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ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR

THE NEW BMW 6 SERIES COUPE AND CONVERTIBLE
World’s most powerful production six-cylinder diesel introduced to BMW 6 Series

EfficientDynamics technology debuts in range

Active Headrests first for BMW 6 Series BMW has announced the launch of a new engine to the BMW 6 Series range at the same time as the model line-up has been revised. The BMW 635d opens up a new sector of the market for BMW by mating the acclaimed twin-turbocharged diesel to the marque’s flagship Grand Tourer. The launch of the BMW 635d coincides with the introduction of fuel saving and emissions-cutting EfficientDynamics technology to the rest of the 6 Series range to improve performance. The model has also been given a subtle restyling to mark the technological changes. More

R-DESIGN – SPORTS INSPIRED NEW OPTION FROM VOLVO
A new Sport with R-DESIGN specification is being introduced for all new Volvo C30, S40 and V50 models.  The R-DESIGN package replaces, and enhances, Volvo’s current Sport trim levels, offering a range of unique sports-inspired interior and exterior details to the Sport and SE Sport variants.   Production of these models starts in early September and cars will arrive in UK showrooms in October. More

****JUST IN****
GREEN GOES WILD!
Electric cars evading elephants. Hybrids having the last laugh on hyenas. In January 2009 a 4000 kilometre zero carbon car rally will be staged between Victoria Falls, Zambia, and Cape Town, South Africa: ZERO RALLY AFRICA. This unique event will publicise the potential and benefits of renewable energy and will draw further attention to climate change whilst crossing the continent which will be the most badly affected by global warming. The route starts at Victoria Falls in Zambia, crosses into Namibia where it travels through national parks to the Skeleton Coast, heads south past the highest sand dunes in the world, crosses into South Africa over the Orange River, down through the Karoo pausing at a world class vineyard, around Table Mountain and ending in Cape Town. The rally will be carbon neutral and is open to solar, electric, hybrid, biofuel, and hydrogen vehicles. It will be a dramatic demonstration of the viability and practicality of these vehicles in an even more dramatic setting. Teams from the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, and Australia have already expressed a desire to take part. A series of pre-publicity events are planned for the run-up to the rally. 
For more information, route maps etc. please contact Peter Collingwood at info@zerorallyafrica.com. 
Tel: +44 (0)208 864 4207. Mobile/Cell: 07956 464 862 or Russell Hay 0776 990 8940.

ZeroRallyAfrica for more information mail info@zerorallyafrica.com or log on to 
www.zerorallyafrica.com

**NORTH SOUTH DIVIDE AS GARAGE CHARGES TOP £183 AN HOUR**
With garages charging up to £183.30 an hour for a mechanic, it’s no surprise to hear that British motorists forked out more than £3.7bn on labour to fix their cars last year. 
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HIGHWAY ROBBERY AS DICK TURPIN RIDES AGAIN!
A firm who lifted a pensioner’s car within 10 minutes of his leaving it – and charged £334 to put it back on the ground - was named as the latest winner of the RAC Foundation’s Dick Turpin award.  The award was presented by Jennie Bond as part of ITV’s Driving Me Crazy, which was shown at 9pm on (Tuesday) 21st August. The winner, ISTM Group Ltd, patrols estates throughout London, and is the third recipient of the infamous “Dick Turpin” award. 
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FORD sets land speed record with Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 fuel cell race car
Ford Motor Company made history today by reaching 207.279 mph with the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999, the world’s first production-based hydrogen fuel cell race car. The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 is Ford’s latest environmental innovation, another step on the road toward commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The car was designed and built by Ford engineers in collaboration with Ohio State University, Ballard Power Systems and Roush. 
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SAT-NAVS: FTA CALLS FOR BETTER LORRY/TRUCK DIRECTIONS
The Freight Transport Association is asking suppliers to produce satellite navigation systems which are more compatible with freight operations.  Mapping software customarily supplied with sat-nav units assumes the vehicle being driven is able to navigate the selected route legally, safely and without inconveniencing the local community and other road users. 
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AUTOCAR REVEALS £25 C-CHARGE TO RAISE £250m
Slapping a £25 congestion charge on big cars will do almost nothing for London¹s air pollution or traffic congestion, and is mostly about helping Transport for London¹s flawed scheme pay its own way, according to todays findings in Autocar magazine. Around 40,000 cars in tax band G a year will have to pay the proposed charge, says Autocar, which will pour an estimated £170 million more into TfL’s coffers. That will lift total revenue to around £250 million and generously cover at last the enormous administration costs of the scheme, which amounted to £152 million last year, and are forecast to rise further. The unfairness of the C-charge, Autocar believes, is that Band G cars make up a tiny proportion of London’s traffic, and contribute a negligible (and declining) amount to its carbon emissions.  Persecuting them will make little or no difference to the overall situation, while damaging the domestic customer base of markets British-based car businesses like Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover which boost local jobs and generate big export earnings. “Ken Livingstone and TfL need to decide, once and for all, what the C-charge¹s true purpose is, beyond persecuting well-heeled, inner-city motorists.” comments says Autocar editor, Chas Hallett. “It¹s good news that drivers of cars with CO2 emissions lower than 120g/km may soon pay nothing, but why do we need a scheme which is so expensive to administer that it has to pick on a minority group which, in the grand scheme of things, does almost no harm to congestion or pollution, and helps preserve British jobs?”  For more information see www.autocar.co.uk

