Billed as Monaco’s ‘fourth largest event’, Top Marques Monaco is where the rich, famous and those with a few million Instagram followers gather to check out the latest supercars, yachts, watches and jewellery. This year, the event takes place just after the Monaco Grand Prix, so you can spend even longer in the Principality. Here are some of the things you can look forward to in 2019.

A new date for Top Marques Monaco

The event has moved from its original date in April to between 30 May and 3 June, as a growing number of manufacturers expressed a desire to attend both Top Marques Monaco and the F1 Grand Prix. Salim Zeghdar, deputy chairman of Top Marques Monaco, said: “For many, it was a feat too great to get their revolutionary electric vehicles ready for the beginning of April. It made perfect sense for us to move the dates so that we can accommodate these exhibitors.”

World premiere number one: McLaren GT

As if to underline the importance of the event, Top Marques Monaco will host no fewer than three world premieres. Although the McLaren GT will be unveiled on 15 May 2019, the Monaco event will be the first time McLaren’s new Grand Tourer is seen in public. The company hasn’t confirmed any details yet, but has said it will share DNA with the Speedtail hyper-GT.

World premiere number two: Zacaria

After five years in the making, the Zacaria SC will make its debut in Monaco. The road-legal F1 replica weighs just 850kg and is powered by a 6.3-litre engine from a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta. With 700hp on tap, it’s likely to be extremely quick, not to mention highly sought-after. The price? A Monaco-friendly $1 million (£776,000).

World premiere number three: Ferox Azaris

The second wonder from Down Under is the Ferox Azaris. “There’s nothing else like the Azaris in the world,” proclaims the Australian company, which is rather apt given that this six-wheeled off-roader boasts a rocker-style suspension similar to the one used on the Mars Rover. The coolest vehicle at Top Marques Monaco? It’s in with a shout.

Bilenkin Vintage

Believe it or not, the Bilenkin Vintage is based on an E92 BMW 3 Series Coupe. “One would never encounter two identical Vintage model cars,” claims the Russian company as it seeks to emphasise the coach-built nature of these retro-modern gems. The engine, safety systems and iDrive remain, but everything else looks straight outta 1950s Russia.

Devinci DB 718

Devinci is a French car manufacturer established in 2018 to “create a brand of electric vehicles with a retro look”. The company expects to shift 300 Classic DB 718 EVs in 2019, each one with a chassis number chosen by its owner and engraved on the vehicle.

Devinci DB 718

Customisation options include colours, number stickers, two different wheel rims, leather upholstery, two different steering wheels and various other options and accessories. Up to 220km (136 miles) is available from a single charge, and prices start from €49,000 (£42,000).

Puritalia Berlinetta

Fresh from its debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the Puritalia Berlinetta is a plug-in hybrid producing around 950hp. At its heart is a 5.0-litre V8 producing 750hp, which is paired with an electric motor on the rear axle to deliver a combined 920lb ft of torque. It’ll sprint to 62mph in just 2.7 seconds before hitting a top speed of 208mph. You can bank on spending just shy of half a million pounds on this handbuilt plug-in supercar, although only if Puritalia deems you worthy of the brand.

Brabus 700 Widestar

The Brabus 700 Widestar is no stranger to Monaco, as the German tuning company unveiled the hotter G63 at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show. It produces a not-too-shabby 691hp and 701lb ft of torque to deliver a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 149mph. The Widestar lives up to its name courtesy of some wider arches and new front and rear bumpers.

Anibal Icon

Get ready for an Anibal lecture. Anibal Automotive is based in Montreal, which makes the Icon one of the wildest things ever to emerge from Canada. The 100 percent carbon fibre all-wheel-drive supercar is powered by a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged engine from the Porsche 911 Turbo S, but Anibal has increased the output to a savage 920hp. Only 50 will be made, with each one hitting 60mph in 2.4 seconds.

Aston Martin AM-RB 003

The AM-RB 003 wowed the crowds at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, but now it’s time for Aston Martin’s mid-engined hypercar to put on a display in Monaco. Previously known as the Project 003, the third mid-engined Aston is powered by a new hybrid turbo V6 and only 500 will be sold. Testing is taking place in Red Bull’s ultra-advanced simulator – it will be a while before the first prototypes hit the road, by which time we suspect all 500 units will be sold.

