01245 49673901245 349367
07956 389298
01245 496739
|
Simply fantastic product and fantastic people. I had been suffering from white exhaust smoke and burning oil. I came across lots of symptoms on forums and came across the dreaded swirl flap issue. Needless to say I was very concerned and got in touch with PMW. There help, advice and expertise was invaluble.
|
India unveiled the world’s cheapest car last week with the official launch of the Tata Nano, a 623cc petrol-fuelled, recession-busting, 4-person runaround. Initial feedback and reviews generally all seem very positive (how could one complain really, considering the price tag?) and plans have been announced to bring the car to US and UK markets in the next couple of years.
Although certain aspects of the car will have to be slightly re-engineered to fit with UK regulations (namely the addition of airbags and strengthening the rear of the chassis) the car shouldn’t cost too much more here when it launches (probably in 2011) than it currently does in India. What has puzzled me however is just how much attention the Tata Nano is getting off the back of its low price, when very cheap cars from years gone by were largely ignored in the motoring media. Hence I decided a little round up of a few particular favourites of mine…
1. The Yugo 45 - or Zastava Koral as it was known when production of these essentially Fiat models ceased a few months ago. A real gem with pretty much no extras (or even essentials - some models from as recently as 2005 did not feature rear seatbelts) - but a sexy price tag of around £2900 brand new (at time of closing production in 2008). Check Wikipedia for some great photos…
2. The Lada Riva - Lada/AutoVaz is now part of the Renault group, and production of these babies has sadly been terminated in Europe a few years ago, though you can probably find one second hand for pretty cheap. While in production during the 1990’s and even early into this decade these hunky chunky (and spacious) models sometimes went for as little as £1500 new - though they were hardly fuel efficient so a good deal on top of that would have been needed at the forecourt every week.
3. General Motors Hummer - now I know this currently has a pretty hefty price tag on it despite rapidly falling demand - but give it another year or two and these will be the most unwanted and unloved hunks of metal on the planet. So, if you have a small oilfield to keep you going in petrol, why not swerve the Tata Nano and spend your cash on one of these instead… tough decision i know 
That’s it for now - feel free to add any of your own motoring guilty pleasures below - they don’t have to be cheap, - interesting will do.
Dejan Levi
STUTTGART • It’s big; surprisingly big. Not Cayenne big in the sense of overkill, but big in terms of the interior space this five-metre four-seater delivers. The rear seat is remarkably accommodating given the car’s 1,418-millimetre height. Porsche’s new Panamera is also big because of the technology packed into its sensuous form. When the Panamera lands in Canada, it will be offered in S ($115,100), the all-wheel-drive 4S ($120,300) and Turbo ($155,000) versions.
As part of the protracted roll-out of this all-new four-door sedan — the official public showing takes place in Shanghai next month — Porsche held a technical briefing that included a “taxi” ride around the company’s Weissach proving grounds. The first lap, in a Panamera Turbo equipped with the optional Sports Chrono Plus package, was a somewhat graceful affair aimed at proving just how comfortable the new car really is — it’s no Buick, but it sure makes light work of rough roads. The ensuing lap dialled up the speed to the point where a colleague’s briefcase, stowed beneath the Panamera’s sweeping Chrysler Crossfire-like hatch, started to hammer out the rear fenders as it bounced from side to side with every left and right.
Read more and see photos at National Post online
Daimler today has unveiled the F-CELL Roadster, the latest in their line of “F-Series” concept vehicles (past Mercedes research models can be seen here), and as you’ll see, it draws its inspiration from a diverse variety of automotive eras. From a functional standpoint, it’s a roadster fitted with a 1.2 kW hybrid drive – one that allows the F-CELL to reach a top speed of 15 mph and achieve an operating range of 217 miles. From a design standpoint, however, is where the F-CELL Roadster truly shines, as it manages to blend the overall aura of the original Benz patent motor car with seating and a fiberglass front section both drawn from elements of Formula One racing.
Aricle continues at emercedesbenz.com
Porsche is proudly presenting the key technologies of the new Panamera prior to the world debut of this truly outstanding Gran Turismo at the Shanghai Auto Show in China on April 20.
Among the advanced features are five innovations in technology offered for the first time in a production car in the luxury performance sector, and therefore marking world debuts themselves. These include the first automatic start/stop in conjunction with automatic transmission, air suspension with additional air volume on demand, as well as active aerodynamics with a multi-stage, adjustable rear spoiler moving up when required on the Panamera Turbo.
Read more at Easier.com
Dear Peter,
I am writing to sincerely thank you for the recent work carried out on my 325i E46.
I origionally expected SMG gearbox issues and spoke with my local BMW dealer, they carried out a diagnostic check and gave me a series of worst case scenarios, frightening costs and generally made me dread the severity of the fault!
I used the internet to find an alternative BMW specialist using the keywords: Honest, friendly, professional.
Your business kept appearing with glowing reviews.
From the moment I contacted you through to collecting the repaired car I was dealt with in an honest, non patronising and sincere manner.
You carried out a comprehensive & specialist diagnosis, repair and test which was at a very reasonable cost. The communication throughout from yourself, David and the Technicians was superb.
I live just under 100 miles away from your business but am now a loyal customer and will be recommending you to all other BMW drivers I know.
