Bentley Motors has announced the appointment of a new CEO – and this time, he’s a Brit. Highly regarded Jaguar Land Rover exec Adrian Hallmark has succeeded the influential German Wolfgang Dürheimer and will start his new role on 1 February 2018.

55-year-old Hallmark has, since 2013, been group strategy director for Jaguar Land Rover, after previously spending three years redefining the strategy for Jaguar as global director of the British sports car brand.

Prior to that, he held senior roles at Saab and Volkswagen both in Germany and North America: Hallmark was also managing director of Porsche Cars GB in the late 1990s.

It’s not his first time at Crewe, either: he was board member for sales and marketing at Bentley Motors between 1999 and 2005

Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Müller said he was “delighted to welcome Adrian Hallmark back to the Volkswagen Group, and back to Bentley Motors.

“He has a wealth of international automotive experience couples with a deep understanding of the Bentley Brand and I am confident he will lead this extraordinary British company to even greater success.”

Bentley executive shake-up

There have been other moves at the top table within Bentley Motors – with another Brit, Chris Craft, joining Hallmark as sales and marketing director.

58-year-old Craft is another former Porsche GB managing director, and has also led both Volkswagen and Skoda in the UK. He has worked for the Volkswagen Group for 24 years.

Engineering board member Rolf Frech is also to be succeeded by Dr. Werner Tietz, who joins from Porsche after having “played a leading role in the current Panamera and the 911 models”. And Dr. Astrid Fontaine is to succeed Marlies Rogait as board member for people, digitisation and IT.

Dürheimer’s unexpected retirement also sees him vacate his role as head of Bugatti – and in another surprise move, Audi Sport GmbH Stephan Winkelmann has been announced as his successor. Dürheimer’s retirement was at his own request, said Bentley Motors in a statement, but he “will continue to take a key role advising Volkswagen Group motorsport”.

Müller has left us in little doubt as to how significant Dürheimer’s contribution to Bentley Motors and the Volkswagen Group has been. “He has had an outstanding career and has launched some of the most important cars the Group has ever created, including two generations of the Porsche 911, the Porsche Carrera GT, Porsche Panamera, Porsche Cayenne, Bugatti Chiron, the Bentley Bentayga as well as the all-new Bentley Continental GT.

“I am pleased that we will continue to benefit from his extensive motorsport experience as he maintains an advisory role on motorsport to the Volkswagen Group.”

The government has announced a new bill that will require all large filling stations and motorway services to install electric car chargepoints, as part of an effort to step up the development of the UK’s EV sector.

The new Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, which had its first reading in parliament this week, will make it mandatory for Britain’s network of just over 90 motorway service areas to offer electric car charging facilities – a move aimed at encouraging the use of electric cars for longer journeys.

Large filling stations will also have to install them – and the bill also “gives the government powers to make it compulsory for chargepoints to be installed across the country”.

The aim, said Transport Minister John Hayes, is for “the UK to be the best place in the world to do business and a leading hub for modern transport technology, which is why we are introducing the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill in Parliament and investing more than £1.2 billion in the industry.”

• VW will lead electric car breakthrough
• New 2018 Nissan Leaf revealed
• Used electric car searches up 680% on day of 2040 announcement

The bill, added Hayes, also insists all chargepoints must be ‘smart’, so “they can interact with the grid in order to manage demand for electricity across the country.

“Drivers of electric vehicles will be able to easily locate and charge at any chargepoints, using information from sat navs or mobile apps, regardless of the vehicle make or model – making running an electric vehicle even easier.”

There’s going to be more money available to develop suburban electric car recharging networks too. Roads Minister Jesse Norman has announced more funding for local authorities to install chargepoints in residential areas, so cars parked on the street have access to recharge facilities.

“We have already supported the purchase of 115,000 ultra-low emission cars and there are already more than 11,500 publicly available chargepoints,” he said, “but the demand continues to grow as more people purchase electric vehicles to cut fuel costs and boost the environment.”

The Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill will also guarantee drivers of automated cars will be insured on UK roads, part of the government’s support for an industry it believes could be worth £50 billion to the UK economy by 2035.

By making insurance a requirement, any victims of collisions with an automated vehicle “will have quick and easy access to compensation, in line with existing insurance practices”.

NEXT> Smart is to become an electric car company

Porsche has broadened the range of 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman models with the launch of a new range-topping 718 GTS edition, sitting above the existing S variants. With 365hp, they’re the most potent 718 models yet.

The 718 GTS variants use the same 2.5-litre flat-four boxer turbo engine as the regular 718 S but, with a new intake system and tweaked turbo, offer a 15hp boost over the S – and a 35hp improvement over the previous six-cylinder GTS model.

