Rolls Royce bucks the downturn

[ad#ad-1] All we seem to have written about recently is the doom and gloom in the car industry. Bail-outs begged for, production shut-downs, low sales and lay-offs. But one manufacturer seems to be defying the odds, and has just posted record sales figures for the year.

Top Gear 'for inner nine-yea-old'

THE BOSS of BBC hit Top Gear says the presenters' childish antics are a success because they are a "release valve" for the increasing stresses of our working lives. Executive producer Andy Wilman said the programmes helped viewers to reconnect with their nine-year-old selves because life for adults is "bloody hard". In an interview with Radio Times, he also bemoaned the constraints of the workplace, which could be seen as a swipe at the strict levels of compliance which apply to BBC TV shows.

Canada urged to adopt European car safety standards

CANADA has been urged to adopt European standards for new vehicle safety by the president of Mercedes-Benz Canada. Tim Reuss told reporters that if EU rules, which apply to all cars built by European industrial powerhouses like Mercedes and the Volkswagen Group, were in place Canada would already have new, more efficient, safer cars. At present Mercedes cannot import the A-Class because of the expense associated with modifying it to conform to Canadian safety requirements, and Mr Reuss argues that the current approach lacks common sense.