Motoring Newsbriefs

Sep 9 2008 Chris Russon

CHEVY SLASHES PRICES CHEVROLET is hoping to cash in on the new 58 registration plate with a September sale, slashing some new car prices by more than £2,000.

The biggest saving is on the Kalos supermini, with the 1.4 SX five-door reduced from £9,370 to £6,995.

The larger Lacetti 1.6 SX comes down by £2,120, from £11,415 to just £9,295 while the Matiz city car is reduced from £6,995 to £5,995.

Chevrolet says the sale prices will be on offer for a limited period only, and will apply only to vehicles ordered before September 30, 2008.

SMART MOVE A 6ft 7in motorist has found that the smart fortwo certainly doesn?t fall short when it comes to space or saving money.

Keith Edwards, who is a member of the Tall Persons Club GB & Ireland, opted to downsize to his smart fortwo passion cabrio when he could no longer justify the running costs, or the need, of a large saloon as his company vehicle.

The Business Development Manager for Atomic DMS (ECi2 Europe) who lives in Copplestone, near Crediton, Devon, says his 71hp model is a perfect fit for both him and the 20,000 miles that he covers in a year.

?It also only takes 10 minutes to wash and I never tire of people?s reactions when I climb out,? says 42-year-old Ken.

MONTY?S A FAST CAT MONTY Panesar ? the England cricket team's most prized spinner - has became a brand ambassador for Jaguar and collected a new XKR sports car from the Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham.

Commenting on the partnership, Monty said: "I?m really excited about working with Jaguar. I?ve always loved Jaguars because of their image and heritage, but I chose the XKR because, to me, it has everything. It?s the perfect sports car, it looks sexy and is amazing to drive."

In addition to his vital role in the England team, Monty plays cricket for Northamptonshire and has recently agreed a new two-year contract that will tie him to the county until the end of the 2010 season.

As part of the partnership, Jaguar is helping Monty to support his favourite charity 'Movers and Shakers' ? The Cure Parkinson's fundraising trust.

JUMPING FOR HEROES RACING driver Darren Turner has fulfilled a lifelong ambition and made his first parachute jump, and in doing the 13,000-foot skydive he raised £1,500 for the Help For Heroes charity.

The SEAT Sport UK driver, who has won two races and scored 129 points so far in this year's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship, made the jump with the Red Devils - the SEAT UK-supported British Army's official parachute display team, which has a fleet of five Alhambras to transport team members and equipment around the country.

Turner, who has a fixed wing pilot's licence, made the tandem jump at South Cerney airfield near Swindon, strapped to Lance Corporal Steve Candlish, who joined the Red Devils in 2000 and has made over 1,700 jumps.

Help for Heroes was founded to provide practical and direct support to the men and women of the British Armed Forces wounded in service and has raised almost £9million since its launch in October 2007.

BEST AND WORST THE Snake Pass in Derbyshire has been named as the country?s best driving road in a survey by British sportscar manufacturer, Caterham Cars.

The A57 from Sheffield to Glossop topped the poll to find the best - and worst - stretches of the 230,000 miles of tarmac that link the United Kingdom.

Unsurprisingly, the clockwise section of the M25 between Junction 5 and 21 was voted the worst by nearly a third of those quizzed.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN? VOLVO?S new flagship lorry will be making its UK debut at the Truckfest North-West show on September 13-14 at Haydock Park racecourse in Lancashire.

The left-hand drive FH16-660 is a high specification 8x4 Heavy Hauler and is fully kitted out with a range of factory-fitted Volvo accessories including light-bars, beacons and polished alloy wheels.

It is being brought over especially from Volvo?s HQ in Gothenburg, Sweden, for an exclusive preview in advance of the first customer trucks, which are scheduled to arrive this autumn.

SOUNDS INTERESTING A HIGH-TECH juke box on wheels is to be introduced by Audi as part of its latest in car entertainment improvements.

A 40-gig hard disk drive multi-media system has been launched by the German car maker which includes a 3D sat nav system, DVD playback, iPod and MP3 connectivity and the ability to store 4,000 songs from an SD card.

The new Multi Media Interface with HDD navigation is now fitted as standard to A8 models, and will eventually be available as an upgrade for Q7, Q5, A6, A5 and A4 ranges.

FIAT SEXES UP THE retro-inspired Fiat 500 has been named sexiest car of 2008 by the readers of evecars.com, the women's car-buying website.

"The Fiat 500 is a great-looking supermini inside and out, and is perfect for a city shopping trip, a weekend in the country or doing the school run in style. What?s more, with prices starting at just over £8,000 and purse-friendly running costs it won't break the bank," said evecars.com editor Alex Jenner-Fust.

British-built cars took second and third places in the 'sexiest car' category: the glamorous Jaguar XF executive car was a hit with 21% of readers while the MINI Clubman ? the estate version of the ever-popular small car ? took 19% of the vote.

WHIPLASH RATINGS THATCHAM, the British vehicle security and safety establishment, has been chosen as the first official testing centre for the Euro NCAP rear impact ratings programme.

Findings, which will show how effective is a car?s whiplash protection system, will be made available from November.

Andrew Miller, Thatcham?s research director said: ?This recognition by Euro NCAP of Thatcham?s research knowledge and commitment to seat testing is an important accolade and a real recognition of the investment made by the UK Insurers in furthering best-practice seat design.?

RACE TWEAKS A SPORTY VXR styling pack is being introduced by Vauxhall on the Astra TwinTop.

Inspired by Vauxhall?s record-breaking British Touring Car Championship team, the pack comprises a deep front spoiler skirt, side sills, rear spoiler and lower spoiler skirt.

All VXR styling packs are priced at £1,399. The rear spoiler can be supplied and fitted on its own for £299, and all prices include fitting and painting to body colour.