| IPB-Autosport Aquires Another BMW Service & Repair Technician from a ...
IPB-Autosport has hired another BMW service/repair specialist technician. He comes from a family of BMW enthusiasts. He has been around quite some time which seems slightly odd at his young age of 33; he has been around BMW's since he was born, his dad owns 1 of a handful of BMW 1800 TISA's in the states. His vast knowledge includes: BMW GT1 diagnostics, Regular BMW scheduled maintenance, BMW parts lookup, Vintage BMW intricacies, late model BMW common failure items and systems. .
Luxury car prices to soar as EU cracks down on exhaust fumes
Drivers face steep price rises for luxury cars under measures to force manufacturers to meet strict CO2 targets. Those who go green by buying a car with low emissions will be rewarded with savings on fuel over the lifetime of the vehicle, according to plans unveiled yesterday. With several commissioners dissenting, the European Commission set a four-year phase-in period from 2012 for fines on manufacturers whose fleets exceed an average of 120 g/km of the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming. A proposed system of fines linked to exhaust pollution will hit the manufacturers of larger cars hardest and brought protests from Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, on behalf of her country’s market leaders such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The mandatory measures are designed to reduce CO2 fumes from cars by one fifth in line with the EU’s desire to be a world leader in cutting greenhouse gases and find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol from 2012.
Posted by: Gail Edmondson on June 01
When an automaker's reputation for quality crashes, it takes a painfully long time to convince car buyers the problem is fixed. But a recent customer satisfaction survey of 18,000 British drivers by consultancy J. D. Power and Associates rated Mercedes the "most improved" brand. The survey weights vehicle quality and reliability at 30% and ownership costs at 19%, among other factors such as general satisfaction. Ok, in total points Mercedes ranked only 12th, below guess who — Lexus — as well as Honda, Toyota, Audi, Mini, Volvo and BMW, and others. But it's moving in the right direction. "Mercedes-Benz has made impressive strides over the past two years, with major improvements in vehicle quality and dealer service making a strong impact on satisfaction with overall ownership," says Frank Parisi, director of European automotive research at J.D.
France to penalise gas-guzzlers and pay a bonus for green cars
France set itself on collision course with Brussels yesterday as it announced green taxes on gas-guzzling cars and a state-funded discount for vehicles that emit small quantities of carbon dioxide. Under the scheme, which may fall foul of European Union competition law, a tax of up to €2,600 (£1,900) will be slapped on 4x4s and high-powered sports cars, from next month. Purchasers of small cars will receive a government payment of up to €1,000 under the plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions in France. "We are the first Western country to give a bonus to virtuous products," Jean-Louis Borloo, the Ecology Minister, said. The move, dubbed the ecological no-claims bonus, was welcomed by environmentalists but is certain to anger German manufacturers, such as Mercedes and BMW, which will be hit by the new taxes.
Inchcape soars to record profits
Car dealership Inchcape has posted record profits as the group outperformed a "very challenging" UK market. Despite fears of a slowdown, the company boosted underlying pre-tax profits 10% to £235.1 million in 2007, beating forecasts. Like-for-like sales across the group, which sells marques including Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, rose 3.4%. UK revenues jumped 58% after acquisitions, although comparative sales were also 5.2% higher than last year. Inchcape's chief executive Andre Lacroix added that the group was "well placed to deliver continued organic growth" this year, lifting shares almost 5%. Inchcape has fared better than rival dealerships as it is less exposed to the UK market, where margins on used cars have been tighter. While the overall domestic market is expected to decline by 2.5% this year, it expects premium marques to perform more strongly although bigger discounts may be needed to tempt hard-pressed shoppers.
NAS scammer will serve at least three years
The National Academy of Sciences is the world's preeminent scientific organization with nearly 200 Nobel prize winners, but for years print shop manager Aubrey Scott outsmarted the whole bunch.
Scott, working at the academy's graphics department in Washington in 2000, created invoices under $2,500 each to pay a shell company he founded. But by the time auditors caught on, six years had passed, $1.2 million was missing and Scott was driving a BMW.
The scam was outlined in federal court in the District yesterday as Scott received more than three years in prison. "I was a very bitter person ... a very depressed person," the 47-year-old Germantown man told a judge.
The losses have prompted questions concerning the finances at the prestigious academy, which prides itself as the leading scientific adviser to Congress and the White House.
The motorcycling year
Now on to a happier note. The Daily Telegraph/MCN London Motorcycle Show, at ExCeL, London, takes place from January 31 to February 3. This is the big one for bikers in the South-East and London. Housed in the excellent ExCeL centre, in London's Docklands, a key selling point is the show site's accessibility - and it's outside the dreaded congestion zone. The show is one of the most modern bike events in look and feel, and you'll be able to see all the latest machines from Honda, BMW, Suzuki, Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, KTM, Ducati and Kawasaki. .
Klien becomes BMW back-up driver
BMW Sauber needed to use German Sebastian Vettel as a stand-in at last year's US Grand Prix after Poland's Robert Kubica crashed heavily in Canada. Vettel subsequently moved to Toro Rosso as a full race driver while Germany's Timo Glock, who took over as BMW's reserve in 2007, will be competing for Toyota when the season starts in Australia on 16 March. Klien had hoped for a race seat with Force India but lost out to Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. .
Green, mean, plush plug-in machines
He designed the BMW Z8 roadster and Aston Martin's DB9 and V8 Vantage coupes. Fisker said he wanted to erase the image of green vehicles as awkward and small. "I wanted to make a real statement of how sexy a green car can be," he said. Otherwise, he said, green cars will never achieve the mass appeal needed to make an environmental difference. Fisker projects worldwide Karma sales of 15,000 a year. Fisker Automotive is talking to several companies about a partnership to distribute the vehicle and should have more details in spring, he said. "We know the system works," said Alan Niedzwiecki, a Fisker director and CEO of Quantum Fuel Systems, an investor in the carmaker. "We've had it for four years from a vehicle we did for the Department of Defense." Quantum will make a small number of that "jeeplike" vehicle for the military under a $5 million contract, he said.
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