Enhancing its premium travel offering, Emirates has introduced a new fleet of 46 Mercedes E200 cars as a part of its Chauffeur-drive service for First Class passengers at Dubai International airport.

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Eagle-eyed South London Press lensman Simon Turnbull captured this snap of the Mayor of Southwark’s limousine parked on double yellow lines in the borough this week.

The sharp-eyed snapper was on an assignment outside the council’s headquarters in London Bridge when he spotted the shining civic chariot parked in nearby Barnham Street. Most vehicles would have received a ticket in minutes but it seems a wooden Mayoral plaque displayed in the window of the gleaming black Mercedes as mayor Councillor Lorraine Lauder attended a nearby function was enough to keep traffic wardens at bay on Tuesday afternoon.

More than 122,000 motorists who received parking tickets in the borough last year were not so lucky. Southwark’s leader, Cllr Peter John, abolished parking privileges for councillors granted under the previous Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition.

Speaking in May, 2010, he said: “There is no reason why councillors should not pay parking fees just like everyone else.”

But, when the South London Press asked why the Labour mayor’s limo had been parked on double yellows, a council’s spokeswoman said: “The Madam Mayor was on an official engagement representing the borough at the Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations at City Hall.”

Source: Southlondon-today.co.uk

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A former News International chauffeur who claims to have driven for Rupert and James Murdoch was asked to make cash payments to ‘various police officers’, a court has heard.

Paul Maley, 43, is accused of posing as a retired police officer in order to set up a close protection security company for dignitaries and executives. Appearing at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (January 30), he denied one count of fraud by false representation between June 1, 2009 and December 9, 2009.

Prosecuting, Ruby Selva said that his neighbour and business partner, Simon Heavens, was “totally taken in” by his deception, believing him to be a former officer for the Metropolitan Police Service and relying on his expertise to support the company.

“Mr Heavens provided a large amount of money, which was spent on specialist cars and business needs and just over £30,000 was lost,” she said. “Mr Maley persisted in his charade, telling all he met of his supposed credentials. He had never been a police officer.” In July 2009 he told Mr Heavens that an opportunity for a contract with News International had come up, she added, and that he knew both Rupert Murdoch and his son James, having driven them before.

He was able to convince his business partner that the level of security necessary for such high profile clients would require a heavily armoured car, said Ms Selva, and Mr Heavens duly paid out the £80,000 needed for such a purchase.

“I thought it was quite a lot of money and was quite reluctant at first,” he told the jury. “I was persuaded because Mr Maley told me he had contracts lined up.”

However, Roger Offenbach, defending, said that Mr Heavens was not deceived, but rather was part of a “corrupt association” with a serving police officer, Sanjit Rai, to ‘set up’ Mr Maley and discredit him as a witness.

“You knew that Mr Maley handed over packets to various police officers, didn’t you?” Mr Offenbach asked Mr Heavens. “You knew that Mr Maley, in his capacity as a chauffeur, handed over packets to police officers, (and) handed over to Sergeant Rai a package, part of corrupt payments made to police officers.”

Mr Heavens called the allegations ‘ludicrous’, adding that throughout his involvement with Mr Maley, between meeting him in July 2008 and going into business with him in March 2009, he had no reason not to trust him. “I feel stupid now, but I had no reason to doubt him at the time,” he told the court, adding that it was purely his belief in Mr Maley’s police experience that convinced him to proceed with the business, admitting that he knew nothing about the industry himself.

His suspicions were aroused, he said, when Mr Maley, of Lower Road, Haslemere, became unwilling to provide client references from previous employment, claiming that a five-year confidentiality statement due to the ‘secret nature’ of his police work prevented him from doing so. When Mr Heavens eventually confronted him in December 2009, Ms Selva said, Mr Maley walked out of their meeting, sending a text message shortly after, in which he said he was resigning from the company.

“The crown’s case is a simple one,” she said. “Mr Maley did pose as a police officer and did so simply to trick Simon Heavens into business with him, and did so to make money for himself.”

The trial continues.

