Riversimple the Open Source Hydrogen car

With the worlds motoring manufacturers all feeling the pinch it may be unrealistic in these hard times to expect them to come up with new technologies to wean us off oil. Development costs for new vehicles are huge and no doubt the petrochemical companies would prefer it if every drop of oil was pumped from beneath the earths crust before mankind looks towards a cleaner, greener solution. So the launch on the 16th June at Somerset House in London of the Riversimple hydrogen car may just be the kick start this burgeoning technology needs.

On the face of it, this could be seen as just another prototype. A prototype launched with a huge fanfare that will, as many others have in the past, fade into oblivion after the party has ended. The major difference with the Riversimple however, is that the engineering designs will be given to the 40 Fires foundation, a non-profit organisation that will make the designs "open source". Meaning that anyone with the wherewithal will be able to build and possibly improve on the designs, feeding the information gleaned back to the 40 Fires foundation, which in turn will update the designs. Dramatically cutting back on development costs for individual companies and as a result moving the car from prototype to localised production.

The other problem facing the Riversimple is the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, as obviously at the moment it just doesn’t exist. Their approach to this dilemma will be to hopefully get a forward thinking small UK city to install a hydrogen hub that will service around fifty vehicles – vehicles that will be leased to individuals with both fuel and repair costs included for around £200 per month. Further towns around the city could then be joined to the hub, allowing a gradual growth of filling stations to spread. A partnership with BOC gases has already been agreed to install the hydrogen stations in the chosen city where the prototype launch will be made.

The car itself was developed in Oxfordshire by the entrepreneur Hugo Spowers with the help of Oxford and Cranfield universities. Weighing only 350 kgs, the Riversimple is powered by a fuel cell rated at a measly six kilowatts, however, because it weighs so little, the Riversimple can travel at speeds of up to fifty miles per hour and has a range of around two hundred miles, fuel efficiency equivalent to three hundred miles per gallon. All achieved because the Riversimple has been designed from scratch, rather than taking an existing design and then trying to shoehorn the technology into it. The result, well to wheel emissions of around 30 g/km as compared to the lowest oil powered cars of around 121 g/km, which will be seen by many as a massive leap forward.

Although the company needs to line up further funding to continue testing the car, Spowers believes the concept could be available as early as 2013 and was quoted on CNN as saying "I’m absolutely convinced that we’re offering a better solution for a segment of the transport problem and we’d be crazy not to pursue it."

Will the Riversimple become a familiar sight on our highways and byways? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure though, motor manufacturers worldwide will be keeping a close eye on their success, or failure.

Scrappage – The Best Time Ever to Buy a New Car

With the government Scrappage scheme now in full swing, has there ever been a better time to buy a new car? So long as your old banger qualifies, you can get £2,000 off your next new car when you trade in your old one. Hold on though, dig a little deeper and you may find that you can save a lot more than the governments offering.

Leading up to the announcement of the scheme many manufacturers were already suffering in this economic downturn and as a result it was possible to achieve discounts on new cars well in excess of the two thousand pounds now being offered. The result? Not all manufacturers are treating the Scrappage scheme exactly the same. Some are topping up existing bonuses, some are offering the straight two thousand off list price, but others are offering existing bonuses and the £2,000 on top and that is where the bargains are to be had.

As with other Scrappage schemes that have been running in other countries for a while now, the majority of interest seems to have been generated around small cars. Cars such as the Citron C1, small, economical and cheap, with a list price of £7,945, the C1 looks a great deal when you knock off the £2,000, do your research though and you may be able to knock off a further four hundred pounds or so. Then it really is a bargain.

For those who need something a little larger, both Vauxhall and Renault are also participating in the Scrappage scheme and both manufacturers are offering well in excess of the two thousand pounds just about across the range of their vehicles. In fact on some of their larger family cars it is not uncommon to find savings well above five thousand pounds.

It doesn’t stop at the lower or medium ends of the market either. Even some of the luxury manufacturers have signed up to the scheme. Forget two thousand pounds off an Audi A3, with a little homework you should be able to get a lot closer to three thousand off even their most basic model and as the list prices rise, so do the savings.

So for the fortunate few who are looking to change their car in the next year and they have a vehicle that qualifies for the Scrappage scheme, do your homework and this may truly be the best time ever to buy a new car.

New Car Scrappage UK Website Launched

With the car scrappage scheme in the UK now in full swing, Broker4cars are pleased to announce the launch of www.car-scrappage-uk.com. This dedicated website aims to show the best deals on offer from UK franchised dealers when the customer wants to take advantage of the Scrappage Scheme.

The scheme announced by Alistair Darling in the budget is designed to stimulate new car sales, sales that have been declining over the past year. Cars over ten years old are eligible for the scheme although certain conditions do apply.

Sales Director Gary Bain said “Many dealerships are only offering two thousand pounds off the list price of a new car, at first glance this may seem like a good deal. Dig deeper however and you may well find much better deals out there, that’s why we decided to launch a new website that just deals with the scrappage scheme. In many cases you will find savings well in excess of the £2,000 being offered by the government. Savings that we are pleased to pass on to our customers.”

With monies allocated for only 300,000 new cars, the scrappage scheme will be implemented on a strictly first come, first served basis. So for a lucky few this may well be the best time to buy a new car.

£5000 off Your Next Nuclear Car in the UK

It’s the way forward – and we’re not talking about garlic bread here – it’s the electric car. Governments throughout the world have suddenly seen the light. Elastic trickery will whoosh us around the planet, silently, cleanly. The meadows will be greener, the polar bears will build new ice shelves and everyone will live happily ever after. But how will mankind achieve this? Well if the rumours in the UK and US are to be believed the first step will be to offer £5000 ($7500 in the US) off the price of a new electric car. On the strength of the huge sales that are made, technology will become cheaper and before we know it, everyone will be wondering why we ever had a dependence on oil. Happy days!

Electricity is great! We may not be able to see it but it’s there every time we want it, at the flick of a switch and it’s cheaper than oil. That is until demand outstrips supply. So what is needed is a plentiful source of electricity, a clean source of electricity. So it may come as no surprise to many, that whilst many of the world’s journalists were trying out the Chevy Volt mule and electric cars were all over the news channels, the British government announced the eleven proposed sites for the next generation of nuclear power stations. Cynical? Maybe, but we are going to need to get the power from somewhere.

Plentiful green electricity is unfortunately further away at this point than the electric car, as a result the power for our new beautiful clean rides won’t be that clean. So we have a choice, coal fired power stations, gas fired power stations or nuclear. If we choose coal or gas we negate many of the advantages of the electric car. If we choose nuclear we open a whole new can of worms, but if we are serious about electric cars it WILL be nuclear power that propels them along our highways and byways, unfortunately there are no other ready alternatives.

So are the British government using the “green” argument as a smokescreen to gain favour with the public when it comes to nuclear power stations? Probably, as with only £250,000,000 - enough for 50,000 vehicles - earmarked for the project, most of the subsidies will be taken by businesses and public bodies. The man on the street will no doubt be left just as dependent on oil as ever. Mandy, Darling and Gordon Brown may well hail the £5000 being offered off a new electric car as a “green” policy, but just how green it turns out to be may only be answered by our children and grandchildren and who knows what they will be driving, it may just be a nuclear powered car.

Scrappage scheme from Citroen

£2000 Cashbacks will apply to new cars (excluding C1, C2, C3, C3 Pluriel, C3 Picasso and Berlingo First – Car) where a qualifying Retail or Business order is declared 1st - 30th April and registered by 30th June 2009.

Citroen Announce Price Increases From 1st April

Citron have announced details of price increases that come into effect from the 1st of April. They are as follows:

C1 - £100
C2 - £50
C3 - £50
C3 Pluriel - £100
Berlingo Multispace petrol - £50
Berlingo Multispace diesel- £100
Berlingo First - £100
C4 Coupe & Hatchback petrol - £300
C4 Coupe & Hatchback diesel - £200
Xsara Picasso - £300
C4 Picasso (excl. 1.6 16V VTi 120hp LX) - £300
Grand C4 Picasso (excl. 1.6 16V VTi 120hp LX) - £300
New C5 - £500
C-Crosser - £50
C8 - £500
C6 - £50
Dispatch Combi - £200
Relay Combi - £200

BMW Announce Q2 Support

BMW have announced their support for Q2 Sales available from 1st April (not April fool's) and are as follows

BMW 1 Series E81/87 LCI - Non Edition ES / Sport Models £1,000

BMW 3 Series E90/91 LCI - 3 Series Saloon / Touring £1,000

BMW 3 Series E92 - 3 Series Coupe £1,500

BMW 3 Series E93 - 3 Series Convertible £2,000

BMW 5 Series - Non Business Edition / Business Media Package Models £ 1,000

BMW X3 / X5 / X6 - All models £3,000

Chrysler Not Viable, Sixty Days to Save General Motors

Late last year, Chrysler and General Motors received 17.4 billion Dollars from the US taxpayer to avoid the auto makers being forced into chapter 11 bankruptcy. Three months later, the two companies have failed to secure 21.6 billion in further loans from the American government. A move that now leaves both companies in a perilous predicament.

Chrysler, the smaller of the two companies, has had the most damning condemnation when it comes to its future, with the Auto Task Force appointed by Barak Obama coming to the conclusion that Chrysler is “not viable” in its current form. As a result, Chrysler will get enough working capital to last thirty days, thirty days in which it must conclude its proposed alliance with the European carmaker Fiat. If this merger fails to materialize, the future of Chrysler looks extremely bleak, with Chapter 11 bankruptcy looking like the only option for the third largest automaker in the US.

The news for General Motors isn’t much better, with the one time world’s largest car manufacturer being given sixty days to dramatically restructure and cut costs. A restructuring that has already cost the chief executive Rick Wagoner his job. Forced out at the request of the President because the White House said that the present restructuring plans were insufficient and needed to be far more aggressive if the company is to have any long term future.

Even more worrying for General Motors is the realisation that the government are thinking that a "quick court-supervised restructuring" may prove to be the best option for success. A “court-supervised restructuring” can surely only mean chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move that could decimate any future sales and as a result plunge the company even deeper into the mire. Talk of a Warranty Commitment Plan – government backed warranty schemes for both Chrysler and GM - will do nothing to increase consumer confidence and if anything may have a negative effect. If either company has a viable future, why do they need the government to back up warranties? As was seen in the UK with MG Rover, government backed schemes can effectively speed up the process of failure.

Bankruptcy though, may be the only way GM can survive. Talks with the unions and bondholders have been painfully slow, leading many analysts to think that the only way GM can be restructured is through the courts. With the inevitable backlash that suppliers would feel if either company went bankrupt, hopes are that both companies can meet the demands of the government. A failure to do so will no doubt lead to job losses on a massive scale, job losses that would not just affect GM and Chrysler, but may also drag Ford further into the picture.

So with 30 and sixty days left respectively, Chrysler and GM find themselves in a position where they will have to comply with the Auto Task Force recommendations. Failure to do so can only result in one outcome. An outcome that would have repercussions throughout the world, not just America.

Will the Obese Save the American Auto Industry

There is a feeling in the rest of the world that “Everything is bigger in America”. There is a certain amount of stereotyping involved that is obvious to all, however there is also a feeling of “there’s no smoke without fire” and the announcement by the Volkswagen Group of America’s CEO Stefan Jacoby that the Volkswagen Polo is still too small for the American market and therefore will be specifically tailored for it, will do nothing but fan the flames of the fire.

Now surely this cannot be down to the relative size of an Americans posterior. Are they really that big that they can’t fit into a European specification car? Even here in Britain (often referred to as the sick man of Europe) with obesity rates of 23%, we can still mange to shoe horn our way into the smallest of European cars. The Fiat 500, the MINI, the Renault Twingo, all small cars that we don’t have to have optional patio doors fitted too in order to get in them. So why does the American market need cars designed specifically for the American consumer? And is this yet another reason why the American auto industry finds itself in the position it is in today? After all America only makes up just over 4.5% of the worlds population.

Just by looking at the U.S. versions of car manufacturers websites it’s hard for a lot of Europeans to recognise many of the vehicles on sale. It would appear, on the face of it that America builds big cars and sells big cars for the American market. Any other worldwide sales are just a bonus. Why not – and this may seem crazy – make cars that the rest of the world want to buy and any sales in the U.S. are a bonus. Surely the global marketplace is where the future of the automotive industry lays, design cars for the world, not just for Americans and there may be a chance America has an automotive industry going into the next decade.

The Volkswagen Polo is a small economical car that has seen phenomenal success throughout Europe, indeed the Bluemotion model achieves a staggering 74.3 mpg (62 mpg US) on the combined cycle. What impact will supersizing the Polo have on its economy figures? And that’s assuming the Bluemotion model even makes it over the pond. An aversion to diesel technology and the fact that it would have to be built in Mexico to be priced viably will no doubt mean the average American looks upon the Polo with a certain amount of disdain, so why bother? Surely a fat Polo is just a Golf (Rabbit).

So does America need cars designed for Americans? The answer must surely be no, that is, unless it is true and they have become so huge they physically can’t fit into a average European size car and if that is the case the American car industry may be saved anyway, as us portly Brits are going to need all the Lincoln Navigators we can lay our hands on.

Tata Nano. Great Car or Great PR

There was a time, especially here in the UK when the name of Tata didn’t even show on the radar. Then the Indian company bought out Corus, the Anglo – Dutch steel firm, the largest Indian takeover of a foreign company. If this wasn’t enough this was followed two years later with the acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. The resulting column inches in the press ensured the Tata name would become recognised worldwide.

Fast forward to the 23rd March 2009 and Tata launch the long awaited Nano. The cheapest car in the world priced at a measly 100,000 Rupees (around £1,400). To say this car is basic may be a slight understatement, it is however a car and it gives millions of Indians the opportunity to move up from a scooter into their first proper car. Or so the marketing machine would lead us to believe.

With the PR that has been generated, there is a good chance the Nano may be a victim of its own success. The proposed factory in eastern India that would have built 250,000 Nano’s annually had to be relocated due to violent protests by local farmers delaying the initial launch of the car. As a result annual production will be 60,000 units from its factory in Pantnagar in northern India. Tata have however guaranteed the price for the first 100,000 customers, who will be picked using a lottery type draw. After that it may be a waiting list of around a year, depending on demand.

Assuming the demand is there production will have to be increased markedly for the Nano to break even, with some Indian analysts believing sales figures annually will need to be around the 350,000 number for a period of three years before that magic mark will be realised (others are forecasting six years). With the hype that has been created however, there should be no problem with demand and with the opening of a new factory located in Sanand in Gujarat production could be increased to 250,000 units annually by the end of the year.

So will the Nano have the rest of the car manufacturers quaking in their boots? At this point, probably not. However, there is a huge market out there in the developing world, a market that could see the Nano becoming the biggest small car in the world and if this scenario proves to be true Tata has plans to introduce the Nano in both Europe and the U.S. around 2011. Don’t expect to pick one up for the same price as the Indian model though, as to get the car through safety and emission controls will obviously add a premium. That said it may still be as cheap as £4,000.

Lexus Increase prices from April 1st

Lexus have announced price increases that come into effect from 1st April.

Increases range from around £200 on an IS 250 up to a whopping four grand or more on an LS 600h.

So if you are in the market for a little Alan Partridge luxury now's the time to get your deposit down.

Scrappage – Cash for Your Old Car

There’s a new buzz word in the motor industry – Scrappage. Under this proposed scheme, consumers who have a car over nine years old, would be able to take it to a recycling plant and in return they would receive a voucher for two thousand pounds off a new, or up to one year old car bought from a dealership. Great for the car industry, great for suppliers, great for dealerships, great for recycling, great for the environment, great for everyone. Or is it?

Such schemes are already in operation in a number of countries and in most cases they have noticeably increased sales in new cars, boosting their economies, helping to keep car workers employed and taking high polluting vehicles off the road. On the face of it, it looks like a no brainer for us in the UK too.

Lord Mandelson – the man that’s made more comebacks than Rocky – is apparently in advanced talks to approve a deal that would see £500 million earmarked for such a scheme in the UK. If only he knew we only really make other peoples cars. The majority of our car industry went to the wall years ago. Sad as the figures are, the fact is that 78 percent of the cars produced in Britain are exported and 86 percent of cars bought in Britain have been imported.

As Scrappage schemes in other countries have shown, almost all drivers taking part would spend their £2,000 grant on small, highly fuel-efficient cars, cars that just aren’t produced in the UK. In fact the only cars that fall into this category are the MINI and the Nissan Micra, which in total make up four percent of the UK market. Meaning 96 percent would go towards subsidising factories on foreign soil. In Germany sixty five percent of the vehicles bought in their Scrappage scheme are produced in German Factories. This is closely replicated in France, with sixty two percent of vehicles being produced in French factories.

The Scrappage scheme would undoubtedly help the dealers in the UK. However, recently the discounts being offered by dealers has often exceeded £2000 and that obviously has not kick started the car market. If introduced would the dealers not just revert to the list price and knock off the two grand? If discounts of £7,500 off a Land Rover can’t get someone to trade in their banger, it’s doubtful if an extra £2000 will make much of a difference.

Finally, we move to the “green” argument, taking inefficient, polluting vehicles off the road and replacing them with shiny, new, highly fuel efficient vehicles, sounds great until you look at the fact that even for the most fuel efficient cars the carbon cost for manufacturing would outweigh the benefits gained. Indeed taking a car off the road after nine years would appear to be an act of recklessness when it comes to the environment. Philip Gomm of the RAC Foundation has been quoted as saying “Research shows that the optimal trade-in age, from an environmental perspective, is about 18 years. We would not want to see any old vehicle being scrapped, irrespective of age, without fully assessing the carbon emission implications of building a new one”. Scrappage may be the way to get some of the worst polluting vehicles off the road but it is by no means a “one size fits all” solution. It would be ridiculous if you could scrap your nine year old Citroen Saxo to get £2000 off a five litre Volkswagen Touareg.

Yes the automotive industry is in favour and if the polls are to be believed so is the UK public, but if you ask someone whether they would like £2000 off a new car their answer will no doubt be yes - even if they can’t afford one.

Is Scrappage the solution? First we need to work out the exact problem. Is it car sales? Is it the environment? Is it polluting vehicles? Or is it Lord Mandelson introducing a populist policy to support an ailing government? Time will tell.

BMW 116d – Greener than the World Green Car of the Year

So, you’ve got it in the bag, you are the producer of the “World Green Car of the Year”, what next? Sit back, relax and watch the plaudits roll in? Build a new shelf to put the awards on? Or, alternatively you could continue striving for better performance and better economy figures, which is exactly what BMW have done.

There must have been a few raised eyebrows when the “World Green Car of the Year” turned out to be a BMW. Renowned for producing luxury cars, the German manufacturer wouldn’t necessarily be top of the list for most people when it comes to the production of green cars. Not ones to rest on their laurels though, they’ve been at it again, with the introduction of the BMW 1 Series 116d. Greener than the World Green Car of the Year.

Powered by a four-cylinder, 1,995cc, diesel engine that produces 116 hp the 1 Series 116d three door can accelerate from a standstill to 62 mph in10.2 seconds (10.3 seconds for the five door) before going on to achieve a top speed of 125 mph, so it’s by no means a slouch. Its crowning glory though has to be its fuel economy figures and Co2 emissions, 64.2 miles per gallon on the combined cycle whilst emitting only 118 g / km. Figures that ensure that the owner of a 116d will only pay thirty five pounds per year for their annual road tax. Not bad for a two litre diesel in anyone’s books.

With two truly frugal cars in their line up BMW’s green credentials look better than most. The downside however for the Bavarian manufacturer has to be the falling cost in filling any fuel tank. During 2008, the spiralling cost of fuel forced many people to take a long hard look at just how much their car was costing to run. As a result many people decided the time was right to trim those bills right back. Today the situation has swung in the opposite direction. Fuel prices have fallen dramatically as a result of the worldwide credit crunch, petrol is cheaper in the UK than it has been for many years (around three) and as a result many of those who were hauling their belts in now find themselves loosening them off a notch or two.