Rolls-Royce Wraith Luminary

There’s something very Monaco about the Luminary Collection. “Inspired by those who lead where others follow, the Wraith Luminary Collection will light the way for the luxury trailblazer,” says Rolls-Royce. If you see yourself as a luxury trailblazer, Rolls-Royce is producing 55 units, with each Wraith graced with a shooting star headliner, illuminated wood panelling and stainless steel hand-woven fabric incorporated into the cabin.

Bentley Continental GT No. 9 Edition

The Continental GT No. 9 Edition is Bentley’s way of saying “Happy Birthday” to itself. It pays tribute to the iconic No. 9 Blower and just 100 will be produced. Each car contains a piece of the racing seat from Sir Tim Birkin’s 1930 No. 9 Le Mans race car, with a fragment of wood from the seat displayed on the dashboard. There’s even an 18-carat gold-plated No. 9 exterior badge. It’s tasteful and elegant, which aren’t words you can use to describe everything on show at Top Marques Monaco.

Bugatti Chiron Sport

Two years after the launch of the original Chiron, Bugatti followed it up with the Chiron Sport. The 1,500hp powertrain is unchanged, but it gains a dynamic handling package and an 18kg weight saving over the ‘standard’ car. It’s also the first car to boast carbon fibre windscreen wipers, which is sure to impress the people of Monaco. As will the next car to feature in our Top Marques preview…

Dacia Sandero

Nah, only kidding.

Pininfarina Battista

The Pininfarina Battista will be in Monaco ahead of its launch in 2020 with a promise to bring green performance better than a Formula 1 car to the world’s streets. The 1,900hp luxury electric hypercar will accelerate to 62mph in under 2.0 seconds and have a top speed in excess of 250mph, and yet it will also have an electric range of over 300 miles. You can bank on spending almost £2.5 million to secure one of the 150 units.

Quantino 48Volt

NanoFlowcell has completed 350,000km (217,000 miles) of testing in the Quantino 48Volt ‘flowcell’ car, with the company experiencing “absolutely no problems” in the process. The flowcell tech uses two tanks of external electrolytes pumped over stationary electrodes, with the range dependent on the size of the tanks, rather than the size of the device under the bonnet.

Selfie corner

“Hi guys!” Top Marques Monaco has teamed up with Shmee150 and POG to do some digital influencing. There’s also a ‘selfie corner’, “for fans to take photos with their favourite YouTubers”. Nice.

Top Marques Monaco

Top Marques Monaco opens its doors at the Grimaldi Forum on 30 May and continues until 3 June 2019. Standard tickets cost €70 on the 30 and 31 May, and €40 on the 1 and 2 June. Entry to the show on 3 June is by invitation only.

The Home Office will introduce changes to the law to recognise the high standard of training for police pursuit drivers. Such changes will make clear that officers should not be held accountable for the driving of suspects they’re chasing – as long as a pursuit is justified.

The legislation comes in response to recent controversy around police pursuits involving physically vulnerable suspects, such as those on mopeds. The distinction between criminals endangering themselves, and being put in danger by a pursuing officer, is to be more clearly defined.

In addition, there will be a review of emergency service exemptions when it comes to traffic law.

“It’s vital police officers feel confident and protected when pursuing suspects on the roads or responding to an emergency,” said Home Secretary Sajid Javid.

“It’s also crucial that we send a clear message that criminals – whether in cars or on mopeds – cannot escape arrest simply by driving recklessly.

“These proposed changes will strike the right balance, giving trained officers the confidence they need to fight crime effectively and ensure our roads are safe.”

At present, police are judged by the same standards as members of the public, despite their advanced training. Criminals have been able to take advantage by driving recklessly in pursuits, knowing that the police need to proceed with caution.

This leaves them open to misconduct investigations, lawsuits and prosecution, should ‘necessary force’ be regarded as ‘wilful harm’. Cases are currently left to the discretion of the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Crown Prosecution Service, in order to keep them safe from unfair assessment.

