Aston Martin given Temporary Exemption from USA safety regulations, to ensure cars meet new regs.

Aston Martin has been granted a temporary exemption to new U.S. safety rules that would have stopped it from selling hundreds of cars in one of its key markets, U.S. regulators said Friday.

The money-losing British brand, famed for being James Bond's car of choice, applied for a temporary exemption to side-impact federal safety standards in March saying the rules would cause "substantial economic hardship."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday it would give the marque longer to comply due to the niche nature of its business.

"The basis for the grant is that compliance would cause substantial economic hardship to a low volume manufacturer that has tried in good faith to comply with the standard," NHTSA said in a statement filed online.

Its decision will be a relief to recently appointed CEO Andy Palmer as he attempts to turn around the high-end brand, which reported pre-tax losses of 25.4 million pounds ($40.6 million) in 2013.

NHTSA has phased in requirements for side airbags and other safety advances since 2010.

The rules affecting the coupe versions of Aston Martin's DB9 grand tourers and Vantage sport cars came into effect in September. The exemption now runs until the end of August 2016 for the DB9 and an extra year for the Vantage.

The same rules will not affect convertible versions of both models, which cost about $200,000 (125,000 pounds), until September 2015, but the cars now have an exemption until the end of August 2017.

A spokeswoman for the 101-year-old carmaker said the decision meant that both coupe models could be sold. Had the brand failed to win an exemption, it would have affected up to 670 vehicles over three years.

In August, James R. Walker, chairman of the U.S. Aston Martin dealers advisory council, said in a letter to federal safety regulators that without the exemption the brand risked losing some of its U.S. dealers.

Aston Martin, whose DB5 model was driven by Sean Connery's James Bond in movies including "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball," sold 4,200 cars worldwide last year.

Rolls Royce gives Paddington Bear a makeover, all in the name of charity.

One of Britain’s best-loved children’s characters, Paddington Bear, has been given a Rolls-Royce Bespoke makeover as part of the Paddington Trail: an initiative that seeks to raise vital funds for the NSPCC ahead of the much anticipated UK release of the Paddington film on November 28.

Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, created a design inspired by the marque’s founding forefather, famed racer and pioneer aviator the Hon. Charles Rolls. The Rolls-Royce Paddington cuts a sartorial dash in a brown leather duffel coat with cravat and hat ribbon in Rolls-Royce’s signature purple. Paddington’s outfit is complete with a pair of MK8 racing goggles that pay an elegant tribute to Rolls’ prowess as a gentleman racer.

50 statues of Paddington are set to be placed in landmarks across London from November 4, with visitors invited to observe them on a specially plotted Paddington Trail. Rolls-Royce’s Paddington will be placed in a most fitting location, opposite the marque’s landmark showroom in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square. He will stand on a plinth crafted to resemble the Pantheon grille that adorns every Rolls-Royce motor car and is finished in a specially created Bespoke mirror finish, echoing the marque’s emblematic Spirit of Ecstasy.

“It has given us great pleasure to support such a worthy cause by creating a Bespoke Paddington Bear,” said Giles Taylor, Director of Design, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. “Paddington is undoubtedly one of the nation’s best-loved characters; we were therefore honoured and delighted to be challenged with participating in the Paddington Trail. The Hon. Charles Rolls shared Paddington’s lust for adventure and exploration; he therefore proved the perfect inspiration for our interpretation of the world’s most famous bear.”

The statue was designed and crafted by the Bespoke craftspeople at the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, England – with associates from all departments dedicating time in aid of the NSPCC to ensure Paddington is in perfect order to meet his public. 

Visitors will be able to see the 50 Paddingtons, created by some of the UK’s leading designers, celebrities and artists from Tuesday 4 November 2014. An auction at Christies and a specially curated online sale will follow the release of the new Paddington movie on Friday 28 November. The film from STUDIOCANAL and Heyday Films is written and directed by Paul King (Bunny and the Bull, The Mighty Boosh), produced by David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter) and boasts an all-star cast including Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman with Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington. All proceeds are set to go to the NSPCC and ChildLine.

Mercedes invests heavily into new R & D centre in Beijing, China.

