Car Leasing Blog

While most companies are choking under the pressure of the credit crunch, Porsche sales in Romania have risen by 6% in the first seven months of this year.

34,036 cars were sold in that period, with some of that figure being attributed to car leasing, no doubt.

Remember the glory days of the 205 GTI? I certainly do, as I look over the car leasing models on offer from Peugeot today, and I can't help but think their best offering has long since vanished over the horizon.

Yes, there are plenty of perfectly adequate, nimble and luxurious models their current line up, but they're all so average.

I fully accept that it may be my age, but I'm still waiting for Peugeot to excite me with something anywhere near as thrilling as the 205 GTI...

Mercedes-Benz has developed a new safety feature to detect and alert drivers who nod off at the wheel.

The system is called "Attention Assist" and works via a range of sensors that detect and memorise the typical behaviour of the individual driver, and then issues an alert when any drasdtic changes occur.

The audio alert will tell the driver "Attention Assist. Break!", and a message will also flash on the dashboard (although I don't recall ever responding to a visual alert whilst being asleep!)

The system is due to be introduced next spring, but it's slightly worrying to think that anyone would make a car leasing choice based on this feature - I'd rather people who experience this problem took a more responsible attitude to the state in which they are driving, rather than relying on technology to avoid causing death!

Car giants BMW and GM are currently developing methods of recapturing wasted heat from exhaust fumes and converting the energy into usable electricity which would then
reduce the vehicle's fuel consumption.

Using thermoelectricity, the energy is harnessed by the difference in temperature between the hot exhaust fumes and the cooler area surrounding them. For me to explain that any better, I'd have to go back to school for a very long time - but who cares how they do it? The exciting question for car leasing customers everywhere is can they do it?

The companies predict that the technology could reduce fuel consumption in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 per cent - adding about one mile per gallon. That might not sound too amazing, but with fuel costs continuing to soar, that margin can only become more significant to the bank balance...

It's a classic car leasing question: "I'd like a car that does over 50mpg, 0-60 in under 7 seconds, and has a top speed of over 150mph please".

It doesn't have many answers, but the BMW Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo is one.

The Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo kicks out 214bhp, whilst emitting only 143g/km (which is reportedly less less than a Fiesta 1.4 Zetec).

Major attention to weight reduction has slashed 150 kilos off the standard 330d, which makes the D3 one of the most economical and green cars available in its class.

This is definitely a car leasing prospect worthy of excitement. Spy-shots of the new Mercedes-Benz SLC supercar have started popping up across the net and, in my opinion, it's looking pretty good so far.

The SLC reportedly uses a vast amount of lightweight aluminium, and has a fixed carbon roof, giving a low centre of gravity. The 6.2 litre V8 engine is said to be likely to deliver 600bhp.

Certainly one to look forward to, I reckon...

Remember this amazing Honda advert:

Well, is it me, or has the car ad game gone off the boil in recent years?

I can't think of one great campaign I've seen recently, yet there used to be loads. Surely they haven't run out of money?? It's about time car leasing had a boost from another creative TV hit.

This is the most exciting car leasing news I've seen this week (but it's been quite a boring week, so that doesn't say much really). It IS exciting, though, I promise...

Audi are currently testing out new technology which detects traffic signal patterns ahead and then alerts the driver as to how fast they should travel to arrive at the lights on green and sail straight through! What a great idea.

At the moment, the trial is only taking place in Audi’s home town of Ingolstadt, but let's hope something comes of it and we eventually get a sniff of such a stress-relieving bit of gadgetry.

This space-age looking interior belongs to Saab's new concept cars, as debuted at the London International Motor Show.

The 9-4X BioPower and 9-X BioHybrid are at the forefront of Saab's commitment to developing increasingly 'green' motoring solutions.

With such fancy interiors, they're likely to find themselves taking a bigger share of the car leasing market in the future too.

People with little or no car leasing taste, may like to know that the next generation of Porsche's Cayenne abomination has been spotted in testing and is due to arrive in early 2010.

