Most of us would love to have a chauffeur driven luxury car or limousine on hand to drive us wherever we needed to go without ever having to worry about the mundane concerns of having to control the car we are riding in. Well unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to have their own hired help on hand around the clock, but what you can have instead is the new BMW 650i which can drive you around almost as effortlessly as a chauffeur.

The latest technology to make it into the BMW 6 Series is Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go Function. This means that – in theory – you can drive around town in your new luxury car, without having to worry about any fancy footwork, or any footwork at all.

The system works by focussing on the vehicle in front and maintaining a safe distance which driving, and pulling up to a stop behind that vehicle when required too. The BMW’s system does of course fall down when there are no vehicles in front of you, and for example, when you are taking a tight corner and your car can no longer see the car in front of it because it has rounded the bend.

However, in steady traffic is has been found to be possible to drive across cities without ever having to worry about a brake or accelerator pedal, if you can handle it. Since the new BMW’s automatic braking and accelerating system is constantly working out its speed and measurements, it knows the exact amount of time it needs to successfully brake, which can sometimes be considered less time that would be allowed by most drivers.

But while the 650i may seem to live dangerously, it can be impatient and if it sits in traffic at a complete stand still for more than two seconds, it will revert to manual operation, but this can be simply reset again when you get on the move. There are also safety features which will correct for other contingencies, for example if the car detects any understeer for example, it can take care of that too.

However, if this all sounds a little too technical, and a little too much like hard work – you do still have to steer after all – there are still plenty of chauffeur driven BMWs out there for hire.

In this time of extreme economic uncertainty, it is not overly surprising to report that new car sales have dropped. However, it is when the actual figures are released and comparisons are drawn that the reality of the biggest fall in car sales in nine years, really carries some weight.

A fall in November 2008 was also the seventh consecutive monthly fall with European car sales over all dropping by 25.8%, with Ireland being the worst hit falling 55.9%. As a result many vehicle manufacturers have of course cut output to cope with the drop in sales and the most recent manufacturers to announce a temporary halt are Seat and Volvo.

The decline in new cars on the roads around the world can also be seen in the drops in registrations which were down 26% in Western Europe compared to the same time last year. This equates to a total of only 854,698 new vehicles, or around one million fewer cars registered since January of last year.

The sales drops seen by the major European manufacturers include a 17.4% drop experienced by Germany’s Volkswagen, a 26.9% drop for France’s Peugeot Citroen, a drop of 21.8% by Renault and 23.8% for Fiat. Seat have also said that the first half of this year will see them cut production further again, at their main plant in Catalonia in response to the decreased demand.

Many governments are rushing to support their flailing car industries to help keep their local production plants going, to avoid the need to send production of their vehicles offshore. There are also moves being planned to help manufacturers sell the stock they already have filling their showrooms.

Perhaps the focus would be better shifted to target those who can still afford luxury cars like Fiats, Peugeots and Renaults, as not everyone has been affected negatively by the current financial situation. Those individuals and business with access to ready cash for themselves and their own operations are in the unique position to take advantage of falling prices and rising opportunities which those without the cash on hand must pass by.

The BMW 7 Series is an icon of luxury motoring however up until now it has been quite a thirsty model. Well this June will see a new turbo-diesel model released to save money on the fills and not to mention benefit the environment with cleaner emissions.

The new 3.0-litre turbo-diesel 7 Series has a fuel economy of 7.2 litres per 100 km, and similarly enough will hit 100 km per hour in 7.2 seconds – how’s that for symmetry, not to mention the perfect combination of performance and economy. This is the first time that the 7 Series has seen a turbo-diesel option, however with the diesel 7 Series accounting for almost half of the total sales in Europe, the new turbo-diesel BMW is sure to be just as attractive to buyers.

A BMW spokesman, Toni Andreevski, has refused to pin down a figure for the number of local sales, he believes that the diesel BMWs have a sense of social responsibility about them and while the new 7 Series will be competing with both Mercedes-Benz and Audi luxury diesel vehicles, Andreevski believes that the fuel economy, coupled with the BMWs size, make it an attractive option and a keen competitor.

BMW is aware that even those buyers of luxury cars are aware of their impact on the environment and are becoming more conscious of their luxury car’s fuel economy. This means that the luxury diesel market can be expected to grow even further, as the vehicle technologies advance and those in the market for a luxury car find that they can fulfil both their desire for the best vehicle on the road, as well as feeling they are doing their part for the environment too – not to mention keeping their local vehicle manufacturers going.

Four East Midlands-based traffic officers who normally spend their time assisting car hire drivers on the region’s roads are to don some special outfits to raise money for charity at the end of this month.

The team will participate in a Nottingham golf tournament in aid of When You Wish Upon A Star on December 30th, but instead of the usual golfing trousers and polo shirts they will all be wearing Santa costumes as they try to raise £100 for the good cause.

John Brough and Paul Williams from Derby, Mark Taylor from Nottingham and David Jenkins from Newark will all tee off in their distinctive get-up at the Oakmere Park Golf Club in Oxton.

Mr Taylor said: “This charity does so much good work to grant wishes and provide happiness for sick children across the whole country, so when we heard about the competition we knew we wanted to take part.

“Traffic officers are here to help, so we thought it would be good to continue this in our spare time.”

For the last 18 years When You Wish Upon A Star has aimed to make a difference sick children across the UK and is perhaps best known for its annual flights to Lapland to take some of its charges to see Father Christmas.

In 2009, two north Wales counties will be sharing a chief officer, who will be responsible for running the highways departments of Conwy and Denbighshire. Stuart Davies will be paid £70,000 to perform this delicate juggling act from 1 January next year, and will be responsible for 270 staff members between the two county councils.

