Tuesday/Wednesday
To BMW HQ in Munich to see two new cars – and very different ones at that. The first of those very early pre-production models was the 5 Series Gran Turismo concept – a five door Coupé, which is slightly longer than an X5.

It has a very clever and innovative boot-lid/hatch system with a unique foldable rear bulkhead. There will be a choice of either five-seat or luxurious four-seat models. 

The interior will be a strong selling point, as BMW has built in plenty of flexibility coupled with loads of nice touches. The Gran Turismo is expected to feature technology seen in the new 7 Series.

After having a good look around the car, it will certainly appeal to those who don’t want to compromise style for lack of space and practicality. 

The other car we saw was the X1 concept, which will open up a new segment ahead of the competition.

Slightly smaller all round than the X3, it will have the advantage of the choice of either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. My guess is that the more frugal two-wheel drive car, with its lower wholelife costs, will take the lion’s share of sales in the UK.

These two models could come to market as early as this autumn, and will make the BMW range look broader than ever before. This should appeal to fleets as it will help to spread the residual risk by having a wider variety of cars on their books.

 

Thursday/Friday
Down to a sunny Majorca for a couple of days holiday, and rented a Ford Ka – the old model, not the new. 

It is years since I last drove one and had forgotten what a good little car it is. It has been the workhorse of the rental industry for years for those wanting a cheap four-seater runabout.

It was launched in 1996 and has had hardly any changes since then. It is one of those cars that has just kept selling to young and old, male and female, rich and poor. It is almost a classless vehicle.

It has provided a template for many manufacturers who have used its size and price as a benchmark. It has proved to be reliable, inexpensive to run and a popular used car. 

When it was launched, some critics said it was too modern and would not catch on. How wrong they have been. In the UK alone, it has sold more than 500,000 units, with more than 1.46million sold in Europe. 

As good as the old Ka is, the new one is so much better and a huge improvement in all departments. 

But with Ford’s latest policy on supplying rental fleets, it is doubtful we will see as many of the new Ka around airport rental car parks as we have the original.