The Edge

Richard Northedge takes on corporate finance

Archive for the ‘Cars’ category

Motor industry revs up to reverse trend

Who would have thought that the car industry would rescue the UK economy? For the first time in 36 years, the motor industry is showing a balance of payments surplus.
(more…)


The Phoenix Four have got off lightly

People who have taken £40m from a bankrupt company probably have no need ever to run a business again. The agreement by the Phoenix Four to accept disqualification from being company directors is thus a minor punishment for plundering the MG Rover car business.
(more…)


Car insurance proves that the sexes are not equal

You can’t have it both ways: either women and men are equal or they are different, and if they’re different there is no reason to treat them equally in all respects. The European Court’s ruling that gender must be ignored in pricing motor insurance – and much of the debate over female directors – puts political correctness above common sense.
(more…)


Why not advertise on speed cameras?

Would your company sponsor a speed trap? Oxfordshire, having led the way in switching off its cameras, is considering re-activating them if a commercial company is prepared to foot the bill.
(more…)


Tiger Woods commercial future crashed with the car

What would the gurus at Accenture (NYSE:ACN) say about Tiger Woods’ predicament following his early morning car crash? The golfer has been the face of the management consultancy since 2003 and the mystery over the collision risks affecting his commercial earnings as well as his playing career.
(more…)


Motor racing and building

F1 needs Renault like the public sector needs big building companies.
(more…)


State aid needn’t mean government money

Government should be a lender of last resort, not first resort. That is why the state was right to offer help to refinance Jaguar Land Rover – but on terms so onerous the motor group chose the private sector instead.
(more…)


Could the car scrappage scheme be a scam?

The government’s car scrappage scheme certainly seems to have provided a boost for vehicle sales, but who exactly is buying? Dare I say it, but could someone be on the fiddle?
(more…)


Do Branson’s F1 talks mean the Virgin brand is mature?

If Sir Richard Branson’s empire was still quoted this would be the time to sell the shares. He’s seriously talking about taking on a Formula 1 racing team.

(more…)


Doing nothing is wrong, but so is doing just anything

The mantra of the moment is that exceptional times warrant exceptional actions. But that does not mean every exceptional action is what is needed. It is time to take stock on the government’s extraordinary measures to end the crunch.
(more…)