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The lid has been lifted on Bentley's most powerful production cabriolet ever. The Continental GTC Speed (pictured) is a 325km/h bruiser with all the menace and performance of its hard-top sibling. It was spied testing at the Nurburging circuit in Germany. Under the bonnet is a 6-litre W12 engine delivering 450kW and 750Nm of torque, most of it from a low as 1750rpm. The GTC is expected to cost 150,000 ($397,600) when it reaches British showrooms next year.
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BMW is the first European carmaker to publicly consider tapping Germany's government-backed banking rescue scheme, reports the Financial Times. The paper said the carmaker might also seek US assistance. Friedrich Eichiner, BMW's chief financial officer, said the company had not made a final decision on whether its German finance operations should join the credit guarantee plan. "However, we are following that very closely as we want to avoid competitive disadvantages," said Eichiner. He says BMW is in a more difficult situation than most of its rivals because of falling residual values of leased cars - a legacy of its aggressive leasing policy in the past.
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Germany's wealthiest woman is telling how a Swiss lover filmed their hotel trysts and demanded millions of euros not to reveal them. Munich police say they are pursuing a case against a man accused of blackmail by Susanne Klatten, a member of the Quandt family, famous in Germany not only as the leading shareholders in carmaker BMW but also for their low public profile. The daily Bild said Klatten, a 46-year-old married mother-of-three, had first met the 43-year-old man at a hotel bar. Forbes magazine says Klatten is worth US$10 billion ($16.7 billion), making her the 68th richest person in the world.
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Consulting firm Global Insight says Detroit's Big Three can expect to pay US$30.60 billion in additional costs to meet the proposed average fuel efficiency target of 8.9 litres/100km (31.6mpg) by 2015. Japan's top three face an extra US$14.85 billion. General Motors alone is forecast to shoulder US$15 billion, she said.
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CoreBrand, a New York-based global brand consultancy, has listed its US economic predictions for 2009. Among them: Toyota will work aggressively to grow market share. Giants like GM and Chrysler will continue to languish and downsize. The exception in the automobile industry is the turnaround at Ford Motor Company.
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The British Government's latest safety campaign showing broken ribs and ruptured arteries has been designed to shock motorists into wearing seatbelts, after statistics showed that 34 per cent of occupants who died on the country's roads in 2006 hadn't belted up.
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Nissan is selling its new G37 Infiniti convertible through Bloomingdales' mail-order catalogue - before it officially unveils the car at the Los Angeles motor show on November 19. The upmarket chain of US department stores launched the promotion offering 200 signature models with special red interior and grille. Infiniti is Nissan's US luxury arm.
alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz
