A Jersey chauffeur company is celebrating its TV debut after being chosen to transport candidates from the BBC’s The Apprentice show.

Signature Executive Transport which is less than two years old, was featured in the recent show when the winning team were awarded with a Michelin-starred lunch at the Atlantic Hotel for winning their task.

Proprietor Alan Blanchet told thechauffeur.com; “I had great pleasure in looking after the candidates requirements and showing them what Jersey has to offer. Although, because of confidentiality, I didn’t even know what the job was all about even at the time.”

Signature Executive Transport

Infiniti, Europe’s newest luxury automotive brand has unveiled a finely crafted saloon which could see the manufacturers debut into the chauffeur market.

The third generation of the M Line is for the first time available in Europe is almost five metres long and promises to deliver a powerful, passionately designed alternative to other saloon cars. Launched at the Geneva motor show, it features Active Noise Control, a world-first side collision avoidance system and a state-of-the-art “Forest Air™” climate control.

The M Line has been designed and engineered from the beginning to compete in Europe, with European levels of ride and handling and high performance engines. These include a 3.0-litre diesel V6 for the M30d, which boasts exceptional refinement and a Hybrid model is promised for next year.

The new M Line is apparently one of the most spacious five-seaters in the class, as well as possibly the most alluring on the inside thanks to an even higher new standard of interior design and finish.

The luxury emphasis is not at the expense of driver focus which is stronger in the new Infiniti M than ever, with ergonomic excellence the hallmark of an imposing new dashboard. No details have been overlooked; the new M Line even introduces a new generation of switchgear, perfectly matched in weight and feel, and a new version of Infiniti’s signature analogue clock.

All Infiniti M models for Europe are powered by V6 engines, with 320 PS from the 3.7-litre petrol unit, and 238 PS from the new piezo-injection 3.0-litre diesel engine. The M30d has been designed specially for European markets. It is Infiniti’s first diesel and comes with a clear emphasis on sporting performance and luxury car refinement. Its power is a match for single-turbo diesel competitors from Audi, BMW and Mercedes but its torque – 550 Nm is class leading.

Apart from being exceptionally well specified as standard in the Infiniti manner, all models in the M Line range will come with the features, often unavailable in rival models at any price, which have already proven highly valued by European Infiniti owners. Every M Line owner in Europe will benefit from Connectiviti multimedia, self-repairing Scratch-shield paintwork and Infiniti’s Total Ownership Experience.

The vehicles boasts a new multilink rear suspension design, complete with the unusual use of double-piston dampers. The sophisticated shock absorbers deliver a flatter ride with less “head toss” for passengers. Infiniti engineers know this because, again, they used real people to develop it.

Part of the development work involved test cars with different suspension settings being driven over a variety of road surfaces, including speed bumps, while a passenger in the back seat completed a series of hand-writing tests. Readability varied… The end result is a passenger compartment where it is not just possible to write legibly at speed – but also to read, converse or relax without being jostled.

Every Infiniti stands out for the authentic natural materials used in its cabin: real leather, real wood, real aluminium, and real magnesium. For the M Line, the interior designers went a stage further by introducing, for the first time in an automotive application, a silver-powdered finish to the wood panels.

Why silver? Because the team found that, despite the difficulty in applying it, nothing else brought out the full brilliance and depth of the hand-polished grain in the same way. In fact, the full gloss wood in the M is similar in finish to that of the royal walnut panel with oil finish used for centuries in luxury furniture throughout Europe.

As one member of the team behind the silver finish summed up: “Wood used in vehicles is normally considered an industrial product. The wood in the new M Line can be considered an art piece.”

A Facebook campaign is underway to put the ‘Embrace Life’ campaign, the newest campaign from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), in the forefront of chauffeurs minds.

The powerful video highlights the importance of wearing a seat belt and because of the uniqueness of the production, there are now calls for it to be aired on national TV. The video can be seen by visiting www.embracethis.co.uk.

Neil Hopkins, Communications Manager for the SSRP, commented; “I am delighted by the way that Embrace Life has been welcomed by the public. We developed the concept to provide a talking point around the issue of individuals not wearing their seat belts.

“It appears that we’ve touched a nerve with the campaign, and I’ve received many positive comments concentrating on the way that Embrace Life delivers an emotional impact, but without the use of blood or gore.”

