The Hybrid Handbag...

You'll be pleased to hear I successfully moved home and the big priorities have been taken care of - by that I mean I have successfully set up the TV, all AV equipment and tested all is in order. Basically I'm all set for the Hungarian Grand Prix and with Vettel and Webber leading the pecking order in the first phase qualifying I'm hoping for the same level of excitement and controversy that graced English shores a couple of weekends ago. The rest of my clobber shall reside in boxes indefinitely!

My friends in parliament are clearly taking heed of my weekly roundup (well, it could be coincidental) and have stood by their decision to offer consumers 25% off electric vehicles from January 2011. Of course in most Government schemes there are caveats and this one is no different. The most a UK consumer can benefit from is a £5,000 subsidy off a vehicle and this 'subsidy pot' is limited to £43million - good news for both the consumer given pending VAT rises and the automotive industry. On the flipside research making the news this week from BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) has highlighted that ownership costs of a Hybrid vehicle are more than their petrol counterpart and there is now plenty of debate being had as to the full extent of this extra consumer cost. What I struggle with is that most of my "luvvie" friends who drive hybrids for nothing more than a the latest fashionable handbag, do not realise that the real benefit only kicks in when you are driving slowly or stuck in traffic. When they do eventually break free from said traffic, and hit the open road, the fuel economy is nothing better than its non-hybrid equivalent - in fact, it could be worse because of all the extra weight that it is carrying. What utter nonsense!!!

Personally though, I think there are enough eco warriors out there that would rather spend more on a car in the knowledge that it is reducing their carbon footprint - and I am not one of them! Perhaps an ad campaign highlighting how much FHM's top 100 women like guys in electric vehicles might change my mind - I'll ask my new girlfriend later!

On that note, I am going to my favourite bar for a swift beverage in the sun whilst heckling the local car clampers that are instilling fear into the local community (whilst robbing wallets of £120) though I did just hear that a Koenigsegg CCXR, and a Lambo were clamped outside Harrods earlier this week - bet the owners didn't have to ask a mate for a loan to remove that clamp!

Enjoy your weekend.