Home About Me Road Tests Features Comment Motorsport Videos Audio
Car Throttle •

Chinese Cars Are Good Now And We All Need To Get Used To It

A drive in the BYD Atto 3 shows that we mock Chinese brands at our peril - they really are making great cars now

When I was a kid – many, many years ago – Skoda jokes were a staple of playground banter. “Why do Skodas have heated rear windscreens? To keep your hands warm while pushing it.” “What do you call a Skoda with a sunroof? A skip.” To say you owned a Skoda was to invite unending ridicule, even when the Czech manufacturer started making much improved cars under the stewardship of the Vol
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

Kia heading in right direction with each new car | The National

Last month, I drove to the ­Geneva motor show. The focus of the journey was on the quirky Morgan 3 Wheeler – a deliciously impractical vehicle in which to drive from the United Kingdom to Switzerland, but that’s what made it an appealing exercise.

But never mind that now. With minimal storage in the 3 Wheeler, we needed a practical load-lugger as the support car – something that would carry clothes, camera equipment and the like, and be frugal on fuel.
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

The air bag: the Porsche 911 is dying. Long live the Cayman GT4 | The National

For more than 50 years, Porsche’s 911 has been the epitome of great sports cars. But no more. With the arrival of the Cayman GT4 at the start of this year, Porsche has signalled the beginning of the end of an icon.

Well, that’s not what the press release says, obviously. But the introduction of a super-focused Cayman will, I suspect, show up the 911 for what it is – a relic of a bygone age, albeit one that’s been evolved and improved ­superbly over the decades.
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

The air bag: The new kids on the luxury-car-sales block | The National

In October, Bentley opened its first dealership in ­Vietnam. The communist country follows an increasing number of new markets being exposed to the highest levels of automotive luxury.

What’s interesting is not just which markets are finding themselves in this position, but how they’re influencing the global meaning of “luxury”. These are regions that, in many cases, have had little or no experience of what the established markets would call luxury motoring, so they bring their own, local ideas
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

The air bag: Can Rolls-Royce solve its SUV conundrum? | The National

Rolls-Royce has a dilemma on its hands. The British car company is literally the byword for luxury – “the Rolls-Royce of cars”, as one executive quipped at a recent event – which is an enviable title to boast.

But Rolls is in a precarious position. When you stand tall, there’s farther to fall – and, in the world of ultra-luxury goods, you can’t afford to slip. The demand for such goods is expanding at a rapid rate, driven largely by emerging markets like Russia, China and the Middle East. Rolls
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

Are you ready for autonomous vehicles?

The self-driving car. What, if anything, in recent memory, has caused so much gnashing of teeth among petrolheads, so much furious tapping away at keyboards? Those who enjoy the rush of a perfectly judged apex and the joy of a lively throttle fear that autonomous vehicles will turn driving into a mere method of getting from A to B, rather than something to savour.

I can understand their fears. I love driving too, and don’t want to give it up. But at the same time, I’m all in favour of the drive
The National (Abu Dhabi) •

The air bag: Fuel-saving game en route to the Middle East?

Recently, I moved to Britain after six years living in the UAE. To say that the cost of fuel has been a shock would be an understatement. In Dubai, filling my Volkswagen Golf GTI cost... well, I don’t know, as I never really looked. I’d hazard a guess at about Dh100. In Britain, my Renaultsport Clio 172 Cup drinks up the equivalent of Dh325 every time. And it’s a pretty frugal car.

The expenditure mounts up. When it comes to cost, the UAE is a great place in which to drive, not just because of
Telegraph.co.uk •

When only a specialist will do - Telegraph

For the majority of us, car maintenance tends to be the job of the local garage or dealer. But for some, a run-of-the-mill mechanic isn’t good enough. They want someone that will know their pride and joy inside out. They want a specialist.

Virtually every notable car has a community built around it, a network of owners that obsess over their vehicles, and industries spring up to serve them – very often from within.

Ben Lewis runs Evil Ben’s, a Cornwall-based mechanic and restoration service sp