Source: GetSurrey.co.uk

American chauffeur businesses will be getting glimpse of the latest offerings from luxury manufacturer Cadillac and BMW at the forthcoming LCT Show in Las Vegas. Read More

It was when I found myself driving through central London listen to a popular BBC radio station, listeners debated if modern day 4×4 vehicles were really a requirement in city life.

I suddenly became very self-conscious as I rumbled through traffic in a shiny Volvo XC90, which is exactly the type of vehicle being targeted in this debate. So, in the first of a series of reviews of four-wheel drive vehicles, we find out the benefits of using these vehicles within the chauffeur industry.

There’s no doubt, the most popular 4×4 vehicle in the industry is the Range Rover Vogue, mainly for its British status and ability to pretty much go anyway it wants. Saying that, I am one of very few people who have managed to get a Vogue stuck in the middle of nowhere!

Vehicles such as the Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz M-Class and BMW X5 are becoming more common place since the bout of bad weather over recent years. Chauffeurs soon discovered that keeping the wheels turning when the white stuff falls is paramount – having a £60,000 car stuck in on the driveway could be crippling for a small chauffeur firm.

The Volvo XC90 is one of the vehicles which is on the list of 4×4 buyers (or All Wheel Drive as Volvo prefer to say). Not only is it the cheapest option, but it offers acres of room, flexibility and even a seven seats. Although the two rear seats which are located in the boot area are not really suitable for client space, but it may give the chauffeur some peace of mind if an extra passenger arrives on the job.

It was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in 2002,  And soon become Volvo’s top-selling vehicle in the United States. The XC90 was also Volvo’s best selling model worldwide in 2005 with 85,994 cars sold. To the eye very little has changed over those ten years – Volvo has made have made regular improvements to the car as a whole over that ten years rather than launching an ‘all-new’ model after just five years like many other manufacturers.

The engine certainly won’t win any drag races and isn’t as smooth and quiet as some of its competitors, but it returns a reasonable 35mpg with a CO2 of 219 g/km. The cabin offers a spacious environment with good quality leather, especially on the ‘R Design’ range of XC90′s. However, I do feel it is time for a little facelift, maybe to match is younger brother the XC60 which is a little more modern inside and out.

So, should chauffeurs feel guilty driving around town in a 4×4 vehicle which is never likely to see more than a dirty puddle? No, because there are more reasons to owning a 4×4 than the obvious like the driving position for example. The higher ride gives the chauffeur a better view of the road ahead which is ideal for giving Mr Client a smoother ride – this is also ideal for the security side of the business. If an escape is ever needed, then the extra ride height gives more flexibility to make it happen effectively.

The Volvo is a great option for a company on a smaller budget than the Range Rover guys, also it benefits from smaller running costs compared to the others. 4×4 luxury is never going to rival that of a 7-Series or Bentley, but at least the Volvo offers sliding and reclining middle seats and a few gizmo’s in the back to make it a relatively nice place to be for clients.

The Volvo XC90 range starts from £35,175 however an R-Design version with a sharper design comes with a price tag of slightly over £40,000.

Editor: Paul Gibson

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More than half of clients who specified a Rolls-Royce Ghost in 2011 turned to bespoke personalisation according the Sussex-based manufacturer. Read More

Bentley Motors has started 2012 with four more honours, from China’s highly-influential Hurun Report, The World Luxury Association as well as The Detroit News, maintaining the company’s award-winning form in 2011.

The Bentley Continental GT coupe triumphed in China winning the ‘Best Super Luxury Car’ at the Hurun Report’s Best of the Best 2012 awards and the Bentley Continental FlyingSpur saloon secured the coveted Limited Edition Super Luxury Car title.

In a unique collaboration with the famous British design company Linley, Bentley created 10 Continental Flying Spurs, exclusively for the Chinese marketplace, which feature specially selected veneers in Santos rosewood applied to the fascia, console, waistrail and roof console.

Widely recognised as the foremost authority on the rapid changes taking place amongst China’s high net worth individuals, the Hurun Report produces 20 magazine issues a year, made up of a monthly main book and supplements that target the special interests of China’s wealth creators.

