Don't put a C1 an your CV.

The BBC have a picture and story worthy of local newspapers.

Attractive young woman looking unhappy with reason for her grievance.

Only thing missing is she should be pointing at it.

Not that it is the car's fault - an estate agent was being ageist.

The attractive young woman in question was not shortlisted for a job she applied for because her car was too old.

The estate agents, haart, who are obviously too trendy to use capital letters claimed that, "It's extremely important that people who work for us use reliable vehicles for their own personal safety, particularly where they travel many miles each day and often work alone."

Oh, so they are worried about her safety!

No, they just don't want their image being affected by older cars which may give the impression that they don't pay their staff enough to buy newer car.

That was my take on it anyway.

I can't see a well maintained 2014 Citroen C1 being particularly more unreliable that a 9 year old one.

And if they took on someone with a 9 year old Citroen C1, would they have to sack them in 12 months?

I don't know if they have had a policy change since the BBC highlighted this today, but here's a bit of a job ad for a position they have open today: 

It just says the car has to be in "good condition."

 

Not even "very good condition."

 

Maybe she should apply to this place:

Spectres

 

Or Ghosts or Phantoms.

What happens when you want to import your Roller (or any other luxury car) into France but don't fancy paying import duties?

 

I'll tell you.

 

You register it as being adapted for disabled people - even if it isn't.  That way it is Tax Exempt.

 

So how do you actually do that then?

 

I'll tell you.

 

You take advantage of a bit of a stupid decision made by the French government in 2017.  They decided to part-privatise the SIV - ie the registration system.  This was allegedly in a bid to speed up the slow process of delivering registration papers to car-buyers but probably, like all privatisations, to save money anjd help their rich friends make money.

 

Look at Mrs.Thatch in the '80s.

 

But I digress.

 

Some 2,000 civil servants were assigned to new tasks, and instead car-dealers were given the right to access the register themselves in order to issue documents for their clients.

 

Car dealers!?

What could possibly go wrong?

 

The full story is here.

 

And to give you the opening paragraph...

 

A million illegally-registered cars are being driven in France in a fraud scandal that has cost hundreds of millions of euros in lost taxes and fines, according to the state auditor.

 

These are known as "ghost cars" - even the ones that are not Rolls Royces.

 

The closing paragraph concludes...

 

France's interior ministry said it acknowledged the problem, and was taking steps to remedy it. An action plan announced last year has led to an increase in fraud detections, while the number of authorisations to access the SIV has been sharply reduced. 

 

 I think I know who they need to call. 

Sensible Volvo Drivers.

Does that mean sensible drivers in Volvos?

Or drivers in sensible Volvos?

Speaking as a sensible Volvo driver - I'd say both.

We don't drive rally cars along the M53.

And we don't put Bentley badges on Chrysler 300Cs.

How can that be a thing?

But it is apparently.

And then there's cyclists - I've got quite a collection of dashcam footage of them going through red traffic lights.

Some very blatantly.

You'd never catch a Volvo driver doing that.

Polestar 2.2

Was it really April 2024 when I reported on the stupid naming system that Polestar were to use on their model range?

Yes! 

According to their boss, Thomas Ingenlath, the Polestar 2 would be replaced with the Polestar n where

n = the next integer not already assigned to a Polestar.

I pointed out at the time, the folly of doing that. 

Just like in 2018 when I pointed out the folly of choosing Paddy McGuinness & Freddie Flintoff to present Top Gear.

I was proved correct.

Eventually.

Auto Express have this story today about the replacement for the Polestar 2.

It's headlined, "New Polestar 2 to lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side"

Apart from anything else, I don't think the Polestar 2 does look like an SUV - which is probably why I like it.

Anyway, I clicked on the link for their guess at what it would look like and found this:

Which made be think, "That doesn't look like a sporty saloon - where's the boot?"

Then I worked out that their link had taken me to a page of guesses or "renderings" that didn't actually include the new Polestar 2.  That particular picture was an attempt at what a future MG will look like.

Then I worked out that the picture at the top of the story was their guess: 

 

That doesn't look like it will "lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side."

 

It just looks like the current one - which already looks like a sporty non-SUV.

 

Which will probably be known as the 2 Mark II.

 

While the boss now appears to be known as Michael Lohscheller.

Another Reason to Hate the Mustang Mach-e

Not only is it an SUV.

Not only does it prostitute the name of a classic Ford muscle car.

Now you have to pay to use the front boot!

Here's the Car+Driver story.

They want $495 to let you get at it!

That's over £350!

For a Frunk.  Or as we'd call it - a Froot.

Here's the result of the Car+Driver survey on the subject:

They can frunk right off.