The Ice Man, Money and Cygnets

The motoring world has seen its share of controversies over the last few weeks. With my university exams out of the way and whole lot to write about, I can now innocently return to blogging without the shadow of text books looming over my shoulder. The story that stood out for me in the last few weeks was the speculation around the return of  Kimi Raikkonen to the Formula 1 paddock with the Williams F1 team. With Williams’ victory drought spanning back to 2004, Raikkonen is a last resort for them to break the ice of poor performance over the last six seasons. But we have heard time and time again from the 2007 world champion that he would not return unless he had a competitive drive. Either the Oxfordshire based outfit know something other teams don’t or they are matching his salary demands. The second is unlikely as Williams were forced to go hunting for new sponsorship this season and to list their company on the public share market. Nevertheless, being an Ice Man fan I am looking forward to his return, F1 has missed him and critics will watch closely. His possible return has been the main topic of discussion at the previous two Grand Prix’s, with agreement across the media that Williams is looking like the most likely option for the Fin. The driver line up for the top teams next year looks to be stitched up with Webber extending his contract with Red Bull for 2013, Massa staying at Ferrari for 2013, Hamilton will see out his final year of a four year deal and Button has signed a multi-year deal with the Woking based outfit. Mercedes will see another year from Schumacher and Rosberg and Toro Rosso seems to be Helmut Marco's experimental team for young drivers to the sport only. Barrichello needs to go. He has underperformed this year and although he has not had the car under him that he may desire, there was still room for him to be more competitive. He may have been faced with mechanical woes in Abu Dhabi two weekends ago, which have not helped his case, but his performance this year looks to be the finale to an experienced career from the veteran. This season has only seen him finish in the points twice in a car that I believe has the potential to finish in the top 10. Barrichello will stand his ground saying that “I am not doing this because I want to be just one more in F1, I want to this because I am so competitive and I deserve to be here”.  Everyone wants to see him perform, he has become a household name for the sport but he has had his chance at Williams to deliver and unfortunately he has failed extensively.

Meanwhile, across at Bentley Motors at Crewe in the United Kingdom, they were awarded a £3million government grant to boost Research and Development. In terms of the economic benefit of the grant, it will enable Bentley to safeguard 200 jobs and create more positions among the company’s group of 900 engineers. Due to the niche production model that is unique to Bentley, they have the ability to undertake all its production activities under one roof. Bentley Chairman and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer talks of the R&D boost as a “real boost for Bentley. It shows that the government recognises the importance of Bentley and the contribution we make to high value manufacturing and UK exports.” So if you’re looking for an apprenticeship with Bentley then now is the time to buy a ticket to the UK as the company plans to increase its graduate and apprentice intake next year in anticipation of continuing growth.

Aston Martin has teamed up with Toyota in the form of their Cygnet which they describe as a commuter car. The car aims to target the Japanese market as a bespoke designed super mini. Equipped with its own lounge cushions for the rear seats and hand leather stitching, the car has been created for the rich banker who wants to motivate his daughter to one day become as successful as him. I can imagine this car turning up at one of the those MTV Sweet 16 party’s with a red bow tied around it only for the dashing young lady to complain that it isn’t a convertible nor is there any room for her friends in the back. This car would become the replacement for the common ‘signet ring’ given to girls on their thirteenth birthday. I would describe this car as being a rich man’s Toyota. You could own a Toyota IQ for a large fraction less of the £30,995 price tag. The Aston Martin press release describes the Cygnet as “a distinctive, intelligent, and exclusive solution for urban travel in style and luxury.” Funnily enough the Cygnet is a collaborative effort between Toyota and Aston Martin with the DNA originating from the new Toyota IQ. Toyota doesn’t seem to be phased by the poor sales figures of the IQ. CEO Tadashi Arashina says that “This collaboration represents a natural pairing of strategies finished off with Aston Martin’s iconic design language.” With orders being taken for 2012, I look forward to watching the young Asian housewives of Auckland dart around in their Cygnets all day while scouring down at those who could only afford the Toyota IQ.

              The race commences to be the first car maker to leave its mark in 2012. Who do you think made the biggest impact this year?