“We are pleased and reassured by this announcement,” said John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales.

“It means police officers will be able to spend more time serving their communities, rather than facing lengthy court proceedings simply for doing their job.”

The new all-electric Honda city car formerly called the e-Prototype has been officially named Honda e.

Ordering for the new Honda e is set to open in summer 2019, and deliveries to dealers are expected by early 2020.

The firm will also reveal the new Honda e in full this summer, although it is not expected to differ greatly from the Honda e-Prototype shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show: bosses admit that model is already 98 percent showroom-ready.

With a 120-mile range, the Honda e is intentionally being pitched as an urban EV, rather than a long-distance electric car. This helps keep its dimensions compact, and also aids packaging: despite being small, the five-door car still seats four.

Honda hasn’t yet revealed details of the e’s battery capacity, but is expected to be around 30 kWh. This will help keep costs in check, although the Honda e will not be a budget-priced model.

The firm is instead positioning it as a modern luxury EV, with lots of interior gadgets and luxury features. It is expected to be priced from over £30,000.

Project leader Kohei Hitomi justified this to Motoring Research, during an interview earlier this year, by likening the Honda e to an iPhone. 

“That is not a cheap product, but everyone still wants to have one.”

Not that this is stopping ‘hand-raisers’ from contacting Honda: already, more than 6,500 expressions of interest have been placed in the UK alone, via the firm’s website.

Honda has also confirmed the next-generation Jazz will make its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later in 2019 – and the range will include an electrified hybrid version, using a version of the clever system already seen on the Honda CR-V Hybrid.

The effects of the dieselgate emissions scandal continue to be felt across the wider Volkswagen Group, with Porsche issued with fines by the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Totalling a substantial €535 million (£450 million / $589 million), the fines include €4 million for ‘negligent breach of duty’ by Porsche, with the remaining €531 million levied against the profits of the company.

The penalties were due to Porsche selling diesel-engined vehicles fitted with ‘defeat devices’, designed to circumvent emissions testing regulations.

Thousands of Porsche Macan and Cayenne SUVs were ordered to be recalled by German authorities, when it became apparent they had the illegal defeat devices fitted to them.

In recent year,s Porsche has witnessed considerable financial success. In 2018 the company recorded net profits of €4.3 billion (£3.62 billion / $4.73 billion), and was able to award each employee a bonus of almost €10,000.

However, that profitability means a heftier fine for Porsche, with the Stuttgart Public Prosecutor linking the fine to the financial performance of the company.

The Volkswagen Group had already accounted for the potential fines in financial forecasting for this year, meaning the hefty penalty did not come as a shock.

Although Porsche chose not to fight the legal proceedings, the company did note that it had “never developed and produced diesel engines” in a published statement.

The Porsche models implicated in the dieselgate scandal used Audi-sourced V6 turbocharged diesel engine, shared with other Volkswagen Group vehicles.

Last year, Porsche confirmed that it had ditched the idea of diesel-powered cars and SUVs for good. CEO Oliver Blume noted that the company now wanted its “future to be diesel-free.”

Instead, Porsche will focus on battery power for future plans, with the forthcoming all-electric Taycan having already notched up 20,000 potential customers.

Fully Charged Live – ‘the exhilarating festival of clean energy tech and electric vehicles’ – is back for another year. Robert Llewellyn and co. will be electrifying audiences at Silverstone on the weekend of 7-9 June.

With an average of three million episode views per month on YouTube, Fully Charged is riding on the crest of the wave created by the increasing interest in electric vehicles, and at the time of writing its channel has more than 465,000 subscribers.

Not all of the subscribers will descend on Silverstone for Fully Charged Live – 6,000 people visited the show in 2018 – but the organisers are expecting the event to double in size this year.

‘Last year we were terrified’

Robert Llewellyn, the man behind Fully Charged, said: “This time last year we were terrified and then more than 6,000 people descended on the show to hear all about the future of energy and transport.

“So, this year we’re really thrilled to be back, taking Fully Charged Live to another level. The Fully Charged Live team are working tirelessly to include the ingredients that our audience love in a live format.”

