the biggest sellers for the brand over in the US with sales of these vehicles doubling during the month of June according to statistics released on July 1st.

The BMW group is also doing well in China having more than doubled sales to the country in the first half of this year with 75,615 vehicles being delivered. A Marketing Executive at BMW says the company has a series of plans in place to ensure this upward trend continues through into the second half of the year.

Experts say the reports of sales increases from luxury car makers is a sign that the economy in countries such as the US and China is more robust than initially thought, and is also recovering a lot quicker than previously anticipated.

by Andrew LloydJuly 9, 2010no comment

Beyonce’s chauffeur driven Mercedes involved in London crash

Grammy-award-winning singer Beyonce was described as being “lucky to be alive” after a black cab smashed into the side of her chauffeur driven Mercedes just as she was stepping out of the vehicle.

The Crazy in Love singer was leaving the Silver Mercedes S-Class and was about to make her way into the world’s most luxury department store, Harrods, when the collision occurred. Her husband, Jay-Z was said to have been onboard at the time as the couple had planned a quick shopping trip before dining out at Knightsbridge restaurant, Zuma.

One eyewitness told a UK tabloid paper that the accident was “terrifying to watch” adding that the collision had happened very quickly as “the taxi came out of nowhere.”

It’s been reported that the black cab came flying around a corner, ploughing into the side of Beyonce’s Mercedes, ripping the open door off its hinges as the superstar was attempting to get out.

Beyonce was reported to have been unharmed, although shaken following the accident.

The couple decided to abandon their Harrods shopping trip in light of the accident, and so a replacement car arrived and transported the pair to the Knightsbridge eatery instead.

by Andrew LloydJuly 8, 2010no comment

Electric urban car created by top F1 designer is revealed

A brand new design for a cutting edge electric urban car created by a former Formula 1 designer has been unveiled. Gordon Murray is one of the UK’s most renowned motor car designers and has been responsible for some of the most successful Formula 1 cars ever including the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

Now Mr Murray has turned his attention to creating an eco-friendly car for the 21^st century. The result is the T.25 which has been designed with city driving in mind and features a number of innovative elements.

Side mirrors have been integrated into the car so as to minimise the potential for damage, plus the fuel cap can be accessed from both side of the vehicle for added convenience. The car will have the capability to reach maximum speeds of 80mph.

The T.25 measures just 2.4 metres in length and is 1.3 metres wide meaning it’s super easy to park on city streets. Plus the small compact design enables two of these vehicles to be parked side by side in an average sized garage.

Three people can be transported in T.25 although the interior can be adapted to carry less people and more stowage instead. The lightweight design aids fuel consumption meaning it’s very economical to run. In fact the whole design has been created with affordability in mind and the entire car will cost no more than £6,000 to produce, although the actual retail price is yet to be disclosed.

by Andrew LloydJuly 8, 2010no comment

Watch mechanics repair your car with Audi Cam

If you’re one of those people who worry about handing your car over to a mechanic for fear it won’t be handled well, then Audi have just come up with a solution which will provide you with total peace of mind.

Introducing the Audi Cam. The device allows customers to watch the mechanic working on their car through a webcam which is attached to the mechanic’s head. The car owner is able to sit in the waiting room and watch exactly what is happening to their car via the Audi Cam.

The customer and mechanic are also connected through a two-way radio which allows the technician to get in contact easily with the owner to check details of the car’s history or to clarify the exact details of the problem affecting their Audi.

Although the vast majority of Audi mechanics are highly professional and competent, the introduction of the Audi cam will at least help to put the mind’s of anxious customers at rest who feel uneasy when handing over their car to a stranger for repairs or service.

At present the service is only available in Europe, however if the pilot scheme is deemed a success, we could see it making its way over to the UK in the very near future.

by Andrew LloydJuly 7, 20101 comment

Audi scoops top green car award

Audi’s clean diesel sedan fought off stiff competition from the likes of the Toyota Prius to win the Green Car of the Year Award at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.

Last year’s winner was a fellow clean diesel vehicle, the Volkswagen Jetta, making it a two year scoop for the diesel cars. However Volkswagen weren’t too unhappy to have their crown stolen by the Audi A3 as Volkswagen AG also owns the Audi brand.

