Happy Tenth Anniversary to Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands, the UK Home of all things Mercedes.

• Innovative Brooklands brand centre opened in 2006
• Over three million people have visited the site, which combines a driving centre, museum, showroom and more
• Offers amazing driving experiences both on-track and off-road – including driving lessons for under-17s

Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this weekend. Since the innovative brand centre opened its doors in 2006, over three million people have been welcomed through its doors.

The free-to-visit facility at the historic Brooklands race track provides visitors with a fascinating insight into Mercedes-Benz’s 130-year-long history, from the very first automobile in 1886 – the Patent Motorwagen – to the very latest products from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and smart.

On top of this, Mercedes-Benz World offers incredible driving experiences on purpose-built tracks both on and off-road. Over the past decade, some 430,000 customers have enjoyed these – the oldest driver being 106 years old, and the youngest just three. In fact, some 30,000 toddlers have got behind the wheel of Mercedes-Benz Bobby cars as part of the Little Learners experience for three-five year olds.

Mercedes-Benz World has also played host to a number of high-profile product launches, including the world premiere of the new Mercedes-AMG GT R this summer. The range-topping sports car was airlifted to Brooklands before landing in front of the world’s media, with Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton taking the GT R out on the track.

To celebrate its 10^th birthday, Mercedes-Benz World is offering a £20 discount to customers purchasing an AMG driving experience – meaning an hour of one-to-one tuition at the wheel of a powerful Mercedes-AMG model will now cost £180*. To purchase please call 0370 400 4000 and quote ’291006MBW’ (not available online).

Mercedes-Benz World is open from 10 am – 6 pm, seven days a week (with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

London car dealer Hexagon has opened a new Lotus showroom at its flagship headquarters in East Finchley.

• Leading London car dealer Hexagon has opened a new Lotus showroom at its flagship headquarters in East Finchley
• New showroom was opened by Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales
• Hexagon is Lotus’ official London dealer selling the full Lotus range, from Elise to 3-Eleven, at its East Finchley and South Kensington sites
• Hexagon’s flagship showroom has space for over 50 of the finest modern classic, classic and new Lotus cars

Leading London car dealer Hexagon has opened a new Lotus showroom at its flagship headquarters on Great North Road in East Finchley.

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales joined Hexagon Chairman Paul Michaels to open the new showroom earlier this week, which features the full range of new Lotus cars from the Elise right up to the incredible 3-Eleven, Lotus’ fastest production car ever. 

The new Lotus showroom is a key part of Hexagon’s flagship East Finchley site, called The Hexagon, which has been rapidly redeveloped over the last four months with space for over 50 modern classic and classic cars.

The aim of The Hexagon is to bring together classic cars, new Lotus models and luxury lifestyle like no other location in London, with each element carefully chosen to represent the finest in its field. A coffee bar and design store will open soon with a restaurant headed up by a Michelin-starred chef opening later this year.

Hexagon is Lotus’ official London dealer and also sells the full range from its South Kensington showroom. This announcement is the latest in a long relationship between Hexagon and Lotus. Hexagon was a Lotus dealer from 1964 to 1976, and its north London headquarters, which also offer full servicing and aftercare, are just a stone’s throw from Lotus’ original base in Hornsey, where Colin Chapman and his team built the first models in the ‘50s.

Hexagon Chairman Paul Michaels, said: “Redevelopment of our East Finchley flagship site is going at full speed – and the opening of our Lotus showroom is another important milestone. I was delighted to welcome Jean-Marc to north London this week and show him just why The Hexagon will be a welcoming and vibrant environment that will act as a real destination for all – not just car enthusiasts.”

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, said: “It was with real pride that we announced our partnership with Hexagon last year – a dealer who has a long association with the Lotus brand. I said at the time that Hexagon gives us an absolutely first-class presence in London, but this new flagship showroom in East Finchley has exceeded even our expectations. It blends modern design and luxury with a really welcoming feel and is the perfect home for our Lotus range in London.”

Caterham opens up new dealership at one of teh UK's Premiere race circuits. So, buy and race within minutes.

Caterham Cars has expanded its UK dealer network with the launch of the BookaTrack Caterham showroom at Donington Park race circuit.

The new showroom, based at one of Britain’s premier circuits, will sell Caterham’s full five model UK range of lightweight sportscars, as well as offering a full range of aftersales activities, including service, warranty and parts support.

