Plasticine pair Wallace and Gromit have always been magic for the merchandising machine, but they have now appeared in their first advertisement. The stars of A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers have been employed by Renault to plug the Kangoo van in Britain.
In the
advert, Wallace has created a cracking contraption, the Kangoo-matic, designed to perform a warrant-of-fitness-style check on the Renault. Gromit is seen polishing the headlamps, only to be blinded when Wallace switches them on. Then, with a sudden gust of wind, Gromit is catapulted to the foot of a complicated-looking machine. He quickly pulls a lever, the breeze stops and the camera pulls back to reveal that the whole project is taking place in the basement, including a huge fan to test aerodynamics.
The car passes its tests and emerges Thunderbirds-style on to the driveway.
People keen to see the Aardman duo can visit Renault.co.uk.
Mercs mega-wagon
Mercedes-Benz has produced a wagon version of its super-fast E55 AMG, combining 700Nm or torque from the 5.5-litre supercharged V8 with up to 1910 litres of carrying capacity.
The E55 wagon features a five-speed automatic gearbox with Speedshift steering-wheel-mounted gearchange buttons, Airmatic sports suspension with adaptive damping and Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC).
Unique to the wagon is the Easy-Pack loading system. Standard fittings include a 60/40 split rear seat, adjustable rear headrests, a stowage box behind the rear-seat backrests, an additional loading floor with subdivided compartments, an automatic load compartment cover and a tailgate that stays open in any position during the last third of its travel.
Celling concept
Hyundai and UTC Fuels claim to have overcome one of the remaining hurdles in bringing fuel-cell power to mainstream motoring getting the super-clean powerplants to operate in freezing conditions.
Fuel cell engines combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity without harmful emissons. They produce and consume water, so one key challenge in developing fuel cells for mainstream applications is starting an engine after the water in the system has frozen.
Hyundai plans to integrate a freeze-capable fuel cell engine into a production vehicle next year.
The Korean carmaker has worked with UTC Fuel Cells since 2000, when the two companies unveiled their first Santa Fe fuel cell prototype at the California Fuel Cell Partnership opening ceremony.
Nissan lives high life
Nissan will unveil a new off-road concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The carmaker promises intelligent design, advanced technology and an innovative combination of SUV and MPV in the Dunehawk, which points towards future four-wheel-drive wagons. The Dunehawk uses a second-generation version of the X-Trails All Mode four-wheel-drive system.
We are the world
A study by the RAC Foundation and Railway Forum has revealed that British commuters spend longer getting to work each day than workers in any other European nation. Seventy-two per cent of commuters outside of London take their cars to work, according to the study, while commuting accounts for 22 per cent of car trips.
The average British worker commutes more than 4500km each year and cars commute 126 billion kilometres annually.
Almost half of all rail travel is undertaken by those in the top 20 per cent of household incomes.
Kangoo kinda guys
Plasticine pair Wallace and Gromit have always been magic for the merchandising machine, but they have now appeared in their first advertisement. The stars of A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers have been employed by Renault to plug the Kangoo van in Britain.
In the
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