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24 hrs in Catalunya I'm back from Barcelona (Auris launch) now. Weather there was pretty much the same as here - grey and dismal (is 'grismal' a word?). At least I didn't get lost this time (sat-nav worked well), though I did overide the sat-nav lady to send us - I was driving with Tony Lewis - on the wrong road once. Quiet roads can at least be forgiving when you need to make a sharp U-turn. Car was pretty good I thought, in terms of what a Toyota mass-market product should be. The styling is not as radical in the flesh as the pics suggested. Diesels seemed very competent to me (I tried the 2 litre and the 2.2 - 2 was slightly noisier, to begin with anyway, but not a big deal). It is - to go for a snooker analogy this time - a fairly easy pot. Cue ker-ching sound at the Toyota till. Hotel was a funny one. A trendy place on the outskirts of the town where major highways converge - Hesperia Tower it was called. Distinguished architect Richard Rogers designed it, so - like Pompidou and Lloyd's building - some building services, like stairwells, were outside and exposed to the elements. Reflective surfaces, glass and mirrors everywhere you went (I felt for the maids). Reception area gents' toilet was like a mirror maze and I nearly walked into a wall. Seating areas were triumphs of style over substance (where's me lumbar support missus?) Okay, let me rein myself in - it was very comfortable and five-star and I wasn't paying so I should stop the carping. But at 260 euros a night, I'd recommend that you stay in town if you are ever there for recreational reasons. On a professional level, it was time well spent - no shortage of sensible people to talk to. Pic below is the Hesperia (you can't really miss it and there's a spaceship parked on the roof). Below that is a rear shot of Tony Lewis (sorry Tony) and you can see what some of the local landscape inland was like on the test route. On the coach to the airport yesterday we caught a glimpse of what must be the longest taxi queue in the world (bottom).
CSR CSR - it's a new acronym for us to get to know and it stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. It seems that CSR is of growing interest to consumers, including car buyers, who are increasingly thinking beyond the bare facts of the product they are purchasing to consider wider issues associated with its production/use such as carbon footprint and the way firms treat their workers. It's something of particular relevance in industries with international operations. In particular, look out for rankings. Vehicle manufacturers always seem sensitive to rankings. Will we see them trying to outdo each other on CSR measures? 'We plants trees in Siberia to fully offset the extra carbon footprint from the enhanced performance on the GoFaster TurboNutter XYi model.' 'The Brazilian workers who make the low-cost Badger are paid more than the local average wage and live in nearby subsidised accommodation, complete with all facilities including health centre and creches. We believe happy workers make better cars.'
Bosch ESC Featured on 2007 North American International Auto Show Vehicles Bosch ESC Featured on 2007 North American International Auto Show Vehicles
Seasonal thoughts It has turned cold here now and foggy so winter has duly arrived, if a little late. And it s that time of the year where we knock off, count our blessings and have a short break. It s a time for reflection and for looking forward to the year ahead. As far as 2006 is concerned, it s been a busy but fun year at just-auto and I d like to thank all of my colleagues for their unstinting hard work and dedication to the cause; that means all the Aroq (our publisher) staffers working in production, IT, editorial special mention for Groby the news editor -, research publishing, finance, sales and marketing, customer service, as well as our loyal network of freelance contributors and journalists. It s very much a team effort. On a personal note, the main bad news of the year was the loss of just-auto contributor Alex Graham to cancer at the age of 29. I didn t know Alex all that well, but he was unswervingly professional in my dealings with him; Alex characteristically carried on working, business-as-usual, for as long as he possibly could. Our thoughts are with his wife Sarah (known to many in the industry as the SupplierBusiness marketing manager), especially at this time of the year. Looking ahead to next year, I am sure there will be plenty going on and it all gets kick-started with Detroit in January. But right now, better recharge those batteries while there s time. It just remains for me to wish all just-auto readers and subscribers a Happy Christmas and very best wishes for 2007.
New Jag concept for Detroit The C-XF concept that will be unveiled in Detroit on Sunday certainly looks good and augurs well for the production version XF (S-Type replacement) that we'll be seeing in Frankfurt in September. It has been well trailed that Jaguar's designers have eschewed the previous 3-box retro themes on future saloons; C-XF looks like a close relation to XKR Coupe and that's no bad thing. It's a much more modern look, but one that retains sporty and classy Jaguar elements. Well done Callum. What will Jaguar do about the X-Type? Don't expect a like-for-like replacement in that lower executive segment that has been a disaster area for Jaguar. If there is to be a sub-XF Jaguar, it has to fit in with the new design philosophies. But with Aston shortly going out of the Ford family door, emphasising Jaguar's prestige credentials and taking the brand further upmarket makes sense.