We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Car website. However, if you would like to, you can change your cookies at any time
The start point for the best source of fleet information |
While many of us are more focussed on a man with a bushy white beard and red jump suit powering through the sky (and I'm not talking about Richard Branson in his Virgin Galactic Enterprise), at the end of what has been a year of great change, it's worth taking a look back at some of the things that have hit the headlines.
2009 has seen Transport Ministers come and go like underground trains (sometimes) but the major talking point, and challenge, has been the recession. Hitting car sales, leading to the cancellation of the London Motor Show and even reducing congestion it has affected all facets of the automotive industry.
One important result is the Scrappage Scheme with figures showing that it gave the car industry the boost that it so needed. While this was a positive, many companies and drivers felt the pain. Jobs were lost and suppliers, manufacturers and drivers suffered in a market where new car prices rose as the pound plunged in value against the euro. Price inflation also affected many other parts of the supply chain as suppliers sought to focus on profitability.
For many the answer was vehicle downsizing with a host of smaller cars delivering excellent mpg performance like the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, Seat Ibiza Ecomotive and Ford Fiesta ECOnetic. At the extreme end of this spectrum was the Peel P50 three wheeler car: measuring just 134 centimetres in length and 99 centimetres in width it holds the record for the smallest ever production car.
One of the most high profile launches of the year was the Tata Nano, perfectly timed with drivers strapped for cash. The world's cheapest car at less than £1,300, it launched in India and was known as the 'People's Car' because of its affordability.
Cars didn't just become cheaper, they became safer, as technologies like ESC became standard on many cars, and with the potential to reduce accidents by 40%, why not! The problem of sleeping behind the wheel was also noted with a new system that reads eye movements and can react if the driver looks like falling asleep.
As ever, speed cameras were in the news, with the Wiltshire town of Swindon removing them altogether under the premise that there are more effective ways to stop drivers from speeding. Although speed cameras will not go away, especially with a new, more intelligent type of unit on the way. They are styled to blend with other street furniture and they won't flash so a motorist won't know that they have been caught until the fine arrives in the post.
2009 delivered way too much to talk about in one blog, so take a look at next week's for the second installment of my yearly review when I will be talking about the environment, new vehicle technologies and road rage, among other things. In the meantime, have a great Christmas and drive safely over the festive period.
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