This year’s winner of the Green Car award was praised by the judges for its ability to provide all of the environmental features possible, and at the same time offering a car which is both stylish and fun to drive.

The Audi A3 TDI boasts great fuel efficiency and is able to achieve 42 miles to the gallon while on motorway runs.

The Toyota Prius’s reign as the leading green car may look like coming to an end as other manufacturers are also catching up with the technology. According to experts at the Auto show, the Prius failed to impress the judges this time round as the third-generation model showed little change from its predecessor meaning it hadn’t developed further from the last Prius.

Green Car Journal editors and other invited industry experts make up the judging panel for the top Green Car Award. Other finalists for the top prize included the aforementioned Prius, also the Volkswagen Golf TDI clean-diesel, the Honda Insight hybrid, Ford’s Mercury Milan hybrid.

by Andrew LloydDecember 7, 2009no comment

Sales of Rolls Royce cars on the rise in Asia

According to Rolls Royce, sales of their luxury cars are on the rise in Asia suggesting that the effects of the global financial crisis are finally starting to recede.

China and India are the two countries singled out by Rolls Royce as leading the way out of the global recession with Japan following closely behind, and also Australia.

The comments were made by Rolls Royce Asia Pacific Regional Chief Colin Kelly at the unveiling of the latest Ghost model in New Delhi recently. Kelly said Rolls Royce had suffered as a result of the economic slump during 2009, after enjoying a bumper year of sales in 2008.

Making predictions for the coming year, in Asia, China will contribute half of the unit sales in 2010 while India, which is becoming an increasingly key market for Rolls Royce, will account for 10 to 12 per cent, Mr Kelly revealed.

Despite forecasting earlier in the year that sales in Asia would be down by 35% Rolls Royce now has a more positive outlook and is predicting a much better year that previously expected.

The newly released Rolls Royce Ghost is expected to help boost sales in Asia significantly as the manufacturer claims there has been a great deal of interest in the new model in the run-up to its release.

by Andrew LloydNovember 23, 2009no comment

Mercedes Benz unveils its own iPhone app

Mercedes Benz has unveiled its very own iPhone app which will allow customers to view their accounts and make payments quickly and efficiently.

The app is free to all Mercedes-Benz customers who use the firm’s US financial services division to lease or purchase a Mercedes vehicle. For those who are ineligible to obtain the app for free, it is available from the Apple App Store.

After conducting internal research Mercedes-Benz found that there was an approximately 50% 50% split between is customers who used iPhones and Blackberry devices, however the decision was made to devise an app for the iPhone as this could also be used by customers with iPod Touches.

Mercedes-Benz is also hoping to develop an app for Blackberry devices in the near future to further enhance the company’s “mobile platform.”

The team behind the Mercedes app had very little time to devise the feature. Work started on creating the app in July, and it was finished by September. Now customers will be able to view their accounts and process payments direct from their bank account to Mercedes using the brand new app.

If you are interested in loading the Mercedes-Benz app to your iPhone you must first register online at Mercedes-BenzFinancial.com to set up a user password and identification.

by Andrew LloydOctober 7, 2009no comment

Mercedes-Benz outlines plans for electric powered supercar

Mercedes-Benz has announced its plans to create an electric powered supercar. The news comes a matter of months after Mercedes bought a 10% stake in the electric motor car manufacturing company, Tesla.

The base for the electric Mercedes car will be the brand’s SLS two-door coupe. The non-electric SLS Mercedes Benz features a 563 horsepower 6.3 litre gasoline-powered V8 engine capable of propelling the car to speeds approaching 200 miles per hour.

Plans for the electric version reveal that the vehicle will be powered by four separate batteries with one powering each of the four wheels. It’s estimated this will give the green Mercedes 526bhp and the car will be capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in less than four seconds.

The car batteries are being developed in conjunction with the German battery cell manufacturer Evonik Industries. It is anticipated that the battery will provide a range of approximately 200 miles although Mercedes is yet to reveal the exact expectations for the capabilities of the new electric vehicle.

The involvement of US electric car maker Tesla in the development of the Mercedes supercar has not been confirmed.

Mercedes-Benz’s non-electric version of the SLS coupe can be seen at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show at the end of the year.

by Andrew LloydSeptember 1, 2009no comment

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