If a car becomes popular with a particular profession, it’s usually not too much of a problem. But ‘hairdresser’s car’ has become a pejorative term suggesting small, cutesy and not for anyone with a deluded sense of machismo.
So what do hairdressers actually drive? In response to that important question, UK insurance company Diamond has reviewed its database of 18,000 stylists, and the answer seems to be… anything small and cutesy.
Favourite is the Mini One, followed by the Vauxhall Tigra and Volkswagen Beetle. Completing the top five are the Ford Ka and Mini Cooper.
Hairdressers' favourite: The Mini One Hatch.
Doubtless certain owners of the Audi TT and Fiat 500 will be relieved that their cars didn’t make the list.
Perhaps it’s meant as an antidote to the bulk of the Countryman, but the latest addition to the Mini range is a fold-up bike. Logically called the Mini Folding Bike, when collapsed it’ll even fit into the poky 160 litre boot of the Mini Hatch.
As many of the components including the frame, forks, seat post and handlebars are made from aluminium, the bike weighs only 11 kilos. Such lightness should mean it’s not too much of an effort to lug about in the supplied transport bag.
The eight gears are controlled via a grip shift and, sensibly, the drive chain - coloured neon yellow - is Teflon-coated to negate the need for messy lubrication.
Available only in matt black, the Mini Folding Bike goes on sale from August 2011. A UK price has yet to be set, but in the Eurozone it’ll cost €499 via the Mini website or selected Mini dealers.
For the fourth time in five years, Aston Martin has been named the UK’s coolest brand in the CoolBrands survey. The 2010/11 poll, which sought the opinions of members of the public as well as a panel of experts, placed the British car maker ahead of brands such as BlackBerry, Google and Dom Perignon.
The other automotive companies that made it into the top twenty were Harley-Davidson (6th), Ferrari (9th) and Mini (16th).
Speaking of the award, Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez said, “Once you can define precisely why a brand is cool, then it no longer has the magic that earns it that label. There has to be an element of mystique, something that eludes definition. In order for a brand to have that quality, it needs people behind it with a passionate, creative vision who care for and nurture it.”
Quite right too. Let’s see if Aston Martin can retain the title after the Cygnet arrives.
The 2010/11 CoolBrands Top 20:
Aston Martin (Automotive - Cars)
iPhone (Technology - Telecommunications)
iPod (Technology - General)
Blackberry (Technology - Telecommunications)
Bang & Olufsen (Technology - General)
Harley-Davidson (Automotive - Motorbikes)
Nintendo Wii (Leisure & Entertainment - Games & Toys)
Google (Online)
Ferrari (Automotive - Cars)
Dom Perignon (Drinks - Champagne)
BBC iPlayer (Online)
Vivienne Westwood (Fashion - Designer)
Apple (Technology - General)
Tate Modern (Leisure & Entertainment - UK Attractions & The Arts)
If proof were needed that money can buy a Ferrari 458 Italia, but not necessarily the driving talent to go with it, this YouTube clip is it.
Apparently the video shows a customer picking up his pride and joy from the Maranello factory, only to get it very intimate with a tree the next day. Luckily there were no serious injuries, thanks to the car's crumple zone and airbags.
Should be an interesting one to explain to the insurance company.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld two complaints made against a regional press advertisement for the BMW Z4 sDrive35is.
Objections were raised because of the environmental claims made in the ad, which had the text:
"Joy presses you back in your seat. It's a lesson in EfficientDynamics - our way of doing more with less. Part of the thrill of being in an accelerating BMW is knowing nothing is going to waste. High Precision Fuel Injection gives you abundant power, using less fuel. So you can step on the accelerator, knowing Joy will minimise the CO2 emissions. The story of Joy continues at bmw.co.uk/joy. THE BMW Z4 sDRIVE35is JOY IS FUTUREPROOF. BMW EfficientDynamics Less emissions, More driving pleasure."
The associated small print read:
"Official fuel economy figures for the Z4 sDrive35is Roadster: Urban 22.4 mpg (12.6 l/100km). Extra Urban 40.9 mpg (6.9 l/100km), Combined 31.4 mpg (9.0 l/100km). CO2 emissions 210 g/km. BMW EfficientDynamics reduces BMW emissions without compromising performance developments and is standard across the model range."
The complainants thought this implied that a CO2 emissions level of 210 g/km was low. They in fact understood it to be relatively high, meaning BMW’s advert was misleading (although perhaps not to them?).
BMW (UK) responded by saying the emissions from the current Z4 range were significantly reduced compared to the previous generation, and the 210 g/km of CO2 produced by the 335 bhp (250 kW / 340 PS) Z4 sDrive35is is lower than all of its competitors.
Indeed, that seems to be correct: For example, the slightly less powerful Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 and Porsche Boxster S have CO2 figures of 227 g/km and 223 g/km respectively.
