Mercedes chauffeur driven airport transfers for Emirates passengers

Air travel provider, Emirates, have updated their fleet of chauffeur cars used for airport transfers for First Class passengers as part of the airline’s latest venture to further enhance the travel experience of its customers.

The introduction of 46 new Mercedes Benz E200 vehicles to the Emirates fleet is designed to help improve the airline’s overall customer travel package. The latest Mercedes chauffeur cars will be reserved for transporting passengers flying First Class with Emirates, while the airline’s existing fleet of Volvo chauffeur cars will continue to be used to transport those flying Business Class with Emirates.

Airport transfers in chauffeured cars are available for First Class and Business Class Emirates customers travelling either to or from Emirates terminal 3 Dubai Airport. Travel is available throughout the United Arab Emirates with the flexibility to book a chauffeur driven airport transfers up to 12 hours before a flight for First Class Customer, and up to 24 hours in advance for Business Class travellers.

In addition to the new Mercedes chauffeur cars recently added to the Emirates fleet, other benefits for travellers flying with Emirates is the choice of 30 dedicated lounges across the Emirates networks. Emirates hope to offer a stress-free travel experience for their First Class and Business Class customers, offering a premium-door-to-door service which incorporates ground transportation as well as air travel.

The Audi R8 Limo goes global with Forbes press article

Since the news broke of Limo Broker’s secret project and plans to create the world’s first Audi R8 Limo, the news has spread around the world, with plans for the supercar even being featured in high profile American magazine, Forbes.

While the press coverage for the new Audi R8 limo has gone into overdrive, the exclusive YouTube video which showcases the plans for the finished design of the never-seen-before supercar has also been inundated with views, with the online video racking up just shy of 37,000 hits in a week.

The finished Audi R8 Limo will become the signature car for the UK’s leading limousine hire provider, Limo Broker, who are working in conjunction with Carbonyte UK, the creators of the world’s only Ferrari limo, to create this unique stretch limo. The winner of the Miss Limo beauty pageant 2012, Gemma Roberts from the Vale of Glamorgan, has been confirmed as the glamorous face of the Audi R8 limo.

Limo Broker Managing Director, Tej Randeva, said he is,

“Overwhelmed by the response to the Audi R8 Limo, we weren’t expecting news of our project to go global in the way it has, with the likes of Forbes magazine featuring our Audi R8 limo design on their pages” 30-year-old Tej added;

“the feedback we’re getting on the design has been extremely positive, and it’s certainly spurred us at Limo Broker, and the guys at Carbonyte UK, to make sure the finished limo is extra special and a supercar that will hold its own on the world stage.”

The Audi R8 limo had an initial completion date of late summer 2012, however due to the overwhelming response from the press and the public over the new design, Limo Broker and Carbonyte UK have pushed the finish forward and are now hoping to unveil the completed limousine in 3-4 months time, just in time for the peak wedding hire and school prom season.

Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachchan turns chauffeur for Oprah Winfrey visit

Bollywood mega star, Amitabh Bachchan, was more than happy to dispense with the services of his driver in order to personally chauffeur the US chat show host, Oprah Winfrey, during her very first visit to India. Amitabh was photographed behind the wheel of a white Rolls Royce, with the famous host in the back seat accompanied by Aishwarya Rai as he drove the group to a party held in the 57-year-old’s honour.

Oprah Winfrey is visiting India for the very first time and is scheduled to be attending the Jaipur Literature Festival and will also be undertaking some filming for her new show, Next Chaper, during her time in India.

The Bachchan clan are making a big effort to make Oprah Winfrey feel at home during her first visit to India. As well as personally chauffeuring the veteran TV host to a party in Mumbai on Monday night, Amitabh also accompanied Oprah as she visited the Bollywood star’s son and daughter-in-law, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and their two-month-old baby, known only as Beti-B. Oprah Winfrey was thought to have spent about an hour at the couple’s home meeting the new addition to the family.

The top Indian actor and TV presenter, Amitabh Bachchan, took to his Twitter page to share the news with his fans about his evening with Oprah Winfrey as he wrote, “The gracious Oprah Winfrey visits our home, to meet us and bless the baby… warm hearted, endearing… drive her to party in her honour. And Oprah in sari… looking lovely!”