The World Luxury Association also confirmed Bentley’s place amongst the world’s Top 100 Most Valuable Luxury Brands at their recent awards ceremony in Beijing, dubbed the “Luxury Oscar Awards.” Bentley lined up alongside Prada, Cartier, Chanel, Bugatti and Harley-Davidson in the exclusive rankings.

In the United States, for the second time the Bentley Mulsanne received the annual Readers’ Choice award for the ‘Most Luxurious’ vehicle from The Detroit News.  Each year, the newspaper takes 100 readers to Detroit’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) and asks them to select the most appealing vehicles in a variety of categories.It is also the only NAIAS award chosen by consumers.

The award maintains a rich vein of form around the world for the Mulsanne. Bentley’s flagship is the current holder of the Robb Report magazine’s ‘Best of the Best’ award (secured at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show) and also was chosen by Centurion Magazine readers as their outstanding Best Limousine/Saloon Car. Centurion is the international luxury lifestyle magazine for holders of the most exclusive charge card from American Express®, the Centurion® Card.  The Mulsanne has also secured awards from Gulf Connoisseur magazine as well as CAR Middle East.

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It’s been a very busy week for the UK novelty limousine business with two stories hitting the national news – one true and apparently one false.

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A Chauffeur charged with assaulting two traffic wardens was cleared after a court ruled he had acted in self-defence.

Genc Dauti, 32, was acquitted of two counts of assault and one of damaging a Westminster Council camera when he appeared at City of London Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Wardens William Edo-Osagie and Ayo Balola had accused Mr Dauti of attacking them, but the driver’s defence counsel, barrister Hugo Charlton, said the two men had put on “something of a charade”.

In uncontested written evidence, prosecution witness Nehad Gamal-Eldin said he had seen a traffic warden grab hold of Mr Dauti’s clothing before eight other wardens “appeared from all directions” and surrounded the Albanian father of two during the incident in Waverton Street, Mayfair, on October 23 2010.

“I saw the warden who had fallen over talking to a man who I presumed was his superior,” Mr Gamal-Eldin added. “I heard the superior say: ‘Tell the police you have to go to hospital.’ I think he said this to make it look like the warden’s injuries were more severe than they were.”

Giving evidence, Mr Dauti said a warden had made verbal threats which had included warning him he “would be dead if I wasn’t wearing this uniform”.

Mr Edo-Osagie admitted holding Mr Dauti’s clothing but denied deliberately smashing the council-owned camera he was using as part of his work – something he was alleged to have done by defence witness Mohammed El Saidy.

Photos taken by Mr Balola during the incident, which lasted around three minutes, were shown to the court.

One showed Mr Balola grasping the collar of Mr Edo-Osagie’s jacket.

However, Mr Charlton said the pictures had been edited to make it look like his client was the aggressor.

In her verdict, chairwoman of the bench, Ms A de Lotbiniere, said the panel had found the evidence from Mr Dauti and defence witnesses “convincing”, adding that Mr Dauti’s actions had been “in self-defence and proportionate”.

The confrontation began after Mr Dauti pleaded with Mr Edo-Osagie to delay ticketing a fellow chauffeur who had briefly parked up on a yellow line in front of a hotel in order to use its toilet.

Speaking outside court, Mr Dauti, who lives in Shepherd’s Bush, said: “I knew I was innocent and that’s what I was fighting for – simple justice.”

Mr Charlton, a noted human rights lawyer, said he had decided to take the case, after hearing about it from a friend.

A spokesman for NSL, the council’s parking contractor, which employs the two wardens, said: “In this particular case, the Civil Enforcement Officer put out a code red call because he felt threatened and in danger whilst performing his duties.

This is standard procedure and photographic evidence was shown to the court that showed a member of the public grabbing the CEO by the throat.

“Whilst the defendant was acquitted in this case, assault of our staff is an all too common occurrence.”

Source: West End Extra

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An Italian coach builder is celebrating its launch into the U.S market by revealing images of its Fiat 500 stretched limousines.

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