But BMW’s defence was to no avail. The ASA ruled that the advert was ‘likely to mislead without further qualification’, because 210 g/km was a relatively high figure for any car. Consequently, the advert should not appear again in its current form.
As reported on Russia Today, this is probably the first Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG to be written off. It was involved in a head-on collision in Moscow, being driven by a young woman at the time. The SLS AMG costs £157,500 in the UK.
Things went a bit wrong when Volvo decided to show off its collision avoidance system on the new S60.
Unfortunately, as this YouTube video shows, the car just smacked straight into the back of a stationary truck, instead of automatically stopping in time like it was supposed to. The large crowd watching just made an already embarrassing situation worse.
Volvo claims the accident was caused by a fault with the car’s battery and, had a person been driving, they’d have realised something was wrong and done something about it. That might be the case, but then what’s the point of having the system in the first place?
The ad asserted that ‘…the well-to-wheel efficiency of a Renault Fluence Z.E. will help reduce CO2 emissions by at least 90% compared to a current Diesel model*…’, with the small print at the bottom stating ‘…*Comparison between a Renault Fluence Z.E. (basis: French average electric mix) and a model from an identical category: Renault Megane Hatch 1.5 dCi (85HP) emitting 133g CO2 well-to wheel’.
There was only one complaint made about that claim, but it turned out to be a valid one: the advertisement was misleading because the 90% CO2 reduction figure had been based on France’s electricity generation mix, which is very different to that in the UK.
Indeed, the energy policies of the two countries are poles apart. France uses nuclear power to generate almost 80% of its electricity, whereas in the UK it is only around 20%. Three quarters of the electricity used here comes from coal or natural gas which, being fossil fuels, emit CO2 during the generation process. Nuclear, of course, doesn’t.
Renault’s response was that, because of the footnote, anyone reading the ad in its entirety would not be misled. However, the ASA disagreed with that defence, rightly pointing out that the average reader would not be aware of the different electricity generation mixes of France and the UK, and their effects on overall CO2 emissions.
Consequently the Renault advertisement must not appear again in its current form.
First of all, he got nicked by the rozzers on Friday for ‘improper use of a motor vehicle’ after they saw him wheel-spinning his Mercedes-Benz road car, which was then promptly impounded.
He was then outclassed by McLaren team mate Jenson Button in both qualifying and the race itself, Hamilton ending up in sixth place and clearly frustrated. Afterwards, he decided to publicly criticise the team’s tactics. Realising that was never going to make him very popular, Hamilton has since done some diplomatic back-peddling to smooth things over, saying he now ‘understands’ the decision to bring him in for a second pit stop.
But the icing on the cake has been the comments made by Tim Pallas, the Minister for Roads and Ports in the Australian state of Victoria. Launching his ‘Don’t Be A Dickhead’ road safety campaign on Monday, the day after the Grand Prix, Pallas was asked whether Hamilton would fit into that category. Pallas admitted, "OK, I'll say it. He's a dickhead" before going onto claim that Hamilton’s actions had “put people’s lives at risk”. Really?
Aussie driver Mark Webber swiftly came to Hamilton’s defence, saying his country had become a “nanny state” with ridiculous driving rules. Pallas thought Webber irresponsible for making those remarks, but confirmed he definitely isn’t another dickhead.
Perhaps the real dickheads in the Hamilton ‘improper use’ saga were the two McLaren flunkies who tried to shield both Hamilton and his Mercedes-Benz from being filmed after the police stop. One of these guys seemed to believe he could achieve that by holding open his brown jacket, without looking like a total prat. The irony is he’ll probably be strung up for daring to wear a non-regulation piece of clothing with his McLaren uniform. Rumour is the team’s very strict on that sort of thing.
How do you not notice a Renault Clio stuck to the front of your truck?
The driver in this incredible YouTube video obviously didn't.
Arclid Transport, the firm that owns the lorry, says on its website, ‘We have developed an unsurpassed reputation for delivery where you want it, when you want it - swiftly and safely…’
Heating on the blink? Need some maintenance work done on your premises? Then call Darenth Valley Building Services, because as the weapons-grade tool in the clip shows, they won’t let anything get in their way when the call to a job comes.
Particularly outstanding is the overtake on double white lines, totally ignoring the truck coming in the opposite direction. The unfortunate riders who got in his way were protesting at Westminster City Council’s plans to introduce parking charges for bikes.
Blimey, Vauxhall have finally made an advert for their Corsa that doesn’t induce an urge to chuck the TV remote straight at the screen.
The annoying little puppets, who yelled ‘c’mon’ (short for common?) at everything whilst getting into a series of side-splitting adventures, have finally been ditched.
Well, not quite - look closely at the otherwise pretty good pop art effort, and you’ll see them on some balloons, as well as the word ‘c’mon’ hovering in the background. Sometimes it’s hard to let go.