YouTube video of the Audi R8 Limo receives almost 5k hits in two days

The YouTube video giving the first look at the prototype for the world’s first Audi R8 limo has received almost 5,000 hits just two days after being posted on the video sharing site.

Limo Broker Audi R8 Limo

Limo Broker first unveiled plans to create the world’s fastest limousine last weekend at the Transport Broker Awards hosted at the home of the Ryder Cup golf tournament 2012, the Celtic Manor Resort. Chris Wright from Carbonyte UK, the creator of the world’s only Ferrari Limo, introduced the rendered video of the Audi R8 limo and outlined plans for the project to an invited audience of 250 guests, including business leaders from the luxury transport industry from across the country.

This year’s Transport Broker Awards also hosted the final of the Miss Limo beauty pageant for the very first time. The winner, Gemma Roberts, was crowned Miss Limo 2012 by the reigning Miss Universe Great Britain, Chloe-Beth Morgan. As part of Gemma’s prize for winning the title of Miss Limo 2012, she will become the face of the brand new stretch Audi R8 Limo once it’s complete.

Limo Broker Audi R8 Superlimo

Limo Broker Audi R8 Superlimo

Plans for the Audi R8 Limo had been kept tightly under wraps until the big announcement last weekend. Once complete, the stretch Audi R8 limousine will be the only vehicle of its kind in existence, and also the fastest limo in the world.

The YouTube video gives a 3D impression of how the finished limousine will look and is proving a big hit online having already received 4,856 hits less than 48 hours after being posted on the internet. If you’ve not checked out the video of the exclusive ne supercar yet, take a look at it right now and prepare to be blown away.

Due to high demand, a new facebook page for the Audi R8 Limo has been launched.

Rolls Royce smashes sales records in 2011

Rolls Royce posted record breaking sales figures for the previous year this week, with demand for the luxury car maker’s flagship model, the Rolls Royce Phantom, and the Ghost, helping to drive sales throughout 2011.

In the official figures Rolls Royce revealed they’d sold 3,538 luxury cars over the course of 2011 which is the most it’s ever sold in the space of 12 months in the company’s entire 107 year history.

Rolls Royce found that China overtook America as its biggest market in 2011. Since 2003, the US has been the biggest consumer of Rolls Royce cars, however the Asian and Pacific market grew by a massive 47% throughout the 12 months of 2011, helping China into the top spot as the biggest buyers of Rolls Royce products for the year.

The UK rolled into third place behind China and the States as the biggest market for Rolls Royce in 2011, with business in Britain rising by 30% throughout the year for the luxury car brand.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Rolls Royce are already hatching plans to build on the success of 2011 by branching into as yet untapped markets for the renowned car manufacturer, including South America, and also the development of new product lines and its dealer network, and there are also plans to expand the Rolls Royce manufacturing plant, Goodwood in Sussex.

Private hire company to introduce smart cars to its fleet

A private hire transport company based in Edinburgh has revealed plans to introduce Smart cars to its fleet in the New Year with the aim of reducing emissions and providing speedy and economical transportation for single passenger journeys.

Edinburgh Private Hire believe the new Smart car taxi service will be especially popular as it estimates that currently 55% of the trips undertaken by its drivers from its base at Edinburgh Airport are for single passengers.

Smart cars will not only help the company to reduce its CO2 emissions, but also enhance fuel consumption and also ease congestion due to the size of the pint size vehicles which makes them ideal for city driving.

The private hire firm is committed to green travel and says that in the future, they hope to introduce electric powered vehicles, however at the moment, the lack of charging points in the city would be a cause for concern for them. Until electric powered cars prove viable for the firm, the Smart cars will assist Edinburgh Private Hire in its bid to provide eco friendly travel.

Edinburgh Private Hire hope to have the first of their Smart cars up and running in the first quarter of 2012 after the City Council granted permission and waived licence conditions.

The company say they hope to pass on the savings to the customer through reduced fares as the cost would be set for single passengers.

Mercedes “Taxi” owned by Ryanair boss up for sale

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has advertised his personal chauffeur car for sale, billing it as the “Ireland’s most famous taxi” and stating himself as the owner in attempt to grab the attention of second hand car buyers.

The 2007 Mercedes Benz S-Class S500L long wheelbase car has extended legroom for the comfort of its passengers and comes with full leather interior, heated seats and in-car phone kit, however it also comes with a sky high mileage with 170,000 miles on the clock.

