Blog: Automotive.

In the world of automotive communications, announcements about new products are 10 a penny and, with the Geneva Motor Show just around the corner this week, motoring noise has ramped up considerably. But, even given the proximity of one of the world’s biggest car shows, something extraordinary happened recently. On a Tuesday night at the […]

Formula One was much better in the 1990’s. V10 and V12 monsters roared at over 19,000 RPM and looked simply stunning in the heritage liveries such as those of Benetton, Williams and McLaren. F1 could be likened to Bullfighting in that it causes lots of controversy and frequently has to water-down its practises in order […]

Over the last few months, and for a variety of reasons, our attention here at Performance Communications has turned to the future of the automotive industry, as well as what our clients are doing in the ‘here and now’. I’ve become somewhat fascinated by the topic, although I must admit that it’s not entirely unselfish; […]

With winter around the corner and weather warnings ahoy, some SUV drivers may feel a little blasé about it all. Should this winter bring a gentle frost or an avalanche (or neither), there are worse places to be than in an SUV, even if it doesn’t have four-wheel drive, which it probably won’t. With their […]

On 22nd October 1989 the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix decided the Drivers’ Championship in favour of Alain Prost. McLaren dominated that season with a 3.5-litre V10 engine, and this race became one of the most notorious in F1 history as the culmination of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna’s tumultuous rivalry as team mates. 25 […]

The world can be interpreted in different ways, and there are about as many ways of receiving social codes and messages as there are people. The same goes for branding messages. If you work in the PR business it’s something you constantly have to think of when you’re storytelling, no matter who your audience is. […]

I have always believed that a person’s car can say an awful lot about them. In the UK, most of us take great pride in our cars, and our choice of ‘wheels’ – and the way we look after them – can often be seen as a reflection of the kind of individual we are. […]

Back in the winter of 2003, during the Top Gear road test of the Jaguar X-Type estate Jeremy Clarkson made the poignant observation that though genetically, we are “98% identical to a Halibut” it’s actually the other 2% that matters. He was of course drawing comparison with the Halibut and the Jaguar’s close mechanical relation […]

Even the worst new cars are usually better to own and better to drive than older comparable vehicles. There are some exceptions, but it is true 99 per cent of the time. Old cars had an advantage, however: only a decade or two ago, the roads were emptier, they weren’t adorned with speed cameras and […]

The ‘Ring, Green Hell, the Nordschleife, Nirvana; whatever you want to call it, the Nurburgring is one of the world’s most iconic roads. I’ve recently returned from my first trip to The ‘Ring and all I can say is: I completely understand. For decades, the place has been motorsport mecca, a place where car geeks […]

Last week, I tried to find a luxury London venue that could accommodate a Maserati Quattroporte, for an event we were organising on behalf of our Maserati client and the Centre of Entrepreneurs. The CFE is a think tank that supports the role of entrepreneurs in promoting economic growth and social well-being and we have […]

Last week, my 18-year old niece passed her driving test. I know what you’re thinking. No way I’m old enough to have an 18-year old niece, right? Well thanks for the sentiment but yes, sadly, it’s true. In itself, the fact above is nothing remarkable but I was interested to hear that she was, of […]

The way we buy cars is changing. As a statement, that probably doesn’t seem too bold. After all, the way we shop for anything has already changed immeasurably compared with 10 years ago; witness the demise of once-mighty High Street stores like HMV, Woolworths and Blockbusters. [quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]It has taken longer for the motor […]

Last month Performance Communications organised a corporate and media track day event at Bedford Autodrome for global logistics client GAC . As part of the day GAC’s sponsored racing driver Alex Brundle took part in a unique Father versus Son One Lap Challenge with his father, Martin Brundle, the former British racing driver and current […]

This week, I’ve found myself in conversation with fellow colleagues about the future of in-car technology and what new features we might be seeing in the next 10, 20 or even 50 years. Between us we’ve even decided that the clutch pedal will be non-existent on new cars by 2025 – check back in 10 […]

Thanks to social media, crowdsourcing has been embraced by the automotive industry as a platform for the more forward-thinking brands to engage with consumers. For car enthusiasts it also invites them to have a say on the direction of new products from their favourite car companies. From the top of my head I can think […]

Rewind 200 years. The British Empire covered 14 million square miles of the planet and Britain dominated world trade, economy and society. British products were sold all over the globe simply because the British were leaders in industry. [quote align=”right” color=”#999999″]British heritage brands offer countries like Japan the perfect mix of traditional and cool[/quote] Fast […]

I would not be the first to predict the demise of the conventional motor show as we know it. Years have passed since the UK’s own flagship new car event fell by the wayside never to be properly replaced, and excitement levels at the remaining landmark shows don’t perhaps hit the highs of previous events. […]

What’s the point of all the silly gadgets and OTT designs on concept vehicles? All we really need are cost-saving and environment-rescuing innovations, right? But wait; concept cars are designed to look ‘sick’ (in a good way) as well as slick and therefore attract the opposite sex. This is very important too. This is the […]

The 2014 Formula 1 season is already fast approaching and Pirelli has, this week, signed a new, three-year deal to supply the championship. In amongst the pre-season chat about drivers, teams and new 2014-spec cars, tyres will likely be the next-biggest topic of conversation, despite being, on the face of it, a pretty dull topic […]

Samsung Group has filed for a patent for electric vehicle technology. The patent covers technology and parts that can be used in electric vehicles. Although they insist this doesn’t mean they intend to enter the EV (Electric Vehicle) market, what does it mean? You could argue that a company like Samsung files hundreds of patents […]