British International Motor Show 2008 Bulletin: 23 July
July 25, 2008 – 6:07 am by GaryCooLHonda boss gives praise to UK workforce
In front of the world’s press, Honda’s chief executive Ken Kier praised the work of its UK workforce saying that Britain is a crucial hub for Honda and the investment placed in both its Swindon manufacturing plant and in its F1 team is a huge vote of confidence.
The Honda F1 racing car (Photo Credit: onEdition)
On its stand in the south hall of the Show the firm launched globally it’s Open Study Model, an open-top hybrid sports car concept based on the CR-Z concept and says that it aims to continue designing exciting cars that are also environmentally responsible. Using the Dreamscape exhibition at the Motor Show to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Show will feature the full range of Honda’s products. It also announced plans for an affordable hybrid car due to go on sale in the UK in the Spring – making cleaner motoring technology available to more people.
The Honda CRZ Concept Hybrid sports car (Photo Credit: onEdition)
Decade has made big difference to Bentley
The last ten years have seen a transformation in the fortunes of iconic British luxury car maker Bentley. So said the brand’s sales and marketing director Stuart McCullough when unveiling the 2009 Continental Flying Spur range yesterday. “We have seen a return to the roots of Bentley, of luxury, comfort and craftsmanship,” McCullough told journalists, adding that the changes had certainly appealed to the brand’s customers. “Just five years ago we were selling 1,000 cars a year – last year for the first time we sold 10,000 and achieved record profitability.”
The launch of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed (Photo Credit: onEdition)
McCullough admitted that the current worldwide financial situation was being felt at Bentley, especially in North America. But a slight drop in sales in the US was being compensated for by success in emerging markets, particularly China and the Middle East. As a result Bentley had been able to announce half-year profits ahead of 2007. “Bentley contributes £1 billion to the UK balance of trade, and is very important to the economy of the North West,” he added.
SEAT world launch and eco news
SEAT president Eric Schmitt yesterday unveiled the new Ibiza SportCoupe, due to go on sale in the UK in October. He said they chose to launch at the British International Motor Show, at ExCeL London, as it reflects the young, sporty and design driven image of the Ibiza. The Ibiza range delivers less than 120g/km CO2 in the diesel variants and less than 160 g/km for the petrol range. Also, on display is the ecomotive range of vehicles, each of which emits just 99g/km CO2.
The new SEAT IBIZA SC (Photo Credit: onEdition)
