KEY POINTS:
Ford's Lincoln Town Car was the preferred limousine for US presidents from 1963 until Ronald Reagan went back to General Motors' Cadillac in the 1980s. Now there's talk of another shift, this time in the choice of presidential powertrain. Reporters covering President Obama reckon there's the distinctive rattle of a diesel engine coming from under the bonnet of the presidential Caddy. The limousine was designed to US Secret Service specifications - 20cm-thick armour-plating, 12cm-thick bullet-proof windows, a sealed interior against chemical attack, and run-flat tyres.
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Which movie star drives what car away from the screen? Actor Daniel Craig tools about in an Audi S6. Ewan McGregor swaps his BMW motorbike for either a Toyota Prius or Toyota LandCruiser. The Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie family has a few cars at home but Pitt prefers riding his custom-made chopper. Britney Spears mostly sticks to a Mini Cooper, or Dodge Ram pick-up truck. Al Pacino gets around in a Lexus LX; Paris Hilton has had her Bentley pimped out in pink; and Eddie Murphy pilots a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
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Skoda will take the covers off its Yeti at the Geneva motor show next month. It describes the SUV-styled Yeti as a practical solution for customers who want a compact car that is robust, safe and has universal appeal. The Yeti will compete with the Kia Soul and Nissan Qashqai. The Czech carmaker will also show its Octavia GreenLine, a turbodiesel with claimed fuel consumption of 4.4 litres/100km (64mpg) and CO2 emissions of 116g/km. The GreenLine celebrates the Octavia's 50th birthday. The first Octavia appeared in January 1959 - 32 years before Skoda became part of Germany's Volkswagen Group in 1991.
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Former BMW design chief Chris Bangle plans to open his own design studio. Bangle left BMW early this month "to pursue his own design-related endeavours beyond the auto industry". BMW development head Klaus Draeger said Bangle's "going to make his own dream come true. He's going to open his own design studio". American Bangle, 52, joined BMW in 1992 and modernised the conservative styling of the luxury brand's cars.
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The Italian Government is tempting the country's car buyers with incentives of up to $12,500 to go green. Buyers who exchange a car at least 10 years old for a new model will get $3750 if the new one has CO2 emissions of less than 140g/km for a petrol engine and 130g/km for a diesel. The cash bonus rises to $12,500 if the new car has CO2 emissions below 120g/km and is powered by compressed natural gas, electricity or hydrogen. If the car has emissions between 120-130g/km or is powered by liquid petroleum gas, the cash bonus is $7500.
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Bertrand Peugeot, who oversaw the merger of French car companies Peugeot and Citroen in the mid-1970s, has died, aged 85. Bertrand Peugeot became vice-chairman of Peugeot's supervisory board in 1972 and served as vice-chairman of PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's board until 1999. He was a grandson of Robert Peugeot, who created the Peugeot automobile company at the end of the 19th century.
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Wacky accident insurance reports from the US keep coming in. (1) The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention. (2) My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle. (3) When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car. (4) I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought. (5) The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing.
alastair.sloane@nzherald.co.nz
