Audi vs. BMW

Audi vs. BMW. This battle has raged on for quite some time. Both in terms of actual products (the cars) and in their advertising activity. Constantly battling each other and certainly made for good press – constant oneupmanship definitely brought about some buzz for both companies.

The cool battle, you could argue, had Audi in the ascendancy. Which can be backed up by their better sales in a struggling market. More recently however, as a recent post on the Autotrader Blog described has shown BMW giving Audi a run for it’s money.

Across all makes and models of cars, including SUV’s, roadsters, estates and saloons BMW’s product line has improved. Even Jeremy Clarkson has admitted these cars are no longer just for knobs.

Not that Audi is going down quietly. Their product range is still top of the line, and they really are great cars to drive.

And for your viewing pleasure here’s one of my favourite BMW vs. Audi ads.

Volkswagen uses iPhone to push launch of new GTI

Volkswagen has launched a new iPhone app to target high converting consumers for the launch of its latest GTI model. AKQA created the app – so it’s bound to be of high quality and shows a real commitment on the part of Volkswagen, to spend it’s advertising budget in a more targeted way. A few years ago their near $6m budget was focused on mostly large TV buys. This iPhone app, whilst technical and well developed would cost a fraction of running a TV campaign.

As stated on Econsultancy – The iPhone is a great place to reach tech savvy customers who are willing to part with money for a good product. As AdAge points out, there are more than 500 million iPhone and iPod touch customers. The most popular television show last week — CBS’ “NCIS” — would cost $300,000 for a 30-second ad and only reach 21 million viewers.

This move, also shows on the part of Volkswagen and the car industry in general that, despite the poor market conditions, they will continue to find new and innovative ways to push car sales.

What do you think? Will the iPhone app be a success?

America – land of the brave, home of the misinformed

So I recently returned from a trip to New York where I met up with a few university chums from when I went to school out there.

It was great fun seeing everyone and we had a really good laugh. America is still one of my favourite countries to visit and the people there are friendly, jolly and optimistic, much unlike their English cousins.

As usual our discussions took the regular course. Women, cars, sports, family and politics. Everything was going great until we got to the dreaded final subject.

I’m not sure exactly what it is about Americans and American news but they are truly the most misinformed bunch of “westerners” on the planet (here I’m clearly excluding Iran, N. Korea, China, basically anywhere where there’s not free press).

Fox News constantly spews nonsense and since most of my friends in the states are conservative this is where they get their news from. Apparently Obama is a socialist trying to indoctrinate the youth. Apparently climate change is a myth fabricated by big business. Apparently wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now the fault of the Obama administration.

This is either short term memory syndrome or complete memory loss. What makes matters worse is that when i asked who would be a viable alternative, Sarah Palin topped most people lists! Sarah Palin! I’ll repeat again for dramatic effect. SARAH PALIN! The woman who said she had foreign policy experience from being able to see Russia. The woman who apparently reads EVERY magazine in the United States. The woman who resigns from her office, half way through. The woman who would drill half of the continetal U.S. and Alaska in order to get the country energy independent. Although I can appreciate her goal, her methods are extraordinarily off base.

These trends of misinforming the under-educated American public is sure to continue because that is how the conservative right maintains and expands its base. And if Sarah Palin, God forbid, rises to the most powerful office in the world, we’re all in a bit of trouble.

Can anyone believe a word Gordon Brown says?

Now I’m not trying to bad mouth the “leader” of our country but over the last several months I’ve just become utterly disillusioned with the manner of our prime minister and to an extent our government as a whole. Yes it all started with the expenses scandal that within the recession was doubly criminal. But the fact that no party leader can go 30 seconds without slagging one of the other two parties off is just typical of British politics these days. Clegg is hoping against all hope for a miracle that will see the Lib Dems become slightly more than obscure in the spring/summer of 2010. Cameron is actually behaving himself, to a degree, when compared to previous outbursts. Labour just looks like a bunch of buffoons led by Big King Buffoon. When Gordon Brown was on the Andrew Marr Show not only was he utterly uncomfortable but completely flappable.

As I’ve written previously on Trains, planes and automobiles, I’m a big fan of Barack Obama. One of the reasons for which is that he never loses his cool. I’d have a lot more respect for Gordon Brown if instead of taking offense and appearing like he’s trying to cover up, address the question in a manner that is both reassuring and honest. It reflects so poorly on England that our leaders are egotistical  snakes that they refuse to answer questions honestly without feeling as though it’s a personal affront.

Headline news, it’s not about you or your ego. It’s about getting us out of this God-awful economic situation whilst fulfilling our repsonsibilities both at home and abroad!

Is lowering age limit good for car rental?

Although it appears this happened last month, I’ve just learned that some car rental companies are lowering the age limit to 19. I know a lot of companies, hertz, avis, national etc. have all been hit pretty hard by the recession but I’m slightly worried about letting driving novices into cars that they don’t own. I don’t want to pigeon hole the younger generation but they are notoriously reckless drivers and this could lead to increased number of accidents particularly in foreign countries where driving laws are often unclear and on the road behaviour is like that of a go-kart track.

