KEY POINTS:
Ford has reportedly sold British marques Jaguar and Land Rover. The deal was done a few days ago but won't be announced until February. The likely buyer is Tata, the giant automotive company in India. Tata wants to become a major global name and is looking for a European vehicle development centre. Ford earlier sold the other famous British nameplate, Aston Martin, to British-Kuwait interests. Another thing: Ford now apparently wants to hang on to Volvo.
Renault points its toes
Renault has launched an advertising campaign on the internet to celebrate that it is the only company to have eight five-star crash-rated models in its global range. The "Renault Safety Ballet" has eight cars performing an adapted version of Jacques Offenbach's Ballet of the Snowflakes. The ad was filmed in the Verneuk Pan desert, 800km north of Cape Town in South Africa. Renault says all the collisions are real and were made at speeds of around 60km/h by professional drivers.
Saab top of the pops
A television commercial has sent a 23-year-old Swedish singer to the top of the charts in her home town, Stockholm. Nina Kinert sings Through Your Eyes, a song specially written for Saab's new 9-3 advertising campaign. "We took an immediate liking to the tune and, above all, to Nina's voice," says Saab's Lena Olander. Kinert has added the song to her new album. Listen to it at saab.com
Driving down the fairway
BMW is one of the main sponsors of Michael Hill's NZ Golf Open, being played now at his spectacular private layout near Arrowtown and in 2008 and 2009. It has signed for the duration and took over sponsorshop of NZ golf from Volvo. Both carmakers continued their friendly rivalry at the pro-am on Wednesday. Volvo executive Mark Patterson was in the winning foursome, captained by veteran Australian professional Peter Senior. BMW managing director Mark Gilbert was a non-playing member of the second-placed team, skippered by rookie English pro Robert Dinwiddie and including former All Black coach Laurie Mains.
We are the world
A new driving charge is finding its way into traffic courts in North America - DWEC or driving while eating cereal. A driver in Houston, Texas, was munching on a bowl of cornies and milk when he went through a red light and crashed into a bus. Around the same time in Ontario, Canada, a driver also eating breakfast at the wheel lost control of his car and crashed into oncoming traffic.
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A new apartment block in New York comes with what the developer calls an "en suite sky garage system". Residents drive into the car elevator at street level and are lifted to the garage on their floor. Prices for the apartments start at $8 million.
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Police in Mesa, Arizona, report that an armed man driving a black Chrysler sedan pulled up to a Burger King worker on the street late at night and took the uniform and badges the hamburger helper was wearing. Police are checking their fetish files.
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A man who robbed a bank in Miami Springs, Florida, was arrested at the wheel of his getaway car metres from the bank's front doors. When police took him back to the bank to be identified, he shouted at staff: "You ruined my life. I told you not to call police."