There will be 30 live sessions hosted by Llewellyn, Jonny Smith, Helen Czerski and Maddie Moate, with each one focused on a different area of green energy. Subjects range from ‘electric vehicle myths busted’ to ‘what you need to know about particulate and tyre pollution’.

Other highlights include:

• Electric transfers: get transferred from the car parks in an EV
• Every electric vehicle available in the UK
• A live music stage (including the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on Saturday night)
• Exhibition of clean energy suppliers and renewable technologies
• Opportunity to test drive vehicles on the Stowe Circuit

Tickets and more information can be found on the Fully Charged website.

The United Nations (UN) has used the fifth Global Road Safety Week to announce that 1.35 million people die on the world’s roads each year.

And, if this number wasn’t startling enough, figures released by the UN show that road traffic injuries are the leading killer of children and young adults aged 5-29 years.

Stronger leadership for road safety is required, it says, as it launches the campaign: Save Lives – #SpeakUp.

Welcome to the new campaign website! The theme is leadership and everybody can be a leader. Are you ready to #SpeakUp for #RoadSafety?

Log on and:
1) Assess your journey
2) Record your demands
3) Urge decision makers to make a pledge.https://t.co/o4mwkzsbTC pic.twitter.com/ww0h0s9JA0

— UN Road Safety Week (@UNGRSW) February 6, 2019

The UN is inviting anyone who uses the world’s roads to assess the risks they encounter on a daily basis and to “start demanding road safety”.

“We ask you to only demand road safety interventions that are evidence-based and are proven to work from our lists of interventions provided,” it says.

A Save Lives technical package has been created to support road safety decision-makers to significantly reduce the number of road traffic deaths in their countries. The six key areas can be summarised as follows:

Speed management

An increase of 1kph (0.6mph) in mean vehicle speed results in an increase of three percent in the number of crashes resulting in injury, and an increase of between four and five percent in the number of fatal crashes.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce speed limit laws nationwide, locally and in cities
• Build or modify roads that calm traffic, i.e. roundabouts, chicanes and speed bumps
• Require car manufacturers to install new technology, such as speed-limiters

Leadership on road safety

Leaders must ensure there is collaboration across different sectors, including health, transport, finance, education and law enforcement.

Interventions:

• Create an agency to lead road safety
• Develop and fund a road safety strategy
• Evaluate the impact of road safety strategies
• Monitor road safety using data systems
• Raise awareness and support through education and campaigns

Infrastructure design and improvement

Governments should prioritise road design standards that reduce the risk of traffic injuries and embrace pedestrians and cyclists.

Interventions:

• Provide a safe infrastructure for all, including pavements, crossings and bridges
• The use of bicycle and motorcycle lanes
• Use clear zones, collapsible structures or barriers
• Design safer intersections
• Separate access roads from through-roads
• The use of vehicle-free zones
• Reduced speed limits in residential, commercial and school zones
• Improved routes for public transport

Vehicle safety standards

Only 40 countries currently meet all priority safety regulations. The UN is calling for all nations to meet the standards of its World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce safety standard regulations
• Establish and enforce regulations on motorcycle anti-lock braking and daytime running lights

Enforcing traffic laws

The five behaviours most likely to result in a traffic injury are drink-driving, not wearing a helmet, not using a seat-belt, not using a child restraint, and speeding.

Interventions:

• Establish and enforce laws at national, local and city levels

Survival after a crash

Timely and effective emergency care can reduce the consequences of injuries resulting from a road traffic crash.

Interventions:

• Develop organised and integrated pre-hospital and facility-based care
• Effective training of first responders
• Promote community-based first responder training

Road safety and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Assist says the road safety burden is disproportionately carried by pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. It is calling for “drastic action” to meet future global targets.

Neil Worth, GEM Motoring Assist’s road safety officer, said: “As road users, we all tend to underestimate the risks we face – as well as overestimating our ability to deal with them. That makes us all more vulnerable than we may realise.

“GEM’s message for UN Global Road Safety Week is that we all have an opportunity to make a difference. We can all commit to reducing risk and improving safety on road journeys, as long as we don’t always see it as someone else’s problem.”

New car registrations declined 4.1 percent in April 2019, reports the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), due to a plunge in private buyer demand of more than 10 percent.

