Ian Callum on Jaguar

Ian Callum never grew up a rich boy, but his friends did. His father worked as a lawyer in Dumfries, a market town of 43,000 in the lower corner of Scotland, where the Solway Firth narrows to a point. When you travel, Callum reminisced, you forget how beautiful it is.

BMW i8 fetching 50% premiums in UK market

The BMW i8 (pictured) is commanding a 50% premium The simple rules of a capitalist market is that supply and demand dictate price. Which is why BMW’s i8 hybrid supercar is fetching premiums of up to 50 per cent. With the entire i8 supply sold out for the next year, those with deep enough pockets – and a compelling desire for an i8 – are turning to i8 owners who have already taken delivery and making them offer they can’t refuse.

Opel Ampera: the full, official technical story

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 25 March 2009 10:05 Opel/Vauxhall predict that the new Ampera production car will sell more in Britain than anywhere else in Europe. The extended range electric vehicle, unveiled at the recent 2009 Geneva motor show, will go on sale here in late 2011 and marketing bosses say the UK is more accepting of hybrids and alternative vehicles than other markets. It’s not clear at this stage how much the Ampera will cost in the UK, but we’re looking at a likely cost around £20,000.