International car rental company Hertz has introduced a new curated experience meant to honour German performance and luxury. The “Kollektion 7 – Made in Germany” deal offers seven high-end German vehicles from seven branded lounge locations throughout the European nation. The program will launch at Frankfurt Airport, where drivers can pick up select rides from Porsche, BMW and Mercedes Benz, in one of three colours – red, black or yellow – to match the German flag. The seven cars on tap include the Porsche Macan S, Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid, Porsche 718 Boxster, Mercedes-AMG GT, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-door coupe, BMW M850i Cabriolet and BMW Z4.“Around the world, the ‘Made in Germany’ moniker is a hallmark of quality and engineering excellence,” said Alida Scholtz, Managing Director of Hertz Germany, in a press release. “This new collection brings those values to life—allowing Hertz customers to experience premium automotive and high-end German brands in a unique, engaging, and entertaining way.” Drivers will eventually be able to check in and out at the six other Kollektion 7-themed lounges across Germany, including locations in Munich and Düsseldorf, which are scheduled to be opened later in 2019. According to Hertz, each location will provide concierge service along with “a unique, city-specific driving experience, giving visitors the opportunity to get to know the specific characteristics of different regions—and to discover what makes Germany so special, with unique insights from Hertz.” Those “insights” also include a gift basket that comes with each rental, filled with local products to enjoy on your trip. So, if you’re planning a driving getaway in Deutschland, you might as well do it in the 304-km/h Mercedes-AMG GT, which is available for rental exclusively from Hertz.
Origin: Hertz’s ‘Kollektion 7’ rental program is a tribute to German automotive greatness
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Bosch settles German diesel-engine probe for US$100 million
In this April 27, 2006 file photo, we see the logo of the Robert Bosch GmbH in front of the companys headquarters in Gerlingen near Stuttgart, southwestern Germany.Thomas Kienzle / AP Robert Bosch GmbH agreed to pay 90 million euros (US$100 million) to end a probe by German prosecutors into rigged diesel engines, following much more costly settlements by its customer Volkswagen. Bosch is being fined for “negligent breach of supervision duties,” the prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart said May 23 in an emailed statement. The company supplied about 17 million engine-control devices to German and international automakers since 2008 that partly included illegal software functions, according to the statement. The unlisted German car-parts giant supplied engine-control systems to VW that were used in the engines at the heart of the diesel-emissions scandal that shattered the world’s largest automaker in September 2015. It’s also involved in ongoing probes into diesel technology at manufacturers including Fiat Chrysler and General Motors. VW has now ended all probes by German prosecutors against its units over the sale of rigged cars. It last year settled with Braunschweig investigators for 1 billion euros and Audi followed by paying 800 million euros to Munich prosecutors. The overall impact of the diesel crisis has now reached 30 billion euros at Volkswagen. The initiative to install illicit software in engines was apparently taken by employees from automakers, but investigations into the roