captainiainr

[captainiainr]

(via BMW continues with a hyper four-pot engine in its latest M135iX - Business Money) 

IT IS HIGHLY THOUGHT PROVOKING OF BMW TO DROP A 'SIX' AND REPLACE IT WITH A FOUR.AND I LOVE IT!: Confronted with a need to meet exhaust emissions and one of the best four cylinder engines available today, the end result is a cracking performance envelope.

[captainiainr]

(via Unusually named Zeekr makes debut helped by Geely entrée - Business Money) 

IT IS ADVISABLE NOT TO IGNORE ZEEKR FOR BEING CHINESE BUT TRY TO AVOID BEING ALLURED: Owned by the same Chinese State organisation that also owns Volvo, while its name might alter for the western market, you can rest assured that it is headed for our shores eventually. I quite like its Porsche-esque appearance but it is Chinese and that is a good reason to be wary of it.

[captainiainr]

(via The yoyo of British taxation is about to undertake a loop-the-loop - Business Money) 

HEY, HEY, IT'S THE TAXMAN!: Reflecting on the British taxation system, it might appear that we have all enjoyed a fairly easy ride for many years. However, it is all about to change most significantly and no more so than in respect of vehicle and road taxation. There is little point in talking about 'backdoor' methodology, because it is the front door that is wide open!

[captainiainr]

(via Land Rover attempts to turn sow’s ear Disco into an over-pricey silk purse - Business Money) 

FULL-SIZE DISCO GAINS METROPOLITAN EDITION:Well, something official needed to be done to stem the slide of Land Rover's big SUV sales, so it might as well be a revised top variant. To be fair to it, it makes the cow's-arse-on-a-frosty-morning look somewhat smarter than it did before. No mention of price but you can reckon on it hitting new peaks.

[captainiainr]

(via Lead in alternative fuels scene grasped by Banbury-based Prodrive Ltd - Business Money)

CLEVER PRODRIVE! To be fair, Clever Coryton too. The automotive scene needs some cheering up and, even though this is small potatoes, it is a motorsport fuel landmark worthy of note.

[captainiainr]

(via Ford Tourneo turns window-vans segment on its head - Business Money) 

FORD ON A WINNER WITH ALL-NEW TOURNEO: Making a windowed-van look interesting is a task-and-a-half but, somehow, Ford has managed it with its newcomer and I believe fervently that it could become not only a van-with-windows market leader but that it will also change consumer opinions about the class of vehicle.

[captainiainr]

(via Much admired R8 undergoes executive nip-and-tuck for run-out epoch-maker - Business Money) 

SOFTENED BY AGE, AUDI'S R8 IS A LOW VOLUME SUPERCAR THAT CONTINUES TO AIM TO PLEASE: That it seldom has succeeded in its aim is much to do with clinical Teutonic production standards, rather than lack of competence. For some people that is a fine balance, which results in a rare sportscar. It is a great range-topper but lacks character, which is why sister brands Porsche and Lamborghini can eat it for breakfast.

[captainiainr]

(via While Bond fever begins in earnest, you’ll need to be both rich and quick to indulge - Business Money) 

YOU GOTTA LOVE THE BOND FRANCHISE!: Several organisations have gained form their associations with the JB007 movie franchise. While Jaguar will be featured in the forthcoming new film, it is Land Rover that stands to gain the greatest exposure, as the latest Defender model will take centre-stage for most of the action sequences. However, it does not stop there, as mobile phones, laptops and watches all receive star billing, arising from little more than just judicious product placement.

[captainiainr]

(via While Bond fever begins in earnest, you’ll need to be both rich and quick to indulge - Business Money) 

ONLY 15 OF THE JB007 COMMEMORATIVE DEFENDERS WILL REMAIN IN THE UK: My advice, if you want one, even at the over £100k asking price, is to get your skates on and order it now! Alternatively, go to China, or North America, where Land Rover does appear to concentrate much of its marketing efforts these days.

[captainiainr]

(via It’s taken a while but Toyota joins the compact crossover club with YarisCross - Business Money) 

YARISCROSS PROVES THAT TOYOTA STILL HAS ITS FINGER ON THE MOTORING PULSE...EVENTUALLY.: Mind you, potential customers will pay through the eyeteeth for their junior league crossovers. Still, I like the cut of its jib and its hybrid engineering is certainly on the money. It is not often that Toyota makes errors of judgement and the YarisCross is definitely not one of them. 

[captainiainr]

(via Mid-year new car platings point towards pan-European direction shift - Business Money) 

PAN-EUROPEAN CAR REGISTRATIONS ARE ALWAYS WORTH A CLOSER INSPECTION.: It is important not to be gulled by the various factions working to sell their respective brands and fuel types. For each brand-new car that finds its way to market, there are always several manufacturer and dealer demonstrators that buff up the numbers. Overall, the motor industry, which was once a viable success indicator, is struggling and you can take your choice of any combination of reasons for it.

[captainiainr]

500 posts!

[captainiainr]

(via New Maxx replaces ‘First Edition’ in Kia Soul’s EV line-up - Business Money) 

TO BE FAIR TO THE KIA SOUL, IT DOES EV QUITE WELL...: In fact, the electrification turns a modest performer into a sparkler and that is fine for a car that is destined to spend much of its time respectably in an urban environment, where recharging once a week will become as regular a task as washing it on a Sunday morning, probably just after the weekly church visit.

[captainiainr]

(via While ‘new’ to the UK, DFSK and Skywell are otherwise unnecessary! - Business Money) 

IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP THE SINO MARCH BUT NEVER TOO LATE TO SEND A MESSAGE.: It is understandable that the west should have targeted the east as a potential automotive growth market but incomprehensible that the east's ability to copy (not well) and work to overthrow the west would also be on the cards. Yet, the People's Republic of China has stated its intentions: it will be the most powerful nation on earth...it already is in my estimation and that is a very dangerous thing.

[captainiainr]

(via Pricking the BEV balloon - Part 4, Kidology - Business Money) 

OH...I FORGOT TO MENTION THE FIRES....!: It is reported that innumerable (although I am certain that a number exists!) BEVs have succumbed to disastrous conflagrations. In fact, the latest Hyundai Ioniq5, which is being promoted strongly on TV at present, despite looking as if it has a major dent down its flanks (it's style, I believe), has lost the battle with several battery related fires. Naturally, Hyundai will, if you'll pardon the expression, be firefighting like fury to ensure that the new model's reputation is untarnished, but it is not alone. I only mention it, because not one of my four-part series has actually touched any blue paper...

[captainiainr]

(via Pricking the BEV balloon - Part 3, Closing the gap - Business Money)

JUST STATING A FEW PERSONAL VIEWS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION.: Continuing my little series on the BEVs vs. ICE argument....not that anybody's really arguing.

[captainiainr]

(via Pricking the BEV balloon - Part 2, seeking reality - Business Money) 

HOPING TO DEBUNK SOME OF THE CONFUSION SURROUNDING BEVs.: It is all very well charging ahead with BEVs but there are plenty of future BEV users, who have shown very little interest in the changes set to arrive and almost as many who just don't care. The series continues with the second part.