The limos were out in force at The Frankfurt Motor Show

September 20, 2009 By Dez Rowley
Rolls Royce Ghost limo debuts at Frankfurt

Rolls Royce Ghost limo debuts at Frankfurt

Rolls Royce Ghost limo debuts at Frankfurt

From Bentley to Ferrari, Mercedes to Mini, all the big guns were out in force at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week. The biennial event is highly regarded by the transport industry to be one of the biggest and most influential Motor Shows in the world, hence the impressive turn out from the big name manufacturers.

Some of the stand out vehicles from the show included the new model from Ferrari, the 458 Italia. Showcased in the traditional Ferrari colour, hot red, visitors flocked in their thousand to grab a glimpse of the 2 seater high performance supercar.

Bentley is the most trusted choice for wedding cars in the U.K with demand for Bentley wedding car hire going through the roof during the peak summer season. The new Bentley Mulsanne was unveiled at the show this week and is expected to take over from the Bentley Arnage as the vehicle to be seen in on your wedding day. The Mulsanne was debuted at the Pebble Beach event in America as the “Concours D’Elegance” but its appearance at Frankfurt marks its first European outing.

Rolls Royce showed off their credit crunch busting limo, the Ghost. However the star entry from the U.K had to go to the brand new 2 seater Mini. Details of the new model had been kept tightly under wraps but it was definitely worth the wait. The open-topped roadster is sure to set many a mini-lover’s heart aflutter with its stylish appearance and pokey engine. It’s also good news for the car manufacturing industry in the U.K as the new mini will be made in BMW’s Oxford plant.

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Car Hire Company joins forces with Renault to offer green transport package

September 16, 2009 By Dez Rowley
Car hire company strikes deal with Renault

One of the leading providers of car hire, Europcar, has revealed it will join forces with Renault in a bid to provide a comprehensive green car hire package. Renault’s new range of electric cars will be incorporated into Europcar’s fleet and the car hire firm has plans to create a network of re-fuelling points for the electric powered vehicles as part of its environmentally friendly car hire strategy.

Car hire company strikes deal with Renault

Car hire company strikes deal with Renault

The two companies will sign the agreement at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. Europcar’s decision to stock Renault’s electric car and provide re-charging services will add another form of revenue to the company. Other car hire companies have attempted to do the same thing with regular cars as they allow customers to return their vehicle empty and charge for the cost of the fuel, this allows them to squeeze more money out of the one transaction.

Another company to spot the earning potential of providing an electric re-charge service for these green cars is McDonalds. The North Carolina restaurant of the fast food chain opened up an electric charging service in July of this year.

With more and more emphasis being out upon reducing our carbon footprint and with the increase in the range of car manufacturers making these green vehicles, Europcar’s move to offer a re-fuelling service is particularly shrewd. It also offers perfect opportunity for cross selling products to its car hire customers meaning they should be able to profit from the venture easy.

Renault plans to put the car into production in 2011 with the first vehicle being available to buy from 2012.

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Rolls Royce beats credit crunch with budget limousine

August 17, 2009 By Kate Owen
RollsRoyceGhost
RollsRoyceGhost

Rolls Royce Ghost

Rolls Royce is a name synonymous with luxury and decadence, however it seems even the world’s most exclusive car manufacturer isn’t immune to the credit crunch. Rolls Royce has just unveiled its latest addition to the prestigious dynasty, the Ghost. The new limo’s unique selling point has to be its price, rumoured to be around the $245,000 mark (£148,000) which by Rolls Royce standards, is a bargain.

The Ghost will join the company’s continental fleet of vehicles and is available from autumn 2009. The exact price won’t be revealed until the Frankfurt Motor Show however it will be considerably lower than Rolls Royce’s most popular limo, the Phantom which sells for $380,000 (£229,600). The Rolls Royce Phantom has been an extremely successful car for the brand, and is a very popular choice for wedding car hire the world over.

Although plans for a more affordable Rolls Royce were in the pipeline long before the global economic downturn, the timing of the Ghost couldn’t be better. Rolls Royce CEO agrees it is an “ideal” time to be launching a budget limo after the company saw a 34% drop in sales this year in comparison to 2008. The ethos of the new limo is also timely as the CEO went on to say “It’s less ostentatious, so owners can give the impression that they’re downsizing”

Despite being nick-named the Baby Rolls, the Ghost is still a mighty vehicle. It stretches over 5 metres in length and has a 6.6 litre engine and boasts upward of 500bhp; and with a price tag estimated to be £80,000 lower than the Rolls Royce Phantom, this new limo is likely to fly out of the showroom.

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