The success or otherwise of the 116d may not lie in its technology or indeed its fantastic fuel economy figures. Its overall success may be determined by the oil markets and the worldwide economy. If petrol prices continue in their downward trend the 116d may need to be more than just the most parsimonious sibling in the range.

Finally, although the 116d would achieve 53.4 miles to the US gallon, it will not be appearing in our American cousins showrooms as the benefits of small diesel engines does not seem to have registered yet. However, as we have seen in the recent past, things change and sometimes they change quickly. When the price of diesel begins to climb once again as it inevitably will, BMW may find themselves with yet another winner in their green fingers.

Vauxhall announce price increases

Vauxhall have announced they will increase the price of their range of vehicles effective 3rd April 2009 due to the continued weakness of Sterling against the Euro.

The increases will affect the majority of their passenger cars including the Agila £400, Corsa £520.00, Meriva £670.00, Astra £800.00, Astra Twintop £900.00, Zafira £885.00 and Insignia £990.00.

The delivery to dealership will also be increased by £26.09 + VAT

If you are looking for a new Vauxhall get your orders in now to avoid the increase.

You can now follow Broker4cars on Twitter

With new car prices changing so quickly at the moment, Broker4cars will now be tweeting on a regular basis keeping customers both old and new up to date.

Sales Director Gary Bain said "With the world moving at an ever increasing pace this is a fantastic opportunity to keep our customers updated. Most people don't want unsolicited emails, so twitter gives us a platform where we can notify our followers of impending changes in discounts, or notify them of specific deals that we can offer".

If you want to keep up with any changes just visit https://twitter.com/Broker4cars and you can follow them there.

SAAB and Volvo Struggle on... For Now

With Ford and General Motors looking to make savings wherever they can, the future of both Volvo and SAAB is appearing to be a little bleak.

SAAB find themselves in the worst position, having filed for reconstruction last month, the so called luxury car maker is battling for its survival. Not helped by the fact that the extremely small range are in effect rebadged Vauxhall / Opels. Not really the cars to tempt the general public away from the Audi's, BMW's and Mercedes of the world.

So far governments throughout the world have propped up ailing car manufacturers, however there will inevitably be some casualties and the chances are it may be one of the Swedish brands that falls first.

Toyota take the No.1 spot from GM

General Motors has, for the first time in 77 years, ceded the number one spot as the worlds largest volume automaker. Sales figures show that Toyota has now overtaken GM with sales figures of 8.97 million units globally as opposed to GM's 8.36 million.

With the economic difficulties GM is experiencing this could be the shift in power that has long been expected.

Steven Curtis, a Toyota spokesman said "Being No. 1 in volume has never been our goal. Being No. 1 in quality and customer experience has been our goal."

Government Sub Prime Car Finance – OH NO!

Over the last ten years people have got into the habit of spending money they haven’t got. The Governments proposed solution? Lend them some more.

Rumour has it that Gordon Brown and Lord Mandelson (Mandy to his friends) fancy going into the car finance business. You can read the full article here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5519737.ece

Now I may be a bit daft, but even I can work out that it is difficult to get people out of debt by offering them further loans. The so called ‘credit crunch’ is a direct result of the banks lending money to people who now find it very hard to pay back. Whether this has been in the form of loans, credit cards or using the equity in their house as a cash point, many people in the UK now find themselves in debt. Some deeply in debt.

If people have a poor credit history they will have trouble getting finance. The reason why the economy is in freefall is because people feel it is their right to have things they cannot afford. Giving them further lines of credit can only ever exacerbate the situation.

For those who do have a solid credit history there are some great deals out there. Take a look at Broker4cars and Finance4cars, they are offering lease purchase deals with an APR from as little 6.9%, combined with great discounts on new cars. For those who either have the cash, or have a clean credit history, this is probably one of the best times to look at buying a new car.

PLEASE stop lending to people who have no money. Credit is not a god given right, it has to be earned. Otherwise say goodbye to capitalism and say hello to creditism.

Motogp to follow Formula 1 in costcutting

Following the decision by Kawasaki to withdraw from the Motogp series plans are being made to reduce the costs of racing. With ideas similar to those of Formula 1.