The Irish budget airline owner caused controversy when in 2003 he bought a taxi licence when meant that his registered car could be driven in bus lanes, helping the Ryanair boss dodge gridlocked traffic. However Mr O’Leary was later forced to employ a chauffeur as part of the rules of the licence and the Mercedes has to meter all of its trips in accordance with the taxi licence regulations.

The Ryanair boss obviously travels a great deal as the car has accumulated a mileage of 170,000 in just four years. It also emerged that in 2009, O’Leary ran up a bill of €96,000 to the taxi company who supplied his chauffeur, coincidentally, O’Leary also owns the company.

If you fancy getting behind the wheel of the businessman’s Mercedes chauffeur car, then it can be yours for just €20,000, which works out as £16,700.

Lady Gaga’s quirky gift for her UK chauffeur

Lady Gaga has gifted her British chauffeur with a year’s supply of nappies and also handed over the services of her personal interior design team to deck out the her driver’s spare room into a nursery after learning that he’s about to become a father for the very first time.

True to style, the Bad Romance singer didn’t want to give a traditional present to her chauffeur after learning about the happy news, but instead opted for a typically unusual present to celebrate her chauffeur’s special event.

While her choice of gifts are not your typical run-of-the-mill present, they are very practical and generous nonetheless. A source close to the star said Gaga is always generous towards those who look after her, and the chauffeur in question has been driving the singer since she started performing in the UK several years ago and has always taken good care of the wacky songstress.

However the lucky chauffeur will have to wait until after the festive period for his gifts to be delivered by Lady Gaga as the US pop star is planning celebrate Christmas in New York with her family. Gaga’s new boyfriend, Vampire Diaries actor Taylor Kinney, will also reportedly be joining the singer and her family on Boxing Day.

Emirates open “limo lounge” where passengers wait for their chauffeur car at Heathrow

Emirates airline have opened a brand new “limo lounge” facility at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 where business class and first class incoming passengers travelling with the airline can make a pit stop before being collected in their chauffeur driven limo.

The new mini arrivals lounge is situated just 15 metres from the area where the Emirates chauffeured cars are parked which means passengers only need walk a very short distance to be whisked away by their personal chauffeur.

Emirates say the new lounge at Terminal 3 is not an arrivals lounge, but more a rest area where passengers can stop for a break between leaving the plane and being collected in their car. The mini lounge is still kitted out with comfortable seating for up to 30 people, plus there are tea and coffee and refreshment facilities, and also a business area with free Wi-Fi and also PCs. An on-call porter service is also supplied to assist with luggage.

The airline anticipates that 200 passengers flying business class or first class with Emirates will make use of the new facility daily. Emirates say they anticipate the new rest area will ensure passengers enjoy a “seamless journey” with a designated lounge a few steps from the plane where passengers can wait in comfort for their limo to chauffeur them to their final destination.

Former chauffeur to Heather Mills in court over photocopied disabled badge

A former chauffeur to Heather Mills was in court this week after he was caught using a photocopy of the 43-year-old celebrity’s disabled parking badge on a recent shopping trip.

65-year-old chauffeur Stewart Simonson claimed he had photocopied the Blue Badge belonging to Heather Mills with her knowledge as she often forgot to carry the parking badge with her, and so he had a copy for the purposes of convenience.

However on the day in question, Mr Simonson had displayed the Blue Badge on his own car while parked on a yellow line. When Traffic Wardens inspected the badge, the recognised the image on the back as someone famous, which was later identified as Heather Mills, the ex-wife of Beetle Sir Paul McCartney.

The chauffeur admitted that the blue badge was a copy of the original held by Heather Mills. Ms Mills is eligible to have a disabled parking badge as she lost a leg in a road traffic accident in 1993, however there was no suggestion that the mother-of-one was aware that her former chauffeur was using the photocopy of her Blue Badge.

The 65-year-old private hire driver revealed that he suffered with severe arthritis which resulted in him having to retire 6 months ago, Mr Simonson added that he had also applied for his own Blue Badge due to his condition.

In court this week Mr Simonson pleaded guilty to using the Blue badge illegally 6 months after leaving the employment of Heather Mills. He was ordered to pay £650 in fines and costs as a result.