Category: Auto Industry

Report: Jeremy Clarkson banked $21M from BBC last year

Filed under: UK, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear, is known for many things. He’s arguably the most polite, unoffensive person… in the world. His consideration for people, countries, and causes is renowned. No, wait – that’s wrong.

While he may be none of the things listed above, he is now known, for the second year in a row, we might add, as the highest-paid employee of the BBC. According to a post in The Guardian, Jezza raked in about $21 million last year from a few different sources.

Before our British readers get too outraged over the misuse of their license fees, it should be known that Clarkson’s presenting fee, which is paid by the BBC’s license fee, was only about one million pounds ($1.51 million at today’s rates).

So where’s the rest of the money from? Well, like most all wealthy folk, from a series of shrewd financial decisions. Clarkson, along with Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, set up a company called Bedder 6 to leverage the global brand created by the TV show. Setup alongside the BBC, Clarkson’s 30-percent share brought him a 4.86-million-pound ($7.4 million) dividend cut last year.

In September, Clarkson sold his stake to the BBC, bringing in an additional 8.4 million pounds ($12.7 million). While the Top Gear star’s income might be rage-inducing for British citizens forced to endure an economy that is far from recovered, it should be noted that Clarkson wasn’t the only one making sound financial decisions. For the 16.2 million pounds ($24.6 million) the BBC paid for the 50 percent of Bedder 6 it didn’t already own, it’s already recouped 7.5 million pounds ($11.39 million). The BBC is also receiving 100 percent of the profits from the Top Gear name and associated properties.

There’s even some good news for car fans here. According to a BBC spokesman, “The deal also secured the future of the Top Gear brand for the BBC and BBC Worldwide.” Along with news of renewed contracts, that should mean many more years of automotive shenanigans. And on that bombshell, it’s time to end.

Jeremy Clarkson banked $21M from BBC last year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UK to begin testing driverless cars in bid to ease congestion

Filed under: Safety, Technology, UK

Google, Stanford University, and a few other institutions have been testing driverless cars on American roads for some time now. Soon, though, the autonomous vehicle will go across the pond for their first tests on the wrong side of public roads.

The BBC reports that the British government has approved testing of driverless cars, provided a real human being is riding along in the event that things go wonky. The okay came from the Department of Transport, which included the testing as part of a 28 billion pound ($42.5 billion at today’s rates) investment to combat the notorious congestion on British roads.

The appeal of driverless cars is rather easy to see on the overused UK road network. As the DoT report states, driverless cars “maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front at a set speed and without deviating from their lane – all without the driver’s input.” That means a smoother flow of traffic and a lower chance of accidents.

The cars will be operated by the brains at Oxford University, which had previously tested an autonomous Nissan Leaf. It’s unclear whether Oxford would continue to use the Leaf, or switch to the Toyota Prius favored by Google.

And before our British readers start worrying about driverless EVs hurtling down the M1, the testing will be done on lightly used roads, only.

UK to begin testing driverless cars in bid to ease congestion originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Convertible 2013 Range Rover Autobiography is safari luxe

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Land Rover, Luxury, Off-Road

2013 Land Rover Range Rover convertible - front three-quarter view

The idea of a convertible SUVs remains attractive enough that manufacturers are still trying to figure out how to make it work – case in point, we recently heard that Range Rover continues to debate production of the Evoque convertible. On that note, the folks at Newport Convertible Engineering, lately of Acura TL convertible fame, have given us a look at what a 2013 Range Rover Autobiography looks like with its top removed.

Unlike the Evoque convertible concept, there’s quite a bit of structure left above the shoulder line. It still looks like one of the nicest ways to see lions, tigers and bears from a safe distance, or take a tour of the Champs-Elysée or Tokyo’s Ginza district.

For now, the issue with every topless SUV that isn’t shaped like a box is what they look like with the top up, and the convertible Range doesn’t escape the quandary unscathed; the only two that do escape are the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender, because they’re shaped like boxes. As a second vehicle for your rain-free third home in Scottsdale or South Africa, however, it could be the thing.