PETROL/GAS STATION CLOSURES – TIME FOR ACTION SAY PETROL RETAILERS
‘Motorists could soon find it more difficult to refuel their vehicles if filling stations continue to close at the current rate,’ said Ray Holloway, director of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), commenting on the shrinkage of the UK forecourt sector.
150 forecourts have already closed this year, according to figures released by oil industry body Catalist.  There are now less than 9,500 forecourts in the UK, including supermarket filling stations.  This is the lowest number of filling stations in the UK since 1912. The situation could become critical if the total number of forecourts continues to drop at the rate of recent years. Holloway commented: ‘Motorists are now noticing gaps in fuel availability, and if it gets worse as expected, they will certainly be inconvenienced when searching for a forecourt in some areas. ‘Closures are not just in rural areas either. Urban closures are causing equal inconvenience for motorists. Oil company outlets are being closed as fast as independents are forced out of business. Strong supermarket outlet growth since the 1990s and resulting squeeze on margin has made motor fuel retailing a very unprofitable business.’ The PRA believes that Government involvement is critical to save the nation’s fuel stations. Holloway explains: ‘Structure plans developed by local authorities must allow for maintenance of essential services such as forecourts. Some business rate relief is available to forecourt operators in rural areas but not in urban locations.  >From the evidence available they must extend this minimal support.’ Holloway adds: ‘The Scottish Executive has a grants scheme available to assist forecourt retailers in Scotland with capital investment. The idea is to preserve businesses, and contribute to the continuation of fuel availability in all areas. Westminster must consider a similar scheme for England and Wales.’

ASTON MARTIN INTRODUCES THE ULTIMATE LUXURY SPORTS CAR – THE DBS
Aston Martin will unveil the most eagerly anticipated car of the year when the new DBS is revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 16th, where the company takes a starring role as the featured marque. Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: “The DBS is the ultimate expression of Aston Martin’s engineering and technical ability. It offers pure performance without compromise. “The DBS delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars – the DB9 and DBR9.” Equally at home on a twisting mountain circuit as on the open road, the DBS is a true thoroughbred. The Aston Martin DBS is a 6.0-litre V12 powered, race-bred, two-seater shaped by the aerodynamic demands of high performance, with an exquisite interior that marries beautifully hand-finished materials with the very latest in performance technology. A combination of elegant design, innovative manufacturing processes, race-derived materials and components and Aston Martin’s unrivalled hand-build expertise makes the DBS a luxury sports car without equal. Every line, crease and curve conveys the enormous potential of the DBS, a seductive blend of refinement and raw power, provided by the hand-built V12 producing 380kW (510bhp/517PS), a top speed of 191mph (302km/h) and a 0-62mph (0-100km/h) time of 4.3 seconds. The DBS will be built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon, near Warwickshire in the UK, joining the current Aston Martin line-up. This now comprises the elegant DB9, the agile V8 Vantage Coupe and the critically acclaimed Vantage Roadster – launched earlier this year. Deliveries of the DBS are expected to commence during quarter one 2008, with prices to be confirmed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.   