Mindful of the cars’ purist and driver-focused nature, Porsche fits a six-speed manual gearbox as standard; those seeking ultimate acceleration times should choose the PDK double-clutch auto.

When equipped with PDK, engaging the standard Sport Chrono’s Launch Control will summon 0-62mph acceleration in 4.1 seconds – that’s faster than an £80,377 Porsche 911 Carrera with PDK and Launch Control. Both GTS will do 180mph all-out.

Porsche fits its Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) system as standard to all 718 GTS, along with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and a mechanical limited slip differential. PASM means the body sits 10mm lower than the standard 718 S.

Visually, the 718 GTS also get a Sport Design front bumper, black-tinted lights front and rear, a black rear apron and black tailpipes – a sports exhaust is standard. There are also black rear badges and GTS logos on the doors plus, of course, black 20-inch alloys.

Inside, it’s again moody; plenty of dark-finish Alcantara is brightened up by red GTS logos – the seats themselves are standard sports seats ‘Plus’, and Porsche also chucks in the Porsche Track Precision App: keen track-day users can record driving data to their smartphone for detailed analysis (and showing off to their wife/kids/mates) later.

Ordering is open now and Porsche expects deliveries of the first 718 GTS models just before Christmas. Prices? The 718 Cayman GTS is £59,866, the 718 Boxster GTS is £61,727.

NEXT> Porsche 718 Boxster first drive

This amazing unused 1997 McLaren F1 has been uncovered by specialist British car dealer Tom Hartley Jnr – and it’s now up for sale. The price? Strictly on application only.

The Dandelion yellow car is a Japanese-spec model that’s not only never been driven, it’s also never been registered – and has also never had the factory protective wrapping removed. It’s genuinely the most box-fresh McLaren F1 in the world.

Needless to say, it’s a one-owner car, whose details appear in the hand-written leather-cased owner’s handbook, signed by McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray. His hand-painted signature also appears on the rear right quarter of the car.

Showing just 239 kilometres on the odometer – that’s 148 miles – the McLaren is chassis number 060, and carries factory-fit options including an LM-style spare exhaust, spare GTR-style steering wheel, passenger mats and a windscreen strip. Naturally, none of the options have actually been opened.

The removable suede steering wheel is as perfect as can be, the carbon driver’s seat is pristine and even the special TAG Heuer watch, which carries the car’s chassis number, has never been worn.

Also included are the Facom tool chest that every McLaren F1 owner was given, the gold-plated titanium tool roll and the factory-fit luggage set – again, still in the protective wrapping, including period ‘McLaren Cars’ tape.

Tom Hartley Jnr is in no doubt as to the sheer significance of this discovery. “Without doubt, this is one of the most important road cars ever to be offered for sale and, if preserved, is highly likely to be the most valuable road car in the world in years to come.”

You’ll be paying big bucks for the privilege, but what an investment it would be. If you’re rich and eager enough to join the queue, then give the supercar dealer a call.

Buy the world’s lowest-mileage McLaren F1 at Tom Hartley Jr

Parking provider Q-Park is now offering electric car owners who are members of the Polar plus charging network a 20 percent discount across all its 75 UK and Ireland car parks. All they need to do is pre-book online.

The firm has already installed Chargemaster’s Polar EV charge stations at 14 city centre car parks; Q-Park head of sales and marketing John Denton said the new EV discount was part of its commitment to a green agenda that it’s been running for several years now.

Chargemaster chief executive David Martell added that it “makes driving an electric vehicle an even more attractive proposition for more people”.

How does the Q-Park electric car discount work?

To take up the Q-Park 20 percent EV discount, Polar plus members should visit www.q-park.co.uk/pre-book and enter a special code provided to them as part of their membership.

Pre-booked prices are often already discounted, but this will take another 20 percent off the checkout price.

• Smart is to become an electric car company
• VW will lead electric car breakthrough
• New 2018 Nissan Leaf revealed

It’s not the only EV-specific offer Q-Park is running, either. A 50 percent discount on season tickets for electric cars can, says the firm, “reduce the cost of unlimited annual car park season tickets in London by £2,400”.

If they want to charge up at the same time, electric charge points are located at the following Q-Park facilities:

• London Burlington
• London Chinatown
• London Harley Street
• Knightsbridge
• Leicester Square
• Marble Arch
• Oxford Street
• Park Lane
• Pimlico
• Queensway
• Trafalgar Square
• London Soho
• Westminster
• Birmingham Brindleyplace

And how much does Polar plus membership cost? £7.85 a month, which gives unlimited access to over 5,000 charging points. 80 of them are free to use, adds Chargemaster.