Fleet car sales were actually up 2.9 percent, but this was not enough to stop last month being the second-worst April for registrations since 2012.

April’s figures follow a 3.4 percent decline in registrations for the key registration-plate change month of March, a fall SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said was “of clear concern“.

Last month’s surprise was not the overall decline, but the scale of changes happening within car sectors. Britain’s best-selling car type is the supermini, such as the Ford Fiesta – and volumes in this sector were down 14.1 percent. Small family cars, such as the Ford Focus, were also down over 10 percent.

SUVs, meanwhile recorded 18.4 percent GROWTH last month, to well over 40,000 new models from overall monthly sales of 161,064 new cars.

The SUV is now Britain’s third most popular car type, and the sector has tripled in size since 2012.

Plug-in plunge

Sales of alternative fuel cars (AFV) were up 12.7 percent last month, with petrol electric hybrids shooting up by almost a third. In total, 10,254 future-fuel AFVs were sold last month: almost 7,000 of them were petrol hybrids.

Pure electric car sales also grew to over 1,500 units, or just under one percent of the new car market.

However, plug-in hybrid sales plunged last month, by over 34 percent. Year to date, they are down over 20 percent. The SMMT says this is almost entirely down to the government’s decision to prematurely cut back the Plug-in Car Grant, restricting it to pure electric cars.

While it’s great to see buyers respond to the growing range of pure electric cars on offer,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes, “they still only represent a tiny fraction of the market and are just one of a number of technologies that will help us on the road to zero.

“We need policies that help get the latest, cleanest vehicles on the road more quickly and support market transition for all drivers. This includes investment in infrastructure and long-term incentives to make new technologies as affordable as possible.”

Sales of diesel cars were down 9.4 percent, although the SMMT notes the pace of decline is slowing. Petrol was down three percent; the fuel now accounts for more than two in three new car sales in Britain.

April 2019: Top 10 best-selling cars

1: Ford Fiesta

2: Ford Focus

3: Volkswagen Golf

4: Nissan Qashqai

5: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

6: Ford Kuga

7: Volkswagen Polo

8: Volkswagen Tiguan

9: Vauxhall Corsa

10: Hyundai Tucson

Following news that the Home Secretary wants police officers conducting pursuits to feel “confident and protected”, could this incredible Dodge SUV be a “clear message” to criminals?

In fact, with reports of car thefts in England and Wales increasing during 2018, forget Batman or the Avengers – the Durango SRT Pursuit is the superhero we need now.

However, there are some slight technicalities that might prevent this 797hp from hitting the mean streets with UK police forces anytime soon though.

Firstly, the impressive Durango SRT Pursuit is very much a bespoke concept, created by the engineers in Dodge’s SRT performance department for a very special event.

Referred to as ‘Speed Trap’ by its creators, the SRT Pursuit Concept is currently taking part in the 4,000 mile One Lap of America race.

The event sees teams cover huge amounts of distance across the United States in just seven days, with the added bonus of several on-track challenges as well.

In 2018, the Dodge-backed team of SRT engineer David Carr and journalist David Hakim, won the Truck/SUV class of the One Lap of America event with a 475hp Durango. But, for 2019, they decided to crank up the horsepower.

Under the bonnet is the 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 engine, as used in Dodge’s terrifying Hellcat muscle car series. This particular unit was taken from a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye.  It means an output of 797hp and 707lb-ft of torque, powering all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Whilst the SRT engineers have not quoted performance times, we imagine sticking to the speed limits on public roads – as required for One Lap of America competitors – will be something of a struggle.

Using the police-specification Dodge Durango Pursuit as a base, meant the team clearly had to add lights and sirens, along with a custom law enforcement-inspired livery.

A low-restriction exhaust system, performance Pirelli rubber, upgraded brakes and lowered suspension completed the transformation into a police SUV fit for the race track.

Sadly the SRT Pursuit Concept is very much a bespoke creation for now, meaning there is no chance of police officers on this side of the Atlantic getting behind the wheel of it for now.

There is always the (slightly more obtainable) idea of the regular 475hp Durango Pursuit for UK coppers to console themselves with though.