Convertible 2013 Range Rover Autobiography is safari luxe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: See how Motor Trend performs instrumented testing on a Viper

Filed under: Performance, Videos, SRT

MotorTrend has a rigorous set of instrumented testing procedures, and they are given a closer look in the buff book’s latest YouTube video, as it tackles the 2013 SRT Viper.

Using a stylish, white and silver SRT Viper, host Jessi Lang takes us through the battery of tests that each new car receives. That includes the more mundane acceleration runs, with some interesting tips from Scott Mortara on what it takes to charm the 640-horsepower snake.

Vehicle dynamics are also put under a microscope with MT’s figure-eight testing. Motor Trend‘s Testing Director Kim Reynolds shows off the suite of testing instruments used on the Viper before heading out to conduct the test.

Check out the full video below.

Continue reading See how Motor Trend performs instrumented testing on a Viper

See how Motor Trend performs instrumented testing on a Viper originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opinion: Is NHTSA out of control?

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety

Recent Rises in Recall Numbers A Cause For Alarm

Preliminary indications suggest there may be an all-time recall record in 2013.

The announcements seem to be coming almost every day, if not more frequently: a million-plus Jeeps, a quarter-million Hondas, another million Toyotas. Last year saw a sharp reversal of the long, downward trend in automotive recalls and while it’s still too early to say where things will wind up when 2013 winds down, preliminary indications from the first half of the year suggest there’ll be another increase, if not an all-time record.

Significantly, automakers recalled roughly the same number of vehicles as they sold in 2012, about 14.5 million, notably with Toyota and Honda, two brands traditionally known for their quality and reliability, at the top of the chart. In fact, those two makers have led the list, in terms of individual vehicles recalled, for the last five years. And they were on track to do the same thing again in 2013 – Honda already targeting about 2 million vehicles for problems ranging from airbags to brakes to switch fires – if it weren’t for a series of big safety campaigns announced by Chrysler over the last month.

The most recent of these actually combined five separate recalls and covered about 840,000 vehicles, but it was dwarfed by the recall of 1.6 million Jeeps announced – reluctantly – in June. And that controversial campaign raises some serious questions about what’s behind the recent rise in the number of recalls.

Paul EisensteinPaul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis. This story was reprinted with permission from the author and TheDetroitBureau.com.

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Is NHTSA out of control? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Honda, UK, Specialty

Back in June, we reported that Top Gear was building what it hoped would become the world’s fastest lawn mower, and had solicited help from Honda and its British Touring Car Championship partner Team Dynamics. Well, they’ve finished the build and the resulting contraption is the Mean Mower. With a top speed estimated to be over 130 miles per hour, it should beat the 96.529-mph record set by Bobby Cleveland and his Snapper race mower at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2010, and take the cake as the fastest lawn mower ever.

Let’s start off with the specs: 109 horsepower, 309-pound curb weight and 0-60 mph in four seconds. Crazy numbers, but maybe you’ll be comforted that the lawn mower is a Honda HF2620 in name only, with a custom chassis made of 4130 chromoly, a 1,000cc engine from a VTR Firestorm, a paddle-shifted six-speed transmission, a bespoke suspension and wheels from an ATV. The body was sourced from the production mower, however.

Sure, it can cut grass – at 15 mph, double the top speed of a regular HF2620 – using two electric motors spinning 3mm steel-cutting cables at 4000 rpm, but the grass bag has been reengineered to house the fuel tank, a high-capacity oil cooler and a secondary radiator. So much for that clean cut.

Honda says that it has topped 100 mph on track, but there’s no video to verify this. (Please Honda!?) But there is a great teaser with reigning BTCC champion Gordon “Flash” Shedden mowing the lawn in a mean way, below.

UPDATE: A second video of the Mean Mower has been added below, this time featuring The Stig.

Continue reading Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE]

Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Aston Martin Vanquish Volante to bow at Pebble Beach

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Aston Martin, Misc. Auto Shows, Luxury

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Front Three-Quarter

Aston Martin is one of the featured marques at the 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. With events set for August 14 through 17 and the show itself on August 18, the British brand is going all out in showing its sleek, powerful GT cars to the throngs of well-heeled attendees.

