Uk Is Round The Curve

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday October 3, 2007

Brent Davison

THOSE fun-loving Brits will have a go at anything, so when website 4Car and performance car motor show MPH'07 launched a web poll asking visitors to name their dream car and dream passenger the results were bound to be interesting.

And they were, with exotic cars and exotic people dominating.

When it came to dream passengers, women ruled the roost, with actor Scarlett Johansson beating fellow thespian Jessica Alba by one percentage point, with model Jodie Kidd and actors Cameron Diaz and Eva Longoria behind.

Male passengers? Top Gear personalities Jeremy Clarkson and The Stig topped the chart, with sport stars Lewis Hamilton (Formula One) and David Beckham (football) heading actor Daniel Craig.

As for the best cars, try this little lot: Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F430, McLaren F1, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Audi R8, Pagani Zonda F, Koenigsegg CCX and the Spyker C8 Spyder.

Chinese MG set to go

NANJING MG is getting close to relaunching the MG brand, first in China, with Britain and, probably, the rest of the world to follow.

The company now has 41 freshly minted dealers in China and 7500 orders for the first production car, the MG7 (based on the old ZT sedan), with more than 1200 orders backed by deposits.

Chinese buyers will get a choice of four MG7 variants Comfortable, Luxury, Sporty (all with 1.8 litre, four-cylinder engines) and the 'L', complete with 2.5 litre V6, with a price band between $29,000 and $52,000.

Hybrids degreened

A BRITISH university study has come up with a report that should have green car buyers and manufacturers scratching their heads.

Cardiff University's business school looked into the environmental impact of cars on a whole-of-life basis, taking into account everything from manufacturing to scrapping, to conclude that small lightweight cars are far more environmentally friendly than hybrids.

The best-placed hybrid, Toyota's Prius, finished in 12th spot.

Cardiff University's most environmentally friendly cars? Smart roadster, Smart Fortwo cabriolet and Citroen C1 1.0-litre lead the list.

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

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