Caterham’s Experience day activities will be housed at the new facility, relocating from Silverstone to Donington Park.

To celebrate the showroom launch, BookaTrack held a launch event on Saturday 5th March with a range of on and off track activities at Donington Park. Attendees were able to enjoy drifting action, with the Caterham Drift Experience, and test drives in a range of Caterham models, including the recently released Seven 620S.

Graham Macdonald, Caterham Cars CEO, and Christopher Tate, Donington Park Managing Director, attended the event as well as members from the local Caterham Seven owners club.

Graham Macdonald, said: “Over 16 years, we have forged a strong and close partnership with BookaTrack. To open our fourth UK dealership with a brand that is so clearly passionate about Caterham, is an exciting new chapter in this partnership.

“This wonderful, bespoke site at Donington Park will ensure midlands-based sportscar enthusiasts enjoy the full Caterham brand experience, in location truly reflecting our values and heritage."

BookaTrack is the UK's largest independent car track day organiser. Caterham has been working with the company since its inception in 2000 and throughout its progression as a premium track day provider. BookaTrack will continue to operate a fleet of Caterhams at around 120 events per year at race circuits across the UK and Europe.

Bentley to roll out new Corporate Identity to all showrooms, starting now.

• Official opening of ‘CW1 House’ – a striking new blueprint for Bentley’s global corporate identity
• New-look CI to be rolled out across global network from late 2014
• “A visualisation of the most exclusive customer experience”
• New facility blends traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design to showcase the best of British luxury performance
• Mulliner commissioning area exhibits breadth of personalisation available to customers

Bentley today unveils the blueprint for its new global corporate identity, with the official opening of CW1 House – a purpose-built flagship showroom concept at the company’s headquarters in Crewe.

The striking new design will be rolled out across Bentley’s global dealer network in a phased process starting in late 2014. In addition, the brand will open a number of flagship showrooms in major cities around the world including Dubai, Beijing, Los Angeles and London.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, Chairman and CEO, Bentley Motors, comments:

“Bentley gives customers around the world a bold, clear and contemporary interpretation of our vision and brand values, bringing our design language, craftsmanship and attention to detail into even sharper focus.”

Kevin Rose Member of the Board for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, added: “One of our great strengths is the luxurious degree of choice we offer to our customers, so that every Bentley is tailored and individual. 

Our new showrooms, in particular the Mulliner commissioning suite, brings these choices to life, enabling customers to see and feel the breadth of what we can do – immersing them in the world of Bentley and fuelling their creativity. It offers a visualisation of the most exclusive customer experience.”

CW1 House gets its distinctive name from the British manufacturer’s postal code.  The new design takes inspiration from the company’s 95-year history, while drawing on influences from the best in contemporary luxury. 

Working to the same ‘powerful, individual, exquisite’ brief as the designers of Bentley’s luxury performance cars, the project team responsible for developing Bentley’s new customer environment has created a space with an impactful exterior presence regardless of its surroundings; a bespoke, uniquely British feel with a focus on personal commissioning; and one that is executed with Bentley’s signature craftsmanship and painstaking attention to detail.

The luxury materials which adorn the British luxury brand’s cars (notably leather, wood and polished metals)have been integrated into every feature of the design. The carpets are made from the same rich lambswool used in Bentley’s interior model carpets, the furniture is trimmed in Bentley leather, and customer commissioning areas are enveloped by contemporary solid oak panels. Seats, tables, display stands and the concierge coffee and champagne bar are all hand-trimmed with bespoke, highly polished stainless steel.

The Mulliner commissioning suite offers customers an exclusive, tactile and sensory experience in which to personalise their car. In addition to presenting a range of more than 100 paint colours, this central area of the facility exhibits some of the unique features commissioned by Bentley owners in the past, including unique accent trim materials such as ray skin, and a bespoke crystal decanter and matching glasses fitted behind the rear cabin armrest.

TESLA, welcomed to London with flair and style.

London Store marks the arrival of Model S in the UK, Model S to be priced from £49,900*

Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) has now opened its first retail design store in the UK at London’s Westfield Shopping Centre in White City, one of the capital’s most popular shopping destinations. The new store features interactive displays and design studios enabling more and more people to design their own Model S and learn all about the award winning and critically acclaimed electric vehicle.

