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Rolls Royce launch custom made picnic sets for the summer

Rolls Royce has unveiled a line in custom made picnic sets for their dedicated customers just in time for the summer. The extra feature is introduced by Rolls Royce’s Bespoke Program which endeavours to create special touches to enhance every owner’s enjoyment of their Rolls Royce.

The new 4-person picnic set has been designed by in-house craftsmen and designers and is finished to the very high standard expected from a Rolls Royce product. The set is finished in polished aluminium with wood veneer and leather, perfect for al-fresco dining during the warm summer months.

The Bespoke Program has just 100 especially designed items in its collection, including the recently launched picnic set. The scheme aims to create extra features to complement its cars, and also serve the individual needs of each of its customers by adding a personal touch. Other articles which are offered through the Bespoke Program include personalised tread plates, specially made interior seating fabrics, and unique paint for the exterior amongst other features.

The latest addition to the Bespoke Program, the 4-person picnic set, is making its debut at the UK’s exclusive Salon Prive at London’s Hurlington Club on July 21st – 23rd.

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Chauffeur driven car carrying German presidential candidate hits cyclist

A chauffeur driven car carrying a German presidential candidate knocked down a cyclist at the end of last month while travelling through the city of Munich.

The chauffeur car was carrying 70-year-old Joachim Gauck who was canvassing during the run-up to the presidential election at the time of the accident.

The incident happened on June 23rd, just days before the election was due to take place on June 30th. Gauck lost out in the election campaign to Christian Wulff who was named the new German President when the results were announced last week.

The car was driven by a chauffeur employed by the Bavarian State Parliament and was transporting Gauck to Munich Airport, following a meeting with state legislators in the city.

It’s been reported that the chauffeur hadn’t seen the cyclist until it was too late after the bike shot out from between two parked cars, cutting straight across the path of the car as it attempted to cross the road.

The car hit the bike, the impact of which forced the cyclist onto the bonnet of the vehicle, sending him crashing into the windscreen. The cyclist was taken to a nearby hospital where he was said to be in a critical condition.

Neither Joachim Gauck nor the chauffeur were injured as a result of the collision.

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Chauffeur driven car service for official government documents while MPs take the tube

It’s been revealed by the wife of a prominent government figure that chauffeur driven cars are being used to transport ministerial red boxes, while the ministers themselves are expected to travel on public transport.

The new Prime Minister David Cameron ordered that the vast majority of MPs would have to give up their official cars and drivers and take to the tube, train, or bus instead as part of the new government’s plan to slash public spending.

However the comments made by Sarah Vine, the wife of Education Secretary Michael Gove, in a newspaper column this week seem to suggest that the clamp down on the use of chauffeur driven cars by ministers is an illusion, as they are still being used to transport their official documents.

Writing in the newspaper column, Ms Vine says: “My husband is free to travel home by Tube, taxi, bicycle or carrier pigeon, but the RB (red box) must arrive in air-conditioned splendour, snug and secure in the back of a locked car”.

The government has reacted to this news by stating that ministers are allowed to transport their red boxes on public transport, although they are not permitted to read the documents while travelling on public transport for security and confidentiality reasons.

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Cars for Stars has been sold!

Cars for Stars Ltd the award-winning chauffeur driven Car Hire Company has been sold for an undisclosed amount to an anonymous bidder.

The new team have taken over the leading executive travel company this week and plans have already been set into action to completely revamp the business. A brand new state of the art website is in development and is expected to be launched within the coming days.

20 new staff members are being employed by the new management team at Cars for Stars as the expansion plans gets into full swing. The company is set to increase its online presence with a new main website, plus a news website which will offer articles on the latest developments from the world of luxury travel, plus it will detail any last minute deals on offer with Cars for Stars.

One of the biggest changes the company will see is the end of its franchise system which saw chauffeur operators up and down the UK working as licensees on behalf of Cars for Stars. The new buyer will scrap this facility immediately, instead opting to keep a tighter rein on operators in order to maintain a certain standard of quality of service.

Although Cars for Stars will receive a radical make-over over with the introduction of the new owners, the company name a branding will remain the same. As an executive car hire service with a reputation for excellent customer care, the new management team intends to build on Cars for Stars enviable status to create a world class premier travel service.

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Executive car hire service launched by Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport has recently launched an executive chauffeur driven car hire service for passengers travelling either to or from the airport.

As well as organising chauffeur driven transport to destinations in the UK, Heathrow can also arrange for a car and chauffeur to be waiting to collect passengers at70 different countries across the world.

Fully trained chauffeurs with a wealth of experience are used as part of the new executive car hire facility at Heathrow.

The service is extremely flexible and offers collection or drop off to any location in the UK with just 24 hours prior notice. The choice is totally up to the client so they have the freedom to be collected or dropped off at a home address, a hotel, or even their office with the new car hire service. For this reason it is thought that the service will be extremely popular with busy executives.

A range of top quality vehicles are on offer so different size parties can be transported through the chauffeur hire facility. A fleet of S-Class Mercedes vehicles are available to transport clients, these cars can carry three passengers and luggage with ease. However if you require a larger capacity vehicle then the Mercedes Viano MPV is on offer as well. This vehicle is ideal for passengers who have a lot of luggage.

Cars for Stars is an established chauffeur driven car hire company which offers an experienced and competent service for those travelling to Heathrow, or any other airport in the UK. For more information on the premier transport service offered by Cars for Stars, please click on the following link http://www.carsforstars.net/

Avis offers chauffeur driven executive car hire at Shanghai’s World Expo 2010

Car hire giant Avis has been named as the designated car rental operator for Shanghai’s World Expo 2010 which runs from May right through until October.

