CAP manufacturer relationships manager Martin Ward scours the globe for the week's insider fleet intelligence

Monday

Down to the multi-million pound Porsche Driving Experience Centre at Silverstone.

The centre does not sell cars, but allows customers to select colours, specification and receive expert tuition about their new car.

There is nearly two miles of test track including a handling course, off-road section and water sprinklers to simulate wet and icy conditions.

Inside there is a restaurant, health centre, exhibition hall and conference centre.

Porsche, like every other manufacturer, is seeing a downturn in business in the current financial crisis.

According to the SMMT, it sold 10,582 cars in the UK in 2005 and 9,522 in 2006, meaning there are 20,000 two and three-year-old Porsches on the roads.

This boom of two and three years ago can be said of many manufacturers, and the used car market is suffering from over-supply due to large sales volumes in the past.

Porsche, like so many, is cutting back production dramatically in 2009, so in 2012 there will be far fewer three-year old vehicles on the market.

Tuesday

Over to Milan for the launch of the iQ – the new baby in the Toyota range.

It is probably one of the most deceptive cars on the road because, despite its small size, it can comfortably accommodate four adults.

We drove a couple of cars, both fitted with 68bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engines.

One had a five-speed manual – VED cost of £0 – the other a Multidrive automatic gearbox – VED of £35 – and I found the manual to be the most responsive.

It is a remarkably quiet car, it is well put together and surprisingly pleasant to drive. But the main thing when driving it is you don’t feel stupid – yes people did look and stare, but in admiration not disgust or disbelief.

Prices range from £9,495 to £11,495 when it goes on sale in January, with two models available – iQ and iQ2.

Thursday

Back to Silverstone to have a look at some new cars due in 2009 from Nissan.

The first – the Note – was the most sensible of the bunch and has established itself as a very capable and roomy small car, selling more than 53,000 units in the UK since its launch in March 2006.

The facelift brings a new grille, bonnet, bumpers and new headlamps along with a host of other improvements – a good little car made even better.

Then we saw the 370Z, the replacement for the 350Z, and the GT-R – both great looking sports cars, but coming at the wrong time.

We have seen so many cars like this recently – a great idea when design started years ago, but a rapidly-declining market will just not want these supercars in the numbers that were originally planned.

The 370Z is powered by a 3.7-litre V6 that produces 330bhp, goes from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and costs from £27,500.

The GT-R has a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 delivering 480bhp. It costs from £53,000 and around 1,200 will be delivered per year.

Nissan has taken many orders, but whether these are from speculators or from genuine buyers we don’t know.

But in normal times it really is the ultimate sports car at very sensible money.