The new Aston Martin DB11 Volante sees the firm’s new range-topping sports GT car turn from coupe to convertible. Open for ordering now, with prices starting from £159,900, first deliveries begin in spring 2018 – just in time for the sunshine.

Replacing the DB9 Volante (yes, in Aston-speak, ‘Volante’ means ‘convertible’), the new DB11 Volante carries across the striking styling of the DB11 coupe into an arguably even more beautiful new open-top profile.

Roof down, the new machine is extremely elegant, with flowing and very graceful lines that, roof down, elegantly expose the car’s impressive new interior. Aston’s gone big on purity and sophistication, eschewing the faux sportiness of some alternatives to make it appear much more debonair and suave.

The fabric hood folds flat – the height of the roof stack is class-leadingly compact – to expose a 2+2 cabin that gets its own Volante-unique standouts, including seatback veneers either in carbon fibre or the beautiful wood pictured here. For the first time, the rear seats have ISOFIX fittings, so children can be seduced by Aston Martins from an early age.

The roof itself has eight layers, folding down in 14 seconds and going back up in 16. You can operate it on the move at speeds of up to 31mph or, more likely, go for the less-showy option of dropping it down as you walk up to it by holding down a button on the remote keyfob.

Aston says it has tested how weatherproof the hood is in both the Arctic Circle and Death Valley, and adds that it’s now so compact, boot space is 20 percent up on the old DB9 Volante. The interior’s bigger as well – and it’s the first open-top Aston to have a heated steering wheel.

Built on the firm’s new bonded aluminium architecture, the DB11 Volante is both lighter yet more rigid than the DB9 Volante, although it still weighs 1,870kg. Good job it has a 510hp 4.0-litre V8 turbo engine then, for 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds and a 187mph top speed. Expect a V12 turbo to follow.

Aston Martin president and CEO Andy Palmer says the DB11 Volante has “a unique combination of elegant style, innate sporting ability and sensory engagement that lifts it above other open-top cars”.

• Aston Martin Vanquish S review: a GT great
• Aston Martin DB11 first drive
• Aston Martin is Red Bull Racing F1 title sponsor for 2018
• Stunning Aston Martin Zagato specials revealed

But creating it hasn’t been as straightforward as making the DB11 coupe, says chief technical officer Max Szwaj. It’s all about retaining structural and dynamic integrity: “To protect the former, you need strength and rigidity, but to preserve the latter, you need to keep weight to the minimum.”

Cue the DB11 Volante, a car 26kg lighter and 5 percent stiffer than the DB9 Volante. And “the result is a truly magnificent car. One that combines greater performance and agility with increased comfort, refinement and interior space for occupants and their luggage”.

Brits still love their motorcycles. Already in 2017, Auto Trader Bikes has had 20 million visits – and riders have conducted no fewer than 36 million new and used bike searches. That’s why the automotive marketplace has once again held its annual Best Bike Awards.

Over the past two decades, the number of qualified riders in Britain has risen by a massive 74 percent. Growing numbers of people are discovering the money-saving, traffic-dodging benefits of scooters and entry-level motorcycles, while others are rediscovering motorcycles with a modern retro or adventure bike.

• Motorway ‘fuel bikes’ introduced to help fuel-ish motorists
• Brompton Electric folding bike uses Williams racing tech
• James May caught speeding moments after buying new motorbike
• Motorbikes now cover more miles on UK roads than buses

Once again, there’s a new motorcycle for everyone – but which are the finest in each category? That was the task of the 2017 award’s judging panel…

Best AM – Lexmoto Echo 50

The Lexmoto Echo 50 looks pretty good, rides nicely and, most importantly, costs less than £1,000 brand-new. This is why it’s such a strong seller in the UK – and this is why it’s been voted the best new scooter you can buy in 2017. 16 year olds, you can ride this simply by passing Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and the theory test, adding further to its appeal.

Best A1 – KTM 125 Duke

New for 2017, the latest KTM 125 Duke has been given a fresh chassis that transforms how it rides and handles. It looks stylish too, and the fantastic colour TFT instrument is a cracking standout feature on a £4k machine. 17 year olds can ride this on an A1 motorcycle lucence, once they’ve passed their CBT and theory tests.

Best A2 – Honda Rebel 500

The Honda Rebel 500 is a bobber-style cruiser for 19 year olds and above. It looks cool, but rides with all the novice-friendly predictability new riders need, while also proving great fun for those following the progressive access motorcycle licence route. At just over £5,000 for the charismatic 500cc machine, it’s a deserving A2 winner.

Best Scooter – Vespa GTS300

The smart-looking Vespa GTS300 is a UK scooter favourite. It’s powerful, has advanced traction control and ABS, and you can even pair it to your smartphone to get extra display readouts. For busy city users, it’s a dream ride.

