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

Tuesday

To Goodwood and the home of Rolls-Royce to drive not one, but the whole range of new Rollers which together had a price tag of more than £2million.

Among them was the Phantom Coupé and the Phantom LWB (long wheelbase), which is of monster proportions.

Sitting in the back I had even more room than in a Skoda Superb, which is saying something.

I also had a strange compulsion to grow a beard and shout ‘you’re fired’.

But the best place to sit is in the driver’s seat as it drives likes a much smaller car and doesn’t feel at all like a barge.

However, the main reason for my visit was to drive the all-new Ghost.

The interior is just so luxurious and elegant with only the highest-quality materials used.

The powerful 6.6-litre V12 engine and superb chassis makes driving the Ghost an absolute dream.

The ride is like being on a magic carpet, it is so smooth and refined.

The price at £193,775 sounds expensive, but you are getting a hand-built Rolls-Royce, outstanding quality and membership of a very select club.

Could this be the Rolls-Royce that may, just may, get on to some very lucky person’s user-chooser list?

I doubt it, but I’m sure that a few company chairmen will have their eyes on one.

Thursday

I gave a presentation to the BVRLA Industry Conference at Gaydon on future technological and product developments, focusing on alternative fuel vehicles.

If you missed my presentation, hereare the key bits: electric vehicles are very expensive to buy, even with the proposed Government subsidy, and no-one really yet knows how long the batteries will last or what the vehicles will cost to lease. In my opinion, the real way forward is hybrid technology, with electric motors allied to either petrol or diesel engines.

The day had its ups with some very positive messages, and some slightly depressing views, but overall the delegates left feeling as though the day had been well worth it.

Friday

Visited Renault to discuss a few changes to the 2010 model year line up. Is it just me, or is the Renault range just too confusing?

Is an Expression higher up the range than an Extreme? What is a Freeway, and is a GT sportier than a Renaultsport?

And that’s not to mention the TomTom Edition, World Series and recently launched i-Music models. Renault needs to simplify its specification names.

  • It just remains for me to wish you a merry Christmas and a very

prosperous new year.