Reports say they have lowered the roof line and enlarged the wheel arches to try and compensate for it's current bulk. Little else sounds different, so my guess is that it still looks like a Fisher Price roller skate. We shall see...

If you're currently weighing up your car leasing options, you might be interested to know that in the latest poll, conducted by YouGov, Mercedes-Benz has been voted the best car brand in Britain.

The poll tested over 1000 brands on a wide range of criteria. Top of the car brands, Mercedes-Benz was only beaten by Microsoft and Google.

Road rage and motoring-related stress is only going to be heightened by the fact that it now costs about three million quid in fuel just to nip out to Sainsbury's!

Well, if you want to keep your car leasing costs to a minimum, it turns out that we should all be doing the exact opposite - chilling out! According to the RAC, fuel consumption in the UK could be reduced by a staggering 30 per cent if everyone just drove more efficiently.

So take it easy, give yourself plenty of time, and drive around with a relaxed, smug grin on your face knowing that you'll have a few more quid in your pocket.

A mechanic for the BMW Sauber team has suffered minor injuries after receiving an electric shock during the first test outing of their Kinetic Engine Recovery System in Miramas.

The shock happened when the driver returned to the pit, following an installation lap. The mechanic touched the car and was flung to the ground!

Perhaps the car leasing world should be more apprehensive than excited about the imminent arrival of all-electric motoring from BMW...

It is reported that BMW's new 5-series looks likely to pop up in the Frankfurt Motor Show next year, with the M5 following soon after.

It's bound to keep all car leasing firms busy taking orders, as the 5 series always does, but I have to say - if the various spy shots are anything to go by, it looks like we're due for another Jaguar XF style disappointment. It looks like my gran designed it.

Here's one you won't find on any car leasing list - hip hop legend, Tupac Shakur's Jag is up for auction on ebay.

The Jaguar, a 1995, 6-cylinder XJS, featured in his video ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’.

Bids start at $40,000.

You can see the Jaguar auction here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280247305248&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:MT:31

There's still no 'official' confirmation on the imminent existence of the Jaguar XFR, but if you take into consideration the various photos of it in testing and the fact that a Jaguar source has reportedly said it will be in production next year, then I reckon it's a fairly safe bet that it's coming.

I certainly hope it's true anyway - it's been called a "500bhp super saloon" and I'm looking forward to buying one. By which I mean getting to maybe sit in one... well, okay, I mean I'm looking forward to the extremely unlikely chance of catching a mere sniff of one as some spawny idiot flies past me looking annoyingly indifferent about their latest car leasing triumph.

It's not prime car leasing BMW material, I'll give you that. But we're all about cars here, and this video showing the maiden voyage of the new race tuned M3 around the test track is complete 'car porn'!

If you don't like the look of this, chances are you can't see why everyone doesn't just drive a Micra.

The very first D-Type Jaguar, made in 1955, was sold at auction on Friday for £2,201,500.

The 3.4 litre racing car was bought by an enthusiast at the auction, held at Goodwood Festival of Speed in Sussex.

You'd have to pretty enthusiastic to snap up a 3.4 litre anything with today's fuel costs. With £2.2m to spare on one Jag, it would be prudent to spend a little more on car leasing so that it won't cost £30 every time you to nip to Tesco!

A 1956 Jaguar XK140 was recently found in a family's garage, as mentioned previously on this blog. The estimates were around the £60,000-£70,000 mark for what the car would make at auction, but everyone has been blown away by seeing the car fetch nearly double that figure - selling at auction for £121,000.

That'll pay for a few years of brand new Jaguar leasing...

A goat has been arrested in Alabama, US, after jumping onto the roof of a woman's Mercedes!

She stopped the car when she saw the goat and a dog at the side of the road, fearing they were in danger. When the goat jumped onto her roof and refused to get down again, the lady called the police who carted the suspect and its doggy friend off in the back of their patrol car!

There are lots of luxury extras available when you choose to lease a Mercedes, but as far as I know, a goat is still not one of them.