The opening was marked by Tesla Motors’ Co-Founder and CEO Elon Musk, who hosted a special opening evening for UK customers:

“Tesla is taking the UK market very seriously, and there are more stores and service centres to come. We’re also going to establish a Supercharger network so Model S customers will be able to drive long distances anywhere in the UK using our network for free, forever. The first Supercharger will be energised next quarter and we’ll aspire to have the entire country covered by end of next year. Most importantly, we are hard at work with Right Hand Drive Model S, and we aim to deliver the first one by the end of March 2014.”

See opening video here

Model S and Pricing Announcement for the UK

Model S is the world’s first premium saloon to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, meticulously engineered to elevate the public’s expectations of what a premium saloon can be. The five-door premium saloon competes with the top cars in its class in spaciousness, handling and style, yet produces zero tailpipe emissions. Because there is no internal combustion engine or transmission tunnel, the interior of the car allows for additional luggage space in the front of the vehicle and one of the most spacious cabins in its class.

The heart of Model S is its efficiently-packaged electric powertrain that delivers a superior driving experience while setting a new NEDC record for electric vehicle range of 310 Miles. Model S comes with two battery options – 60 kWh and 85 kWh. The battery’s floor-mounted position gives Model S an incredible low centre of gravity and ideal weight distribution for exhilarating performance and superior handling. Model S has many similar features, including immediate responsiveness, instant torque and smooth acceleration that made the Tesla Roadster famous.

Following the launch of the new London Store Tesla has now announced that the official on-the-road price for Model S in the UK will start from £49,900*.

Aside from the competitive starting price of Model S within the luxury saloon segment, there are numerous financial benefits applied to Model S as an electric vehicle that should be considered that  affect the “total cost of ownership”, making Model S even more compelling in the UK. These include incentives such as zero showroom tax, zero Vehicle Exercise Duty (road tax) and exemption from London’s Congestion Charge1. Model S owners can also look to save thousands of pounds in fuel cost over the life of their car with there being no more expensive trips to the petrol station; instead Model S can simply be plugged in and charged from any electrical outlet.

UK residents who purchase Model S as a company car can also benefit from a 0% Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) rate until April 2015, after which the BIK is set to a rate of 5%.  Compared to the standard BIK rates of 24-28% for a typical premium ICE saloon, this incentive helps make Model S even more attractive to corporate clients.

*Price quoted is for the 60kWh Model S after £5000 deduction from the UK Plug-in grant which Model S is eligible (inclusion of Model S in this incentive is in progress)

1.Congestion Charge exemption subject to registration with TFL and £10 annual fee.

Rolls Royce opens boutique showroom in Bangkok

• The world’s first Rolls-Royce Boutique Showroom is opened at Bangkok’s luxury shopping mall, Siam Paragon
• Second showroom in Bangkok underlines strong demand and business success
• Rolls-Royce Lifestyle Collection launched for the first time in Thailand
• Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today launched the world’s first Rolls-Royce Boutique showroom at Bangkok’s Siam Paragon Mall, presenting the pinnacle in retail shopping.

The showroom was officially opened by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Asia Pacific Regional Director, Paul Harris; General Manager for Emerging Markets Asia, Herfried Hasenoehrl and Vivat Thamchuanviriya, Chairman of Master Group Corporation (Asia) Co., Ltd.

Rolls-Royce Luxury – Personalisation

Designed to aid customers in the creative process of commissioning a Rolls-Royce motor car, the two-car showroom is a smaller, intimate Boutique where customers are invited to use their imaginations and mix and match woods, leather or select from a palette of 44,000 different colours. Within the Bespoke lounge, leather, wood and paint samples allow customers to touch, feel and visualise their artistic desires when commissioning their own Rolls-Royce motor car. In addition, the Rolls-Royce configurator is available for customers to create their design on screen at the touch of a button, truly bringing the creative process to life.

The Rolls-Royce Bespoke programme allows customers to personalise anything from a treadplate or headrests with their initials to more complex accessories such as a picnic set or luggage that is designed for their exact needs. Customers have been known to use wood from their own orchard or to specify their own personal paints.