Grand Opening Mercedes-Benz Research & Development China

• Total investment of about 865 million RMB [112 million EUR] in Mercedes-Benz’ passenger car R&D facilities in Beijing
• Competence Centre with clear focus on Chinese market needs
• Home to Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio with widest field of action outside of Germany
• Hubertus Troska: “Our new R&D Centre will help us to fully tap our potential here and give our Chinese customers’ voice even more weight in our global network and future product development.”
• Thomas Weber: “With our new R&D Centre in China, weare progressing our strategy oftheinternationalisation of our R&D, showing our full commitment and dedication to China.”

Daimler Greater China today opened its new Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Centre in China and extended its local RD network. In future 500 highly qualified engineeres and designers will be working for Mercedes-Benz’s new R&D site. In total, about 865 million RMB [112 million EUR] has been invested into the Beijing-basedresearch and development facilities for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars most recently, with about 105million RMB [13.5 million EUR] into this new site alone.

“For the automotive industry, China has become the most important market worldwide. The country is truly in fast forward mode – we recognise this importance and reflect it in our local R&D activities, which we are clearly pushing forward to the next level,” says Hubertus Troska, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for China. “As a key element for our sustainable growth strategy in China, our new R&D Centre will help us to fully tap our potential here and give our Chinese customers’ voice even more weight in our global network and future product development.”

“With our new R&D Centre in China, we are progressing our strategy oftheinternationalisation of our R&D, showing our full commitment and dedication to China, a key market for us,” says Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “Establishing a close-knit and complementary network of R&D Centres across the globe will enable us to incorporate local taste, needs and trends into our products much faster, supporting our vision to become the world’s largest premium car manufacturer by the end of the decade.”

Continuous expansion of Chinese R&D activities

With the new location, Daimler is taking its Research and Development activities in China to a new level. The company first put China on the map of its worldwide Research & Development network in 2006 with the localisation of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Since then, the scope of work and headcount of its local R&D teams has been continuously expanded. In 2009, Mercedes-Benz was the first German premium car manufacturer to open an Advanced Design Studio in Beijing. To even better caterto the needs of Chinese customers, units for ’Localisation & Development, ‘Telematics & Infotainment’ and, most recently, ‘Trends &Innovation’ were subsequentlyestablished.

Today, international teams ofmore than 350 experts work for Mercedes-Benz’s Chinese R&D headquarters, covering six different departments. Currently,80 percent of the workforce is Chinese; the remaining team includes specialists from about a dozen different countries.  By the end of 2015, the automaker plans to increase the headcount to 500. Mercedes-Benz R&D China benefits from a close link to Daimler’s strong local production and supplier base as well as its Sino-German joint venture R&D sites forvans and electric vehicles.

Focus on the needs of the Chinese market

Apart from Advanced Design, there are five departments working for Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Chinain Beijing. The teams for Localisation & Development and Powertrain & Testing adapt vehicles and engines to Chinese needs,take care of testing,and establish cooperation with local suppliers.

A unit for Safety, Comfort, Regulatory Affairs and IP makes sure the vehicles comply with all Chinese rules, regulations and standards. In addition, it does research on topics like in-car air quality and allergy prevention, and builds up ties with universities and other research organisations. One example is the collaboration with Tsinghua University, one of China’s leading universities, on the development of sustainable transport solutions, including autonomous driving.With these collaborations, Mercedes-Benz’ engineering team gets also access to a vast Chinese talent pool.

The Telematics and Infotainment teamfocuses on developingtelematics and infotainment systems withChinese requirements, and ensure quality for the systems in the lab and on the road. One task of the unit is to ensure customers can enter handwritten Chinese characters into the multimediasystem of their Mercedes-Benz vehicles; another one is to integrate China-specific Apps and internet services into the cars. Mercedes-Benz is the 1^st automotive OEM that has teamed up with Baidu, the Chinese Google equivalent, to bring “Streetview” features into its Chinese vehicles.  

The Trends, Research and Innovation department analyzes developments in Chinese society and their effects on future mobility needs.The mission is clear: On one hand, go deep into the daily lives of Chinese customers and translate their daily habits into clever product solutions and on the other, monitor trends early and react on these with the right future product concepts. The team gets its inspiration by various research and analysis methodologies - and sometimes by simply looking at Chinese customers’ cars.