The main area the organisers and teams are looking at is making the engines last for a minimum of two races, with that possibly being increased to three races over a period of time.

These rules may be difficult to implement this season, but with both manufacturers and organisers recognising the scale of the financial problems ahead, I think it will only be a matter of time.

Ducati team boss Livio Suppo said "Now we have on the table what can be done, we wait for the GP commission to transform the proposals in proper regulations."

Toyota launch the new TF109 online

With the credit crunch hitting all of us, Toyota has decided to launch their new Formula 1 car, the TF109, online.

With all manufacturers feeling the pinch lately, Formula 1 launches have been far more low key this year. As a result Toyota have decided to make use of the internet for the launch of their next new car the TF109. Visit http://www.tf109-premiere.com/ and you can be just as on the ball as the press, best be quick though, the launch is 12 noon on the 15th of January.

Sorry you missed it.

Fying Car or Just Another Nutty Brit

Neil Laughton an ex SAS soldier is about to undertake one of the most dangerous missions of his life. A journey from London to Timbuktu crossing amongst other things, parts of the Sahara Desert, the Strait of Gibraltor and a minefield in Mauritania.

Admitting that the car had not yet been tested to any "distance, heat or endurance" and adding that there was a sense of the old "mad Brits" about the adventure, Mr Laughton hopes to raise £100,000 for various charities.

One thing he has certainly done is get plenty of press for his co-pilot, Mr Cardozo's company, Parajet. Cardozo, a self taught engineer has always dreamed of producing a flying car and if the mission is successful, plans to sell the Skycars for around £50,000 each.

Will they manage to complete the 3,600 mile trip? Hopefully.

Will it be a commercial success? Not while there's sand in the Sahara

Chrysler. American Dream or Nightmare?

As we all know, the American big three all find themselves in varying levels of financial difficulty. What they all need is a plan.

Disappointing then that Chrysler didn’t wow us at the Detroit Auto Show with their new plan. Having just received four billion dollars from the American taxpayer, with another three in the pipeline, this was Chrysler’s opportunity to show us how they are going to rejuvenate this once great manufacturer. Chrysler sales VP Jim Press stated in a press conference at the show “We now have a special bond with the American public.” You certainly do. They pay your wages. For the time being that is.

So what’s the plan?

Ummmmmmmmmm.

Three hybrid concepts.

Nothing that will be rolled out in the early part of 2009 that will start making any money back for the company or the taxpayer. Nothing that in reality will be on the roads for another two to three years. Seven billion may be a huge number to us, but for a dinosaur like them it won’t last long.

These are just pipe dreams. The 200C EV shown above may be a decent looking car, but it is only a concept.

Chrysler needs to produce cars that sell in volume. Hybrid and fuel cell technology may be the way forward, however they do not sell in volume.

These are simply projects that they can show to the car czar to prove they aren’t wasting the money. Problem is though, they most certainly will be. Before Christmas, Cerberus made it quite clear that without a cash injection Chrysler would collapse. What’s changed? The money will be spent and the company will fail.

Ford and General Motors have good presence in the European markets. Chrysler doesn’t. With a shrinking market and no new rollouts the future would appear to be just as bleak now as it was before Christmas, possibly bleaker.

Chrysler will fail. Cerberus certainly won’t take the hit. So rather than waste more money. Let it. Use the seven billion dollars to support the supply chain. Failure to do so may just drag Ford and General Motors further into the mire.

Are Times That Hard For Ferrari?

Ferrari has been the first of the Formula One teams to break cover with their new car for 2009. The Ferrari F60, with Felipe Massa describing it as "tiny, very compact and cute".

Cute? Has Massa been on the Caipirinha. Now I realise Max (alleged bum spanker) Mosely has told the teams to save some cash, but the rear wing looks like a shopping trolley handle (suppose it saves on carbon fibre though). On the plus side, they've got rid of loads of those stupid little wings and deflectors so side on it is far more pleasurable to look at.

With McLaren launching their Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 (shopping trolley) on the 16th of January, it shouldn't be too long before we see some proper testing and see what effect the new KERS System will have.

Personally I can't wait. Rule changes always tend to put a cat amongst the pigeons.