70 million visitors are expected to descend on the World Expo which offers international fair and expositions. The event has been dubbed by many as the “Olympic Games” of science, technology, and economy.

Due to the fact that international driver permits are not recognised in China, Avis are offering their car rental service along with a personal chauffeur. Now visitors to the World Expo in Shanghai can enjoy all the city has to offer without having to worry about navigating a car through the busy Shanghai traffic, or finding their way through an unfamiliar city.

Avis has invested in 100 new executive vehicles ahead of the World Expo including models from Audi and Mercedes Benz in order to offer potential clients the pick of the finest vehicles on the market.

Due to the international aspect of the event, and that visitors from all over the world will be descending on Shanghai during this time, Avis has set up a bilingual call centre to help customers make their bookings. Plus all chauffeurs offered as part of the car rental scheme are English speaking.

Scottish officials unhappy about how chauffeur driven car hire expenses are published

Glasgow’s Lord Provost is calling for changes to be made to the way in which chauffeur driven car hire bills are made public after it was announced recently that all personal expenses would be made public in reaction to the recent expenses scandal.

The news comes after Scotland’s Finance Secretary, John Swinney, announced that all expenses incurred from the use of chauffeur driven cars for civic figureheads would be made public. Furthermore, these costs would be shown as a personal expense, rather than a cost for the council as a whole.

In a statement issued from Glasgow Council’s office, it states that the current lord provost is in favour of expenses being published, however he is calling for more accurate information and changes to the current format in which these costs are displayed to the public.

Glasgow’s lord provost goes onto say that his role demands he is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and for that reason a chauffeur driven vehicle must be made available for his use at all times. Suggesting that the use of the driver and car is not a perk, more a necessity required to perform his duties as Lord Provost efficiently.

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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.

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Royal Ascot 2009 set to be a big one

The dates for Royal Ascot Racing 2009 have been announced. The dates are as follows: Starts on Monday 16th June 2009 and finishes on Friday 20th June 2009. Ladies Day is scheduled for Wednesday 18th June. The limousine market contracted during 2008, with the number of limousines being available for hire falling for the first time in 10 years or more. This was mainly as a consequence of the new legislation introduced at the beginning of 2008. As a consequence, demand oustripped supply during this busy week, this is not unusual, but it was even more prevelent in 2008.

To avoid disappointment at Royal Ascot 2009, we would recommend booking as early as possible, most limousine and chauffeur car hire companies, such as award winning Cars for Stars, will secure your preferred vehicle with a deposit of 25%. Therefore, even if you cannot book your tickets yet, you can still secure your limousine or chauffeur driven car.

Cars for Stars are a well established, award winning company providing limousine hire and chauffeur cars anywhere in the UK, through a local franchised network. All Cars for Stars branches are licensed for private hire as are their limousines and chauffeur driven cars.

London Event Transportation

 

If you are looking for a reliable company to provide your event transportation needs in London then a good place to start is to find a company that is licensed by the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Contrary to popular belief, there are too many companies operating in London, or on the fringes that have not applied for, or received an appropriate licence for hire and reward. It may be assumed, even if it is not a certainty, that these types of organisation have failed to take care of other essential issues such as vehicle maintenance, vetting of their chauffeurs or maybe public liability insurance. All, doubtless, pre-requisites for event organisers looking for transportation.

 

Other considerations will be the size and extent of the vehicles available from the company, this may include chauffeur driven cars, people carriers, stretched limousines, minibuses or coaches. Equally, reliability and flexibility will be two key areas for most organisation looking for transport for a event transport. In the same way that not all people are created equal, neither are companies providing chauffeur services. Some own and operate their vehicles, even more operate some of their own vehicles and sub-contract other hires and of course, there are those that do not operate any of their own vehicles. In other words, everything is outsourced. It does not matter whether you are looking for 2, 20 or 200 vehicles, the chances are, you will want to deal direct to ensure that all of your instructions and needs are catered for.

 

Cars for Stars is an established, London based, award winning company, offering a comprehensive range of chauffeur driven cars, people carriers and American stretched limousines perfectly suited for special events, event planners and organisers. Cars for Stars is a licensed Private Hire Operator through the Public Carriage Office (PCO). Similarly, all chauffeur driven vehicles offered for hire are licensed by the PCO, as are the Chauffeurs. All of Cars for Stars Chauffeurs’ are experienced and mature and in order to gain the PCO Licence, they will have had to pass a medical and criminal records bureau check. Cars for Stars has the depth of experience to cater for the needs of most organisers and the range of vehicles to handle the majority of requests. They do not operate coaches or buses, but can assist or liaise where required.

 

Cars for Stars offers a range of chauffeur driven cars and people carriers. This includes entry level (but no less popular) vehicles,  such as the Chrysler 300 and Mercedes E Class, executive chauffeur cars which would include the BMW 7 Series (LWB), Mercedes S Class (LWB), Audi A8 and the all new Jaguar XJ (LWB). Top of the range chauffeur cars include the Bentley Arnage, Rolls Royce Phantom and Maybach 62. People carriers offered are the top of the range Mercedes Viano, with seating for 5, 7 or 8 passengers, depending on the level of room and comfort sought. American stretched limousines are available in a range of colours from the popular white, through to the favourite for tours, a silver stretched Chrysler 300 and the unusual, such as the candy apple red Hummer of Chrysler limousines.