State-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio

The all-new Advanced Design Studio is a Centrepiece of the R&D facility and represents the company’s new design hub in Asia. It is dedicated to offering Chinese customers an even more enjoyable Mercedes-Benz experience by putting new functions like ‘Colour & Trim’ and ‘User Interface Experience’ design on the company’s local design map. Fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology, it covers the widest field of action amongst Mercedes-Benz’s passenger car design studios outside of Germany: All necessary steps of car design can be done here – from first sketches to 1:1 clay models.

As a seismograph for design, cultural and mobility trends and as an integral part of Daimler’s global design network, the studio will generate creative inspirations from China, and incorporate these into Mercedes-Benz’ global design philosophy. A first glimpse of this interaction was given at the official opening when Gorden Wagener, Head of Design Daimler AG, presented the Mercedes-Benz G-Code, a sporty crossover show car inspired by the lifestyles and digital cultures of contemporary Chinese society.

Global research and development network

Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development employs a workforce of 21,100 at 21 facilities in 10 countries worldwide, with a total R&D investment of 10.8 billion Euros in 2013/2014. The company’s global R&D headquarters is located at Sindelfingen near Stuttgart.

In addition to the new facility in Beijing, Daimler’s global R&D network includes two more international Competence Centres: Specialists at Sunnyvale in the USA focus on innovations for the so-called “digital drivestyle” and Bangalore in India is home to the Competence Centre for digital product development and IT

Qashqai celebrates as the 2,000,000th rolls off the lines in the UK.

• Two million Qashqai production achieved in record time
• Milestone caps a superlative year for the original crossover
• Designed, engineered and made in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs

Less than eight years after inventing the crossover segment, (HEAVEN FORBID THEY DONT MENTION THE FREELANDER, RAV4, VITARA AND DOZENS OF OTHERS) the Nissan Qashqai has once again made automotive history after production passed two million units in record time.

With Nissan’s unrivalled package of quality, styling and technology, the Qashqai has reached its latest manufacturing milestone quicker than any other model in the history of the UK car industry.

Designed, engineered and built in Nissan’s UK facilities for European customers, this latest landmark caps a remarkable 2014 for the Qashqai, with January’s launch of the new generation model sparking a string of accolades including What Car? magazine’s coveted Car of the Year.

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, said: “The Qashqai is helping Nissan to go from strength to strength in Europe. Two million customers can’t be wrong. This is further evidence of their trust in our brand. Thank you to all of our loyal customers and I congratulate all my colleagues in Sunderland for reaching this latest milestone.

“The Qashqai is one of 12 new models we have launched in the past 12 months in Europe, which has given Nissan the strongest and most cohesive line-up in our history.”

The two millionth Qashqai to roll off the production line was a magnetic red model in the new n-tec grade which is destined for a UK customer. Introduced last month, the new grade includes unique new styling features as well as Nissan Safety Shield technologies like Forward Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning and High Beam Assist.

Nissan has invested £534 million in the design, development and production of Qashqai in the UK, supporting more than 11,000 jobs in the UK car industry. Of the two million Qashqais made in Sunderland since December 2006, 85% (1,706,633) have been exported to 132 international markets, from the Congo to Qatar.

UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, said: “Nissan is one of the driving forces behind the UK’s world-renowned automotive industry. They currently employ more than 11,000 people across the UK and have invested more than £500m in the innovation, design and production of this car, directly supporting the local and national economies. The UK automotive industry is thriving. Last year, we increased our production to more than 1.5 million cars in the UK – that’s a car rolling off the production line every 20 seconds. 

“Through the UK government’s industrial strategy we are backing the automotive sector as it goes from strength to strength. We are providing the right environment to give businesses the confidence to invest and create high-skilled jobs.” 

Qashqai is made alongside the all-electric LEAF on Line 1 at Nissan Sunderland Plant, which has been on round-the-clock, three-shift production since 2010 in order to meet customer demand, with a car currently rolling off the production line every 62 seconds, or 58 per hour.

As well as What Car? magazine’s Car of the Year, awards for Qashqai in 2014 include Tow Car’s 'Car of the Year', ebay customers' 'New Car of the Year' and the Prize for Quality from prestigious Spanish business magazine Ejecutivos.

Fundamental to the Qashqai’s development were Nissan's European Design Centre in Paddington and European Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire. The popularity of Qashqai has also helped Nissan to reach record market share in the UK, with sales and marketing operations based in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. More than 11,500 people are employed in total at these sites and in UK dealerships, supporting a further 26,000 jobs in the UK supply chain.

Total global production of the Qashqai now tops 2.5 million, with the first generation Qashqai also made by Nissan in China and Japan. From 2015 the new Qashqai will also be manufactured in Nissan’s plant in St. Petersburg for domestic sales in Russia.

The Qashqai is now closing in on the Micra as the highest volume car in the history of Nissan Sunderland Plant, with 2,368,704 Micras made in Sunderland over an 18-year period from 1992 to 2010.

Mazda continue to grow, with improved half years figures, and with more to come.

• Carmaker hikes operating profits by 41 per cent, heading for another record year
• Vehicle sales grow by 6 per cent year-on-year globally and 21 per cent in Europe

Mazda Motor Corporation remains on course for another record year after reporting an exceptional first half. The carmaker posted sales revenue of ¥1.45 trillion (€10.5 billion) between April and September, up 16 per cent compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. Operating profit came in at ¥104 billion (€748 million), a 41 per cent gain, and net income was ¥93.3 billion (€671 million), up ¥68.3 billion or almost quadruple the year-ago figure. This comes on the back of Mazda’s best results in its 94-year history for the fiscal year that ended in March 2014.

Vehicle sales grew as well by 6 per cent globally to 669,000. European sales grew by 21 per cent to 90,000** units. North America and China also achieved strong growth of 14 and 19 per cent, respectively.

Like elsewhere, Mazda’s new-generation models continue to sell well in Europe, led by the all-new Mazda3. Featuring Mazda’s innovative SKYACTIV technology underneath their stunning KODO designs, these cars are fuelling the company’s success around the globe. More are on the way, too. Initial orders for the all-new Mazda2, the newly crowned Car of the Year Japan, have been strong after its recent domestic market launch, and it will soon arrive in Europe and elsewhere, too.

Other new models are slated to follow in 2015, including the all-new Mazda CX-3, a small SUV, and upgraded versions of the Mazda6 and Mazda CX-5. With all these products in the pipeline, Mazda is confident of meeting its fiscal year targets despite global economic developments. The company expects to sell 1.42 million vehicles during the 12 months to the end of March 2015, a 7 per cent year-on-year increase. The full-year operating profit forecast, meanwhile, remains unchanged at ¥210 billion. Mazda recorded a ¥182 billion operating profit last year, bettering the previous record of ¥160 billion set in 2007-08.

* Source: Mazda Motor Corporation’s “Consolidated Financial Results for the First Half of the Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2015”. Euro figures for the first half were calculated at €1 = ¥139.

** EU & EFTA

Double delight for Citroen with two GreenFleet awards.

Citroën has been honoured with two key GreenFleet awards, which recognise both the company’s expanding range of efficient, low emission city cars and its LCV product excellence. The ceremony, taking place last night in Birmingham, saw Citroën presented with the GreenFleet City Car Manufacturer of the Year Award and the GreenFleet LCV Manufacturer of the Year Award. In addition, Citroën was commended in the GreenFleet Fleet Car Manufacturer of the Year category.

Martin Hamill, Citroën’s Director – Fleet & Used Vehicles, comments: “Citroën’s double victory in the GreenFleet Awards 2014 is a reflection of the company’s continuous process of design innovation and engineering improvement.  The GreenFleet City Car Manufacturer of the Year Award recognises that Citroën now has one of the most comprehensive and growing ranges of ultra-low emission city cars available in the UK.  In winning the GreenFleet LCV Manufacturer of the Year Award, the judges have recognised that Citroën’s long-term philosophy of providing high payload, fuel-efficient, low-emission LCVs is one which appeals to today’s environmentally aware and cost conscious van operators.”