I hope it does improve the car rental market but hopefully not at the expense of safety on the roads.

Hire a Porsche from Avis?

So you can now hire a porsche from avis. Seems like a little much doesn’t it? I mean, not entirely practical is it? Unless you’re a bachelor in Miami or something. Well you’re mistaken if this is what you think!

Car rental is becoming more competitive and this addition to their fleet is utterly unique in the “rent-a-car” industry.

Now what sets this Porsche apart is that it is a family sedan. It has four doors, four luxurious seats to relax in and the engine is in the front of the car so the luggage still goes to the rear of the car. The Panamera was only just unveiled in April at the Shanghai Automobile Show, and Avis is one of the first companies to pick up the exclusive motor.

So next time you’re out on a trip with the family and don’t want to drive a minivan to fit everyone give this porsche a try.

Barack – I’m a fan

I’m a big fan of Barack obama. He never seems to lose his cool and always has something smart to say, even when he’s calling Kanye West a “jackass”! What I’m not a big fan of is the increadible mis-information that circulates through American society. I lived in NYC for a decade in the 80′s but I feel it’s gotten worst in the age of digital media. Now any muppet with a video camera can upload some crap which other idiots seem to think is gold dust and take it for fact!

What’s worse. In America, even the “news” stations behave worse than the youtubers. Since the whole healthcare reform debate has kicked off stateside news stations are just becoming podiums for politicians to sprout complete nonsense about Obama.

What I really admire about Barack is – when everyone around him seems to be losing their heads in a sea of partisan name calling he remains calm. Despite his lack of years on the hill, Barack is a very astute man. In his 60 minutes interview last week he very rightly said – “My problem is trying to make civility interesting”. Talking about how those who yell and scream the loudest generally get the most air time (particularly on Fox). He’s right, and when the dust settles and the history books are written it will be Barack Obama who will go down as the man who brought America (and the World) out of it’s worst economic crisis since 1929.

Will he go down as one of the greats, next to the likes of FDR? Well definitely too early to say, but he’s a bright man with a bright future and all I can say is I hope enough republicans get on the right side of history.

Weekend away – you don’t need to go as far as you think!

So returning home to south london last night was a bit of a reality check. Congested roads, sirens, loud car stereos. No wonder we all need a break sometimes from the hustle and bustle of the city. I love london, I wouldn’t have lived here 20-odd years if I didn’t, but a weekend away in the countryside always does the trick.

York was brilliant. From Jorvik to the Yorkshire Dales it really was a treat. I had ordered a car hire before so after arriving mid-afternoon Friday in York I had to go pick up the car etc. I had arranged for a mercedes e class for the space it provides. Nothing worse than the kids not having  enough space in back and distracting me. Plus  I wanted this to be relaxing for the old lady too!

The drive out there early saturday was a dream. Gorgeous morning and the kids seemed really enamoured as well. We spent most of the day walking and enjoying the views.  WE’d brought along some sandwiches and snacks and had a great picnic overlooking a little valley. Really didn’t have a care in the world.

Sunday we went to Jorvik in the morning before returning home on the train. Kids slept most of the way and so the wife and I had some quiet time to ourselves. It really was a wonderful weekend and for those looking for a break from the big city life you really don’t need to go as far as you think.

Is Germany the centre of auto innovation?

Saw this today: Apparently its a car tower in Wolfsburg Germany – pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Talk about making the most of your space! Why can’t England be that innovative. I mean our rail system is stuck in the 1970′s. Not that I’m complaining. I’m about to hop on a train with the family and spend the weekend in York so life is good.

Got everything packed up and ready to go. Even had some essentials delivered over night by an online chemist. Really important you prepare your immune system (not getting any younger) before you spend some time camping outdoors.

Really can’t wait to spend some quality time with the family. Should be a great weekend!

The City of York

So planning a weekend away you might think I’m crazy to go to York. I have to say though, apart from London, York is probably one of the most interestingly, beautiful and vibrant cities in the UK. It’s over 2,000 year is literally coming out of the ground and a weekend really isn’t enough to get through it all. (Good thing this isn’t my first visit). So to save you from my ramblings I’ll be focusing on what I’ll be doing this weekend.

First of all JORVIK is a must. I’m half norwegian and try to go at least once a year to marvel at the ancient civilisation. They literally have over 40,000 artifacts uncovered on they very ground you’re walking on! Not only the Norwegians but Romans and Saxons have also laid their claim to the city and for history fans you really can’t find enough things to do in York.

Adding the breath-taking scenery around the city, including historic Cliffords Tower, the Yorkshire Dales are also a very close drive from the city centre. Although I’ll be taking the train from londing car hire from York to the Dales couldn’t be easier and it’s definitely worth an early saturday or sunday morning trip out there. Truly wonderful views and brilliant walking trails for you to enjoy.

Best news of all – it’s inexpensive, great for the whole family and might make you appreciate a little bit more about the history of our country. It really is a rare thing to have millenia worth of history in one city, let a lone one country!