The advert is also being picked up by motoring blogs and public discussion forums, driving further traffic to www.embracethis.co.uk – and many viewers are calling for the advert to be shown more widely on TV.

“We are keen to open the dialogue with the team at the Department for Transport (DfT) responsible for putting out the national road safety TV campaigns,” Neil continues.

“We’ve had individuals from all walks of life – including the creative sector – praising the film and urging us to promote it via TV. As a local partnership, we haven’t got the financial capability to create a national TV campaign, which is why we’re looking to work with the DfT who already use the medium to get their messages out.”

The campaign is also gaining attention through some of its more unorthodox promotional techniques. Working with a prominent graffiti artist has seen sites in Brighton, East Sussex, previously littered with unsightly tags turning into large scale public place artworks to support the campaign.

For all of the positive comments and promotion of Embrace Life, it is important not to overlook the reason that it was created.

“Not wearing a seat belt can make what should be a minor accident into a major one,” concludes Neil Hopkins.

“On the morning of the launch, we heard from a Clinical Fellow in A&E who had been treating a driver thrown through his windscreen because he was not wearing his seat belt.

“It’s likely that he’ll never walk again, nor be able to provide for his family and all because he didn’t spend a moment clipping his seat belt in. We hope that Embrace Life reminds everyone how important it is to be properly belted in, whether you’re the driver or a passenger.”

Insurance for your limousine or chauffeur car could be one of the most important factors to running your business.

Although there are not many companies in the marketplace offering insurance for hire and reward, stretched limousines such as the Hummer and luxury cars, it is always advisable for operators to shop around for the best deal – not necessarily the cheapest.

There are bound to be some limo insurance brokers who will be happy to take your money, but you must make sure they are offering you the correct services as the last thing you want is to find out when the worse happens.
Unfortunately these days, if you are driving a stretched limousine or an expensive luxury car, they always seem to be targets on the UK roads, either from jealous drivers or drunk teenagers in a busy town centre – so you need good insurance that will cover you for a wide range of issues, not just an accident.

We have heard stories from limousine operators of clients breaking something inside the vehicle which does not sound that drastic, but when a glass sunroof could cost a thousand pounds, it’s essential you are covered.

It may be an idea to invest in a CCTV system in a limousine as these typically stop damage before it happens, but may also reduce your premium and at least will allow you to find out who is responsible.

Recent licensing issues introduced by the government has meant that some insurance brokers are avoiding a certain type of limousine – so be sure that they are aware of the exact make and model and passenger limitations as you could find out your policy is void.

For the executive chauffeurs, it can be the same story, but you are probably transporting a completely different client. Depending on your typical type for work, you must let your insurance company know if you are carrying a person who is deemed to be worth a high amount such as a celebrity or company director.

Although this is not really your problem as the client will probably have his own insurance, but it will give you peace of mind in case anything happens whilst they are travelling in your vehicle.

For a competitive quote, try taking an advance driving course designed for chauffeurs. Typically, these do not have a massive reduction on your insurance premium, but anything counts, and it will also make you a safer driver anyway.

These are just a few basic tips when you are looking to renew your policy, but the main aim is to be truthful and let your insurance company aware of any eventuality.

The state-of-the-art online services allow the new A8 to retrieve up-to-date information from the internet via an optional integrated GPRS/EDGE modem in the latest generation MMI navigation plus. The user can search online with Google for points-of-interest directly from within the MMI, the versatile search engine accepting such free text search queries as “delicatessen” or “shoe boutique”. The results are then displayed on the onboard map or used as destinations for route calculation. A8 customers can also plan their navigation destinations in Google Maps or the Audi web portal at home or in the office and retrieve these on demand in the car.

In mid 2010 Audi will further enhance its suite of online services with a new UMTS modem. This enables faster data transfer as well as simultaneous voice and data connections, and allows Audi to set a world first with the integration of Google Earth in the MMI navigation plus.

With Google Earth on the MMI’s 8 inch LCD display the new Audi A8 allows its occupants to discover the world from above through high resolution three-dimensional satellite and aerial imagery for the entire globe, backed up by a worldwide database of photos and information articles. The Google Earth imagery and 3D terrain model are combined with the detailed street network from the onboard navigation database in a seamless integration of online and offline content.