Part of Citroën’s growing, ultra-low emissions range, is the New C1, which includes no less than 19 model variants (all under 100g/km CO₂ emissions).  Another ultra-low-emission Citroën is the recently-launched C4 Cactus.  This mid-size, 5 door hatchback is up to 200kg lighter than other C-segment competitors.  The C4 Cactus engine choice includes three cylinder PureTech petrol engines, as well as new Euro 6 Blue HDi diesel engines, for emissions as low as 82g/km and a combined cycle fuel economy of up to 91.1mpg.

Today, Citroën offers a choice of no less than 51 cars with ultra-low, 0 - 100g/km CO₂ emissions.  These Citroën vehicles extend from city cars, through super-minis, lower medium hatchbacks, upper medium saloons/estates, small people carriers, full size 5/7seat people carriers, coupes, cabrios and premium upper medium hatchbacks.

In the LCV sector, Citroën continues to reduce the carbon footprint of its model range with the launch of the New Relay. The New Relay range continues Citroën’s long-term philosophy of providing fuel-efficient, low-emission LCVs, which have class-leading payload capacity.  Fuel economy figures of the New Relay range have improved by up to 15% – with combined cycle fuel economy in the 37.7-42.8mpg range – exceptional figures for large panel vans in the up to 3.5 tonne gvw sector.  New Relay CO₂ emissions have also been reduced, with all up to 3.5 tonne gvw vans achieving less than 200g/km. 

The New Relay’s carbon-footprint reduction process goes further.  All New Relay panel vans, in line with Citroën Berlingo and Dispatch panel vans, are fitted as standard with sophisticated Teletrac satellite navigation and stolen vehicle tracking systems.  The use of this advanced telematics platform significantly improves vehicle productivity and efficiency, as well as cutting unnecessary mileage, reducing driver stress levels and improving safety.

Wallace & gromit Van takes pride of place at Beaulieu TV display.

The Wallace and Gromit Anti-Pesto Van is the latest exhibit to arrive in Beaulieu’s On Screen Cars display. A plasticine version of this Austin A35 van was created for the film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. 

Nick Park, creator of the Wallace and Gromit animations, used to own an A35 and thought it was the ideal model to use in the film because “the van needed to be big enough to transport Wallace’s invention, the Bunvac 2000, while slick enough to go on high-speed chases.”

In the film, Tottington Hall’s Giant Vegetable Competition is fast approaching and Wallace and Gromit are running a vegetable security and humane pest control business, Anti-Pesto. In order to cope with the increasing amount of captured rabbits Wallace invents a brainwashing machine, but a mistake during the operation creates a ‘Were-Rabbit’, a giant rabbit which eats vegetables of any size. It’s down to Wallace and Gromit to capture the rampaging beast before the competition!

The Anti-Pesto Van, which has been loaned to Beaulieu following a call-out for new vehicles for the exhibition, joins a host of other star vehicles.

The ‘flying’ Ford Anglia on display was used during the making of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.In the film, the enchanted flying car is stolen a number of times by Ron Weasley, on one occasion to rescue his friend Harry Potter from the Dursleys’ house, and on another to return to Hogwarts after the gate to Platform 9¾ is sealed by house elf Dobby.

Sharing the spotlight with the Anglia is TV favourite, Mr Bean’s lime green mini. This particular car was used in the character's third series and made its first television appearance on 1^st January 1991.

Another TV favourite on display is Del Boy’s beloved Trotter Van. Possibly the nation's most famous three-wheel vehicle, this Regal van featured in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. It was the sole transport for the Trotter family of Del, Rodney, Grandad and Uncle Albert, until Del Boy later went ‘upmarket’ and purchased a Capri Ghia.

On Screen Cars can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction, which also includes the National Motor Museum, World of Top Gear, Beaulieu Abbey, and Palace House and gardens. Visitwww.beaulieu.co.uk for further information.

UK motorists still not sure what to do about the defunct tax disc.

Majority of motorists still hanging onto their paper VED tax disc a month after the law was changed.

More than half of motorists (61%) have not bothered to remove their paper tax disc from their windscreen a month after the law requiring them to be displayed was scrapped, new research has found.

Since 1st October, motorists have no longer been required to display proof of VED payment by displaying a paper disc in the corner of their windscreen.