Many Thanks
Chris
Eastbourne
It was announced this week that the annual British International Motor Show is to be cancelled next year. Yes that’s right - no BIMC in 2010. But as many bloggers and commentators jump to herald the dawn of a new green motoring future in the UK, I think we must be wary of reading too much into the non-event that will be BIMC 2010.
After all, the reasons for the cancellation are certainly little to do with the a sudden realisation on behalf of the organisers that something fundamental must change about our global car culture, attitudes and industries.
Rather it is simply that these things cost a lot of money to attend - and even more to organise - so it’s little surprise that the hosts decided such a thing might not be financially viable next year. It’s not like they can look to car manufacturers for financial assistance when the industry is currently on taxpayer-maintained financial life support.
The other aspect is that many exhibitors and participants might be reluctant to get involved in such a celebratory spectacle of car worship (as Leo hickman points out at the Guardian online) while the news everyday is filled with more reports of job losses and further government aid. In short, the BIMC would represent a PR disaster for companies who are supposed to be struggling right now.
There may be the small matter of greater environmental awareness and the lessening culture of motor vehicle fetishism that comes with it - but judging by the BIMC usual promotional materials - I doubt that this affects their primary target audience of middle-aged British males with their youth back in the 1980s. (This isn’t meant to sound like a judgement - just a reflection of the fact that the BIMC promo team is hardly targeting greenpeace activists as potential customers…)
While I’d love for this development to be a sign that we have finally seen a significant shift in attitudes towards motoring in the UK in recent months, I think sadly the bottom line is cash. Wait a few more months and you’ll see far fewer summer music festivals on offer this year around in the UK (though no doubt there will still be a good few) - not because we don’t like them anymore but simply because there is no cash for everything that there was last summer. Wait a few years and they, like the BIMC, will be back - and probably not in any radically different form than we remember from that of 2008.
Dejan Levi
2009, british international motor show, Dejan Levi, green motoring
There’s a man from Mercedes, probably right now, driving down a back street in some European village, not just checking the vehicle’s performance, but also making sure the navigation system has been properly mapped. He might even be outside your house.
Checking out the sat-nav is not a specific job, however. Johannes Reifenrath, director marketing strategy and portfolio and powertrain strategy for Mercedes-Benz, points out that the new Mercedes Benz E-Class has undergone some 36 million kilometers of testing, so you might as well make the most of that amount of time on the road.
Article continues at Carpages
Useless pub fact of the day? Holland was the first country to start importing Porsches apparently. And to celebrate this fact the world’s favourite German sports car and Audi-engined, ship oil-burning SUV manufacturer has released a very limited edition 911 just for the Dutch market.
In fact it was Pon Porsche Import that started bringing in Porkers in 1949 and thus the cars will be called Pon Edition 911 4S, and just 15 will be built in both convertible and coupe form.
Full article and photos at PistonHeads
The new BMW ALPINA D3 saloon car, an evolution of the acclaimed D3 Coupe is now in the showrooms. A four cylinder four-door car, arguably the cleverest buy for all discerning UK drivers, delivering more than any larger engined counterpart in terms of performance, economy, low emissions and sheer exclusivity.
ALPINA engineers have once again used their development of BMW’s state-of-the-art twin turbo diesel engine from the 123d, which - at 214 hp - produces more horsepower per litre than any other engine in a current BMW ALPINA road car.
Like the previous BMW D3 Saloon, all UK cars will be ordered in a single specification meaning that customers only need to choose between manual and automatic gearbox and select their preferred colour and trim.
Read more at Carpages
A great piece in the Guardian this week has highlighted some of the curious paradoxes between China and the UK in terms of CO2 emissions and climate change, especially within the respective motor industries. It’s no secret that China’s rapidly growing and industrialising economy is responsible for colossal CO2 emissions - and indeed that its increasingly ever-crowded roads are a big part of this (1,500 new cars added every day).
Moreover while the UK’s economy has an inevitably smaller CO2 footprint - in terms of CO2 emissions per person we are of course far worse than our Chinese counterparts. But here’s the interesting statistic - even though both UK and Chinese drivers clearly have plenty reason to be concerned about CO2 - our Chinese counterparts are far more receptive to concepts of green motoring and hybrid vehicles than us.
In China 71% of motorists would consider an electric car, while in the UK the figure is just 37%. The stats for hybrids are similar - 54% and 30% respectively. Question is why does such a gulf exist between these motorists’ receptiveness to such technologies?
Could it be down to the fact that in China you can own a BYD petrol-electric hybrid (chargeable simply from a domestic supply rather than specialised power stations) for £15,000 while here in the Western world most options will set you back a fair bit more?
GM’s Chevy Volt for example is set to launch in 2011 and will cost around $27,000, while UK company Lightning is offering high-end sports hybrids for around £120,000 a piece (yes £120k - that was not a typo sadly). It’s true that you can get an entry level Prius for around £17,000 - but the problem is that these models will use far more petrol than the BYD option - which can go for up to 62 miles when fully charged before using a drop of petrol.
Considering the quality of options currently available to UK and Chinese motorists I’m not surprised we are seeing the latter far keener on these green technologies. Who needs loads of choice between moderate to expensive options when the Chinese market offers its customers one vastly superior option both in terms of economy and efficiency? I personally can’t wait for BYD to start exporting to the UK - maybe then we’ll see the aforementioned stats improve a little…
Dejan Levi
BYD, Chevy Volt, China auto industry, Dejan Levi, green motoring, Hybrid cars, Lightning, Prius