Best Naked – Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory

The exceptional Aprilia Tuono 1100 is a mighty all-rounder with a simply divine 175hp V4 engine. It sounds brilliant and is seriously fast, while both handling and comfort are enough to have you in the saddle all day long and still left wanting more. It costs over £16,000, but connoisseurs will think it worth every penny.

Best Retro – Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled

The retro Ducati Scrambler has been an enormous success for the Italian firm and now it’s expanding upon the theme with the evocative-looking Desert Sled. This is a phenomenally capable machine across all terrains, brilliantly combining modern ability with classic looks.

Best Tourer – BMW K1600GT

The big BMW brings the firm’s famous straight-six engine to the touring motorcycle class, with impeccable sophistication. This is the machine to cross the globe on in 2017; it has an abundance of power and ability, brilliant rider protection, some amazing equipment features and even the reassurance of automatic emergency response call-out in the event of an accident.

Best Adventure – Suzuki V-Strom 650

The Suzuki V-Strom is a great all-rounder that’s clocked up around a quarter of a million sales. Fully re-engineered for 2017, it still costs less than £7,500 but is now more able than ever, particularly the off-road-styled XT version. There are new electronic aids, tough-look new styling and enough improvements to the ride for it to be the adventure bike pick of 2017.

Best Cruiser – Harley-Davidson Street Glide CVO

This is a truly incredible machine – a £30,000 spectacle created by Harley’s bespoke Central Vehicle Operations division. It has lairy paint, a hot engine, full onboard infotainment electronics and a hard-driving ride to die for. Just a handful are coming to the UK and you should form an orderly queue because it’s easily the finest new cruiser of 2017.

Best Middleweight – Triumph Street Triple 765

Triumph has reinvented its Street Triple range for 2017 with a three-model range, all using the same brilliant new 765cc engine, albeit in different states of tune. The range starts with the £8,000 S, moving up through R to the full-fat 123hp RS; there’s even a regulated 660cc Street Triple S A2 version for newbies. All are bona fide thoroughbreds.

Best Sports – Suzuki GSX-R1000R

The hottest new Gixxer, the GSX-R1000R aims to grab back the top superbike title Suzuki considers its own: on this evidence, with its top-notch blend of confidence and performance, the all-new machine is without question the best new sports bike of 2017.  

Best Sports Tourer – Kawasaki Z1000SX

Kawasaki continues to hone the superb Z1000SX, and the 2017 version is duly better than ever. The firm’s used customer feedback to tailor it even more perfectly, so if you want a fine sports tourer with no foibles but plenty of talent, look no further.  

2017 Best Bike Award winner – Triumph Street Triple 765

Triumph has put an enormous amount of time, talent and tenacity into crafting the new Street Triple 765 range, and it shows. All versions are wonderful rides, with enough character and ability to lift them clear of rivals. Those seeking the best new bike of 2017, look no further: the British firm has created a peach of a model range here.

Best Bike Awards 2017: in pictures

>NEXT: James May caught speeding moments after buying new motorbike

Congestion on UK roads is getting worse. Traffic volumes hit a record high between April 2016 and March 2017 – and data released this morning reveals that nearly half of Brits are considering jacking in their jobs because they can’t stomach the commute.

The research by Goodyear Tyres has discovered that 46 percent of drivers in the UK would consider changing their jobs because of the increased traffic levels on their commute, while one in 10 claim congestion has caused their stress levels to be higher than ever.

• Volkswagen: driverless cars are ‘a dream’ but will happen
• Jaguar Future-Type is the autonomous Jag EV for 2040
• Driving to work ‘more depressing than using bus or train’

Fortunately, there is change on the horizon. Despite average speeds falling by as much as 20 percent in some cities over the last year, 40 percent of respondents said they would consider moving further away from work if they could commute by driverless car.

“With autonomous vehicles promising a future where passengers are free to maximise their travel time, it’s no surprise that Brits are willing to give up what can be a hectic city life in favour of a more relaxed commute,” said Goodyear Tyres’ Kate Rock.

Research published in 2014 revealed that commuters who use public transport are generally happier and less stressed than those who drive to work.

Rock added: “Our research reveals that almost one-in-five motorists believe the main benefit of using a driverless car would be the convenience of not having to park. Inadequate parking wastes a fifth of car spaces, so we could end up seeing cities with more parking space, relaxed commuters and as a result, greater levels of wellbeing, simply by taking the stress of parking and commuting away from drivers.”

Until driverless cars are commonplace, however, Brits are making the most of sitting in traffic. 26 percent say they enjoy in-car karaoke while stuck in traffic, while 24 percent use the time to talk to friends and family via handsfree.

>NEXT: UK road congestion at its worst for over 10 years