Instead, police can now use a car’s registration plate to check the DVLA database, to make sure the vehicle’s owner has paid up.

In a new survey commissioned by the UK’s leading website for car leasing deals, ContractHireAndLeasing.com*, it was discovered that a third of motorists aren’t really bothered about removing their tax discs. 

This third (34%) said they were perfectly aware that they were no longer required to display a paper VED disc but they weren’t particularly bothered about removing them.

Another 17% said they plan to remove theirs soon but just haven’t got round to it yet and 10% said they weren’t aware they no longer needed displaying.

The survey conducted by Populus, using a sample of 2,004 GB adults – also found that men were less bothered about removing their old paper disc than women, with 38% of men compared to 30% of women expressing an indifference to the change of law.

The survey found that younger generations were more eager to ditch the paper accessory than the older generations, with the 25-34 age group, the most likely to have already removed the tax disc at 21%, compared to just 11% of the 55-64 and 65+ age groups respectively.

ContractHireAndLeasing.com spokesperson, John Simpson commented: “I was among those who removed their tax disc right away; it felt like the end of an era and a chance to get rid of an unnecessary mess in the corner of my windscreen.

“For fleet managers, ensuring every vehicle displays a valid tax disc is a hassle they could do without so the decision get rid of them will doubtlessly be appreciated by them.

“However, our survey’s findings suggest that to the majority of motorists, scrapping the physical tax disc – a 93 year tradition – is no big deal,” he adds.

The humble tax disc was first introduced in 1921 and has been a clear symbol of a law-abiding, duty-paying motorist ever since.

Now that the paper tax disc has been scrapped, ContractHireAndLeasing.com has suggested some alternative uses for your newly redundant disc holder. Here are a handful of ideas:

1. Store contact/medical details in it in case of an accident

2. Keep some breath mints/chewing gum handy

3. Use it as a pen and notebook holder

4. Park in a high footfall area and sell it as advertising space to innovative businesses

5. Keep a picture of your loved ones where everyone can see.

There are many more on our blog at http://www.contracthireandleasing.com/car-leasing-news/nine-things-you-can-do-with-your-now-redundant-tax-disc-holder/

Infiniti Centre Newcastle - Opening Night, the expansion contineus for Inifinti.

The UK’s tenth Infiniti Centre was officially opened in Newcastle-upon-Tyne last night, giving discerning North East motorists direct access to the premium carmaker’s unique fusion of elegance and performance for the first time.

Prominently located on the city’s Silverlink Business Park, the stunning new facility further strengthens Infiniti’s nationwide presence and gives the brand an important foothold just a few miles from the Sunderland factory where the first British-built Infiniti  - the Q30 – will enter production next year.

Its opening also marks the beginning of a new relationship between Infiniti and Gateshead-based Vertu Motors PLC – one of the country’s largest and most successful automotive retail groups – which will operate the new outlet.

Steve Oliver, Infiniti’s director for northern Europe, said: “The North East has a pivotal role to play in Infiniti’s future in the UK and Europe. The launch next year of the new Q30 will be a landmark moment in the brand’s history and so to be opening this fantastic new Infiniti Centre just a few miles down the road from the factory where the car will be built is terrific.”

Robert Forrester, CEO of Vertu Motors, said: “As a company based in the North East we are incredibly proud to be opening the region’s first Infiniti Centre. The new Q30 will go into production in Sunderland next year and it’s fantastic that we’ll soon be able to sell North East made premium cars in this fantastic new facility.

“We know how loyal the people of the region are to cars that are built here and with the quality of its products and the global reputation it has for quality and performance we are extremely confident Infiniti will be a big hit with the area’s motorists.”

The launch event was attended by scores of invited VIPs and showcased the exclusive models that make up the Infiniti range – including the new Q50 sports saloon and QX70 SUV – and the outstanding facilities that will see Infiniti Centre Newcastle deliver new standards of excellence in customer care.

Guests were also among the very first in the country to see the new Infiniti Support Our Paras Q50 racing car which will compete in the coming British Touring Car Championship season, driven and maintained by injured service personnel. The Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One car driven by Sebastian Vettel was also on display.