As you may know, this is a subject that's bothered me recently but hopefully life is about to become more difficult for this dishonest and unreasonable trade.
In just 2 weeks fuel duty will rise again, bringing the total tax paid at the pumps to 71 pence in every pound - despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown promising not to raise fuel duty.
Land Rover has just sent me a press release confirming that the UK Government has offered the company a massive grant of up to £27 million under the Grant for Business Investment scheme. This is to be made available to Land Rover for the production of an all-new mini SUV based on the LRX Concept vehicle, first shown at the Detroit Show last year.
As many of you will already know, the government plans to reduce the National Speed Limit on all UK roads excepting motorways to 50 MPH.
First came the ice and snow. Then came the damage - gaping potholes and cracked road surfaces. Now comes the big question. Is there the money to repair them?
There has been a bit of a feud here within the DriveWire team of late. The cause of which has been the aesthetic merit of the classic Citroen DS. So with impeccable timing, Citroen will be unveiled “DS INSIDE” concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
A quick thumb through the latest editions of the classic car press will reflect the increasing amount of "modern" classics; this doesn't just mean the archetypal MK2 Escorts or Esprit Turbo, there are owners clubs for everything from Austin Allegros to Ferrari F50s, claiming classic status. The reason for this is that there are certain tax advantages to having a classic car as well as different mindset to owning a cherished rather than simply old car.
Looking back on 2008, I think we can safely say that it was the year that segments went mental. segments, brand snobbery relaxed and the recession/depression caught up with the new car market.
With General Motors (who own Vauxhall and Opel), Ford, Chrysler, Jaguar/Land Rover (owned by the Chinese company, Tata) all coming cap in hand to our governments, do they deserve to be given our money? In a word, no.