The councils themselves have described the sharing of a chief officer as efficient, and the Welsh Local Government Association has said that Davies’ new position will encourage inter-council collaboration. While Davies admits that the new role is likely to be challenging, he is looking forward to taking it all on.

It is the encouragement of collaborative working, which has prompted the local government to create this new, merged position within the two councils. Denbighshire councillor Eryl Williams has also said that the role will allow the councils to further develop cross-boundary services, while Conwy councillor Joan Vaughan can also see the benefits, in that ‘It’ll provide a more sustainable and efficient management of our resources, which can only result in an improved service for our customers.’

While the Welsh Local Government Association has said that other councils already have partnerships in place to cover some services, two highway departments sharing the same chief officer was a new development in the sharing of resources.

The customers who are likely to benefit most from this efficient sharing of a highways chief officer are those who use the roads of Wales as their workplace – the coach and limousine hire companies and the cab drivers working in and around Conwy and Denbighshire. And when a higher quality of management is achieved between our councils, and transport based companies can operate more efficiently too, on well managed and good quality road systems, all of Wales will be wishing Mr Davies luck in his new position.

Environmentally friendly and sustainable fuels are the future which almost all vehicle manufacturers are trying to work towards, especially now when everyone’s financial future is so unstable, it is those manufacturers who can hold their place for the long haul which will survive.

Holden are pushing the production of their ethanol fuelled car particularly hard, as they plan to be able to reuse household waste as a green fuel. GM-Holden plans to turn its current Commodore model into a new ethanol fuelled vehicle for the future. Their Managing Director, Mark Reuss has said ‘We are committed to having locally built Holdens running E85 on the market by 2010.’

For the Holden manufacturer, biofuels will become a lead alternative fuel for their vehicles, since ethanol is a renewable fuel and the costs to modify existing technologies and systems to make it viable are relatively low. Plus, ethanol has the unique ability to be produced from waste. The E85 fuel which the ethanol powered Holden is intended to run on is a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. The Managing Director of GM Holden hopes the introduction of this alternative fuel will reduce the dependence of Australian motorists on foreign oil.

The development work for the E85 Commodore is already well on its way and the company are also in discussions with the US biofuel company Coskata, to enable them to build the first local cellulosic ethanol plant in Australia.

And, in contradiction to many of the other predictions currently circulating, Reuss also remains confident that 2009 will actually be a better year for the car industry, as well as having it mark a transformation of the Holden brand. He says that the key to success for manufacturers ‘will be innovation and an eye for using less foreign oil by increasing efficiency or replacing it altogether’.

The need to address climate change while at the same time capture what little of the car buying market are still buying requires a careful consideration of what people really want, as well as what they need and it is the manufacturers who are willing to change for the future, not just for the short term, who will ultimately survive.

An event aimed at promoting safe driving during the winter months has arrived in Leicestershire.

The Highways Agency roadshow will be at the Leicester Forest East Services on the M1 on Wednesday December 10th between 10:00 and 16:00.

Car hire drivers will be able to speak to agency officers in person and gain valuable advice on road safety during potentially difficult seasonal conditions.

Highways Agency staff will also be giving out complimentary safety items such as reflective stickers and ice scrapers to visiting motorists.

The Highways Agency’s severe weather and winter service coordinator Darren Clark said: “According to research carried out by the Highways Agency, 50 per cent of road users would continue with a journey after hearing a severe weather warning and around a third of road users would not carry out any checks on their vehicles before heading out.”

Between October and April the Highways Agency employs a team of salt and grit-spreaders to help maintain road safety 24 hours a day.

The wagon has come a long way since it was a scorned model in a manufacturer’s line up – once upon a time the boring one, the one which meant you had bought a car for purpose rather than looks or style.

Well Subaru are about to give the wagon world another shake up with the proposed release of their newest model, the multipurpose Exiga minivan. The Subaru Australia Managin Director Nick Senior is close to signing off on the new model, with a decision expected to be reached next month.

Subaru have commenced testing the Exiga but require more discussions before the new addition is confirmed. If the Exiga is signed off on in January, it can then be expected to be released late next year. The Exiga is also expected to be available in just one model, most likely a naturally aspirated 2.0 litre four cylinder – not a turbo engine however.

In the Japanese vehicle market the Exiga would have to take on the Mazda CX-7 and the Toyota Kluger, the Kluger starting at $45,000 (£20,900). Compared to its other Subarus, the Exiga wagon is slightly wider, longer – with an 80 mm longer wheelbase – and taller than the Outback, while still being able to share its key hardware with the models. For example, the front suspension has been taken from the Forester and the rear multi-link system is from the Impreza. The extra height also ensures plenty of room for the passengers seated in the third row.

The release of the Exiga would not put it in direct competition with Subaru’s existing seven seater the Tribeca, Senior believes, as they appeal to very different groups and demographics. This ensures that the newest release Subaru will have something to offer to the right passenger, with of course the consummate class and comfort Subaru is already famous for.

Street artist Adam Neate has announced that he will be leaving 1,000 pieces of his work around the capital today, November 14th.

The urban artist has even invited passers-by to take the artwork from the Street Action Art event home with them.

He told the Independent: “It has always been a dream of mine to do a show around the whole of London, to take over the whole city in one go.

“I want everybody to be able to see it, but once the pieces are out there I don’t mind what happens to them.”

Neate’s decision to give his work away for free marks a drastic departure from recent practice in the urban art world, where works have sold for significant sums.

Earlier this year, three pieces by guerrilla artist Banksy were purchased by Angelina Jolie for a total of just under $400,000 (£270,000).

Neate’s giveaway could see spates of art fans in car hire vehicles scouring the streets of London in search for the pieces, which are though to have an estimated combined value of around £1 million.