SIDESWIPING ON MOTORWAYS – LOOK OUT FOR FOREIGN VEHICLES
Each year there are over 1,000 incidents of ‘sideswiping’, when left-hand drive foreign lorries, with blind spots on their right-hand passenger side, move lane on motorways and fail to see another vehicle in the lane they are entering.  Car drivers in particular are urged to be alert to the possibility of foreign lorries making such manoeuvres.
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VOLVO’S GREEN THINKING DEVELOPS A LOW EMISSION C30 AND FUEL EFFICIENT POWERSHIFT TECHNOLOGY

• New Volvo C30 Efficiency model with sub-120g/km CO₂ emissions

• New diesel automatic transmission with Powershift technology

As well as a focus on biofuels and hybrid technology, Volvo is also making energy-efficiency improvements to conventional drive trains. This work has led to the development of two new innovations which will be introduced during 2008 – a low CO2 emitting Volvo C30 and a new diesel Powershift transmission for the Volvo C30, S40 and V50. The new Volvo C30 Efficiency makes its global debut at the Frankfurt Motorshow on 11th September and is powered by a 105PS 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine.  By implementing a series of changes to the aerodynamics and rolling resistance as well as introducing higher gearing and improving powertrain efficiency, Volvo has improved fuel consumption to 62.8mpg and reduced CO2 emissions to below 120g/km2. The Volvo C30 Efficiency becomes Volvo’s first model to gain a B-band VED tax rating and will also be exempt from the London Congestion Charge, if the proposed changes to the scheme go ahead next year. Early 2008 will also see the introduction of a new 2-litre turbodiesel (2.0D) automatic transmission with Powershift technology for the Volvo C30, S40 and V50 model ranges.  The Powershift gearbox consists of two clutches that work in parallel and, since there is no disruption in torque delivery during the gearchanging process, gearshifts are instantaneous and the fuel efficiency rating is higher, delivering improved fuel consumption compared to a standard automatic gearbox. “We are firmly committed to lowering the fuel consumption of our conventional petrol and diesel engines. By doing this we will continuously reduce the overall CO2 emission level for our whole model range,” says Magnus Jonsson, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Cars.

NAVARA TAKES THREE CONSECUTIVE FIRSTS
The award winning Nissan Navara has been the top selling pickup in the UK for three consecutive months, forging ahead of its rivals for fiscal year 2007/08 selling 3369 units and taking a 28% market share. With upgraded models currently arriving in showrooms this success looks set to continue. Sales volume is only part of the story as the sales mix has been dominated by the higher end models. 94% of Navaras sold are double cabs and 53% of those are specified in AVENTURA trim, of which 41% are requested with automatic transmission. OUTLAW accounts for 34% with the remaining being SE and standard versions.The most popular colour choice with 42% is Metallic Black followed by Storm Grey and Starburst Silver at 22% and 20% respectively. The latest Navara range builds on the lifestyle image of the vehicle with the addition of integrated indicators and puddle lamps within the door mirrors along with a new six spoke alloy wheel design (SPORT, OUTLAW AND AVENTURA). Changes to the already generously specified Navara also include Bluetooth® hands free mobile phone system across all grades, with caller ID display, storage of 100 names and numbers plus digital processing ensuring the clearest possible sound quality. Aluminium kick plates on the front door apertures as well as on the tailgate access, plus the addition of footwell illumination add to the premium feel of OUTLAW and AVENTURA. A new colour, Emotion Red has also been included to the range. The ‘Die-Hard’ special edition which went on sale last month, proved to be very popular with buyers as the full 444 allocation were snapped up before they even arrived in dealer showrooms. Deliveries are expected between now and September. Prices for the Navara start from £17,615 on the road and all come with Nissan’s comprehensive 36 months or 60,000 miles, 12 year anti-perforation and three year paint pan-European warranty.