To use the new online services the customer simply needs to insert their SIM card in the MMI Navigation plus or pair their mobile phone with the MMI over the Bluetooth SIM-Access-Profile. Aside from the Customer’s existing mobile phone data plan, no additional contracts are required.

The latest multimedia interface (MMI) navigation plus system that is an integral part of the new A8 features a highly evolved operating concept incorporating a touchpad – known as MMI touch. Also included are an integrated hard disk for navigation, phone and audio data and a graphics processor capable of generating high-quality, three dimensional images. The MMI analyzes navigation data predictively, relaying information to the control units managing the automatic cruise control with Stop & Go, adaptive lights and the 8-speed tiptronic gearbox so that these systems can precisely adapt their function to conditions well in advance.

First shown as a prototype with Google in January 2006 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, the new online services can be experienced in the new A8 as a result of a close collaboration between Audi and Google development teams worldwide.

In 2003, the Phaeton was revealed to the chauffeur industry, bringing with it a refreshing change from the other German luxury saloons on the market.

However, there were big three problems – the engine range, the brand and the price.

Firstly, When the Phaeton was launched, the only engines on offer were the 6.0 W12, a 5.0 V10 diesel and a V6 petrol – so there was no real viable option for the chauffeur. On top of that, the long-wheel base model hadn’t even been released, so there was no reason for a chauffeur to buy it and with its price tag of £42,000 for the base model – the Phaeton was in for a very tough ride.

If a chauffeur operates a Mercedes-Benz for example, it is an easy sell. On the other-hand, if they operated a Phaeton, how would they sell it to their clients? A luxury Volkswagen is not easy for some people to imagine, and that is exactly what every chauffeur feared if they put the Phaeton on their fleets.

Customers just didn’t know what the car was, and they wouldn’t pay good money to be chauffeured in a Volkswagen.

But it wasn’t to end there for the Phaeton – it soon become obviously that no one was buying it, which meant there a risk of it being discontinued, which was a pity because it offered everything you would need from a luxury car.

It rides extremely well, and the later released diesel engines offer excellent economy and it looks great. Despite the badge, it is a well worthy as a chauffeur car.

However, VW continued to make the Phaeton as the industry slowly realised it was a fantastic car and the Phaeton offered a more discreet vehicle for blue chip companies and local authorities. The man in the street wouldn’t know any different from a standard Passat – therefore making it look as if your local mayor was being driven in a family saloon.

There is now a 2009 facelift model and from the outside there are little changes, but on the inside, there’s an all-new 7inch infotainment system, as the GPS system on the old Phaeton was probably as bad as it could get – in fact the new system is so good, the VAG group has put it in the Skoda Superb!

You basically get the same as you would in similar systems in other cars, DVD player, touch screen operations, Bluetooth technology (which doesn’t work with my Blackberry), and the Phaeton even gives you the option of adjusting the air suspension settings, which makes riding in the back even better for the client.

The attention to detail is excellent, you really do feel as if you are in a high-end luxury car, however I admit there are places where VW could have used some better materials rather than cheap plastic in certain places.

The new 3 litre V6 diesel engine in our long-wheel base model is impressive – it delivers 230bhp and returns around 31mpg , and its smooth, punchy and extremely quiet.

In the back, well you couldn’t really wish for much more space and legroom, the seats are relatively comfortable, however, if reclining and heated seats were fitted as standard on the long-wheel base then it would be a real winner.

If I had to choose a chauffeur car to operate, I would be extremely tempted with this exact car – its brilliant. However, more bad news for the Phaeton I’m afraid. Looking online I found a Phaeton V10 diesel with 50,000 miles on the clock for – wait for it – £17,000.

So the secret is, if you are in the market for an alternative to the Mercedes-Benz and BMW brands, then the Phaeton is for you – but look at used models first.

Paul Gibson

Following full consultation, VOSA has introduced new fees which came into effect on 1st April 2007. The increase ensures the costs of providing services are covered by the income generated.

Affected services include tests and re-tests of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and Public Service
Vehicles (PSVs), specialised inspections of HGVs and PSVs, operator licences for HGV and PSV Operators, bus registration and permits and examinations for Single Vehicle Approval (SVA).

Fees were last increased 18 months ago; the average increase is 5.5%. As usual, fees are rounded to the nearest pound. Details of the increases can be found at www.transportoffice.gov.uk.