The star of the show will be the Vanquish Volante, which will be receiving its global debut. It will be joined by the CC100 Speedster Concept, Aston Martin’s centenary birthday present to itself, and the new V12 Vantage S, which is also getting its first live showing here.

All three cars feature the brand’s excellent 6.0-liter V12. With that under hood, the Vanquish Volante and V12 Vantage S deliver 565 horsepower and top speeds of 183 and 205 miles per hour, respectively.

The Autoblog team will be on hand at this year’s show, so be sure to check back to see all the high-dollar metal on the California coast.

Continue reading Aston Martin Vanquish Volante to bow at Pebble Beach

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante to bow at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mini Clubvan axed after just 50 sales

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Work, Hatchback, Mini

Mini Cooper Clubvan

Well, that didn’t last long. According to Green Car Reports, Mini has discontinued the Clubvan from its model range in the United States.

Nathalie Bauters, Mini’s US communications manager, cited “relatively low demand and the effect of an excessive 25-percent tax on vehicles for commercial use (known as ‘the Chicken Tax’)” as the key reasons for axing the Clubman from our market, GCR reports. The 2013 Clubvan launched in the US earlier this year, and to date roughly 50 examples have been sold.

The Clubvan, based on the Clubman model, features a flat load floor behind the two front seats, with blacked-out (well, body-colored) side windows. This nifty little cargo wagon could carry up to 33 cubic feet of goods, which while useful, pales in comparison to more capacious offerings like the Ford Transit Connect van.

Bauters told Green Car Reports that “sales of the Mini Clubvan have been strong in other markets worldwide, many of which benefit from tax advantages,” meaning the model will likely carry on elsewhere in the world.

Mini Clubvan axed after just 50 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: F1 Supremo Ecclestone indicted on bribery charges

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Bernie Ecclestone, the elderly head of Formula One, has been indicted by German courts on charges of bribery. This follows reports that had the UK citizen in trouble over payments to Gerhard Gribkowsky, a former German banker with Bayern Landesbank.

Gribkowsky, who will be resting comfortably in a Munich prison for the next eight-and-a-half years, naturally has a story that conflicts with Ecclestone’s. According to the German, who oversaw the sale of F1 from Bayern Landesbank in 2006, Ecclestone paid him to undervalue F1’s shares while it was sold to CVC Capital Partners. The BBC says Gribkowsky was paid $41.4 million in commissions along with an undisclosed payment from the Ecclestone family’s trust.

According to Ecclestone, though, the money paid to Gribkowsky was extorted by the German banker. Ecclestone believed that false information was going to be leaked to the British government regarding illicit tax dealings, which according to Forbes, could have cost Ecclestone up to $3 billion.

Ecclestone has until the middle of August to reply to the charges. It’s then up to the German courts to decide whether a trial will be necessary. Based on the he-said-she-said nature of the charges, we wonder how much trouble Bernie is actually in. If found guilty of bribery, Ecclestone could face 10 years in prison.

F1 Supremo Ecclestone indicted on bribery charges originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Renault Alpine mule captured wearing Lotus duds

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Renault

Renault Alpine mule caught on test track - front three-quarter view

A curious, heavily modified Lotus Exige has been spotted lapping the Nürburgring, and, to hear our spy shooters tell it, the car is actually a disguised Renault Alpine A110-50 out chassis testing with Swedish suspension company Öhlins. It was spotted in the company of several key performance cars from Renault Sport, including the Megane RS and Clio. These spy photos confirm that Renault is serious about making the Alpine a production reality and suggests that it needed more than its alliance with Nissan to help foot the development bills.

Caterham became Renault’s partner in this venture last year, and rumors have suggested that this Lotus-disguised Alpine will be mid-engined, with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine offering about 1.6 liters of displacement and making around 270 horsepower.

We have reported in the past that Renault, Infiniti and Lotus were developing a gas-electric hybrid together, and the Renault version could become the Alpine (with Lotus building the production versions of all three cars), but we don’t truly know what the future holds for Renault’s reborn performance division.

Got all that? Neither do we, so we’re going to sit tight and see where the chips fall, but we’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.

Renault Alpine mule captured wearing Lotus duds originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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