NEW AUDI A3 WILL BE FREE TO CHARGE INTO LONDON
New ‘green’ version of Audi hatchback with 119g/km CO2 output will be exempt from proposed congestion charge

• A3 1.9 TDI with engine, transmission and aerodynamics optimized to reduce CO₂ output to 119g/km and increase fuel economy to 62.7mpg (combined)

• Open for order in late August at £16,660 OTR in three-door form or £17,160 OTR for the five-door Sportback – first deliveries in early October

• A3 1.9 TDI with five-speed manual transmission – 105PS @ 4,000rpm, 250Nm @ 1,900rpm, 0-62mph in 11.4 seconds, 120mph, 62.7mpg, CO₂ 119g/km

Londoners may breathe slightly easier in the knowledge that a specially developed A3 1.9 TDI joins the Audi range this month with extensive revisions that ensure it will fall under the proposed 120g/km CO2 limit permitting exemption from the congestion charge. Available in three-door and five-door Sportback body styles, the new A3 1.9 TDI is priced from £16,660 OTR. Following closely behind the swift yet sparing A3 1.4 TFSI that also opens for order this month, the even more acutely economy and efficiency-focused TDI model has been developed on the foundations of the existing A3 1.9 TDI. It benefits from a specially modified version of the already frugal 105PS diesel with new friction minimizing components and redeveloped ancillary units, combined with a manual gearbox with remapped, economy-biased ratios and an in-dash indicator informing the driver of the most effective gear change points for optimum economy.Helped externally by tyres with reduced rolling resistance, and by additional modifications to further increase aerodynamic efficiency, the A3 1.9 TDI combines 62mpg-plus fuel economy with CO2 output of just 119g/km. Acceleration from rest to 62mph in the three-door model with five-speed manual transmission takes 11.4 seconds, and a top speed of 120mph is possible where conditions allow. The measures taken to increase economy and minimise emissions in the A3 will also be employed in the creation of more efficient versions of other models in the Audi range in the near future. These more environmentally considerate models will be engineered with the benefit of experience gained during the development of the pioneering, aluminium-bodied A2 compact hatchback of 1999, which offered 81g/km CO2 output and 94-plus mpg capability and is widely regarded as a car born well ahead of its time.

RECKLESS ROAD SKILLS TOPS LIST OF MOTORISTS’ PET HATES
MSN Cars survey reveals 57% of drivers detest driving in the UK
With the impending nightmare of Bank Holiday traffic upon us this weekend, new research reveals that over half of motorists (57%) find driving around the UK a “miserable experience”.

MSN Cars (www.msn.co.uk/cars), one of the UK’s leading motoring websites, surveyed over 2,200 UK motorists to discover their motoring pet hates, find out how they really feel about driving in the UK and also reveal their opinions about the proposed road pricing scheme on the Government agenda.

UK’s Top 5 Driving Hates

Britain’s Most Miserable Motorists                                  
Yorkshire motorists have the most miserable time of it, with nearly two thirds (65%) admitting they hate driving in the UK. However, over the border in Scotland, motorists are happier than elsewhere in the UK, with just 45% describing driving as dismal.

Tom Evans, the manager of MSN Cars, says: “Bank holidays can often be a gloomy time for motorists, especially when they have to contend with terrible driving, road works and congestion on route. We would recommend motorists take advantage of the resources available online at MSN Cars - including route planning, travel advice and information - to help make their journeys more bearable.”

The Road Pricing Debate Rages On
The survey also reveals that, while the concept of road pricing remains unpopular, with 86% declaring themselves against it, this figure drops to 57% if the tax was proved to be genuinely successful and not simply a revenue generating scheme. 

Tom comments: “The MSN Cars poll offers a valid insight into the minds of UK motorists and the results are revealing, suggesting that if correctly presented, a properly hypothecated road use charge that puts its revenues into road improvements and alternatives to private transport might win wider support.  People may not like the idea of road charging – but they don’t want to spend increasing chunks of their lives in traffic jams either.”

Welsh voters proved most in favour of such a scheme if proved to affect congestion (58%), while voters in the North East and the Midlands remained heartily against road pricing, however successful it proved to be.

    National Petrol Price Check                                        National Traffic Check

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