Rolls-Royce Lifestyle Collection

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok showcased a number of accessories previously not seen in Thailand. The Rolls-Royce neck scarf is the perfect finishing touch for any outfit, made from 100% Italian Silk, with a white Spirit of Ecstasy pattern. This exquisite piece is exclusively available in wildflower, the colour of the Spirit of Ecstasy Centenary Collection cars. Additional items include the Rolls-Royce silk tie, featuring an image of Eleanor Thornton on the reverse who it is thought the Spirit of Ecstasy was originally modelled on; and Spirit of Ecstasy cufflinks, made from sterling silver and modeled on the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy.

General Manager Chatvithai Tantraporn said: “Siam Paragon is now home to the ultimate in super-luxury motoring: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. We welcome the boutique into the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok family as a space that fits into our customers’ lifestyle, enabling them to visit us during their retail time or to join us for exclusive events and showcases of our highly Bespoke collections.

The showroom is designed to inspire creativity: our customers are able to design their car with the help of the Bespoke team and expert craftspeople from the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England – the only limit being one’s imagination.”

Herfried Hasenoehrl, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars General Manager for Emerging Markets – Asia, said: “The Boutique is an intimate showroom perfectly positioned in the centre of the city to display the ultimate in super-luxury, refinement and quality. With inspirational designs and samples on display, customers are encouraged to share their bespoke desires, and allow us to make their dreams a reality.

Opening a second showroom within only their first year of operations demonstrates how our authorised Bangkok dealer is truly devoted to our customers’ needs, reinforcing yet again their exceptional commitment to our brand.”

The Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok Boutique is located on the second floor of Siam Paragon luxury shopping mall.

About Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is the world’s leading producer of Bespoke, super-luxury motor cars.

All cars are hand-built by master craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England.

It takes 60 pairs of hands between one and six months to build a Rolls-Royce motor car, in a tireless pursuit of quality echoing the famous words of company founder, Sir Henry Royce: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”

Despite a number of economic challenges worldwide in 2012, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed record sales results for 2012. 3,575 cars were sold globally during the year, which represents the third consecutive record and the best sales result in the marque’s 109-year history.

Third dealership in India shows the way forward

• Rolls-Royce celebrates opening of a brand new showroom in Hyderabad, India’s fourth largest city
• Hyderabad showroom part of an expansion drive ahead of further showroom openings in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad, signalling Rolls-Royce’s confidence in the Indian super-luxury car market
• Home for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Hyderabad reignites significant historical connection to the brand

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ presence in India continues to grow with the official opening of a third showroom in the South Indian commercial capital of Hyderabad, following the appointment of its authorised dealer, Kun Motoren Private Limited to represent Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Hyderabad.

Situated on the second floor of Kun Motoren’s luxury car hub in Hyderabad, the 5,400 square foot, three-car showroom also boasts a carefully crafted bespoke lounge where customers are able to select the intimate detailing of their Rolls-Royce car.

Paul Harris, Asia Pacific Regional Director said, “We are excited to be working with Kun Motoren as our dealer partner in a region rich with Rolls-Royce history and passion for the brand. Establishing a new retail facility will allow us to reach our customers with the same high standards available elsewhere in the country. The new showroom conforms to the brand’s latest global standards, and is both an impressive and luxurious space.”

“Legend has it that the former Nizam of Hyderabad – famously named as the all-time richest Indian, and the one of the wealthiest men to have ever lived – owned over 50 Rolls-Royce motor cars. This colourful history, our current customer base and continued level of demand is why Hyderabad was the natural choice for this new showroom.”

Rolls-Royce cars are the epitome in super-luxury motoring. Customers can now visit the new showroom and bring their personal, creative desires to life. Each car is designed with the bespoke capabilities only Rolls-Royce craftsmanship can offer.

Vasanthi Bhupati, Director, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Hyderabad said: “We are committed to delivering beautiful hand-built motor cars to our highly successful customers. In this elegant new showroom, customers can enjoy the creative process that comes with commissioning each and every Rolls-Royce vehicle. We are looking forward to this new and exciting chapter in Rolls-Royce history.”

Herfried Hasenoehrl, Rolls-Royce General Manager for Emerging Markets Asia added: “Today we see yet another extension of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars presence in India. I am happy we have partnered with Kun Exclusive, whose excellent track record bodes well for its role as new ambassadors for Rolls-Royce’s return to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.”

“We expect Kun to set a benchmark for our customers in the state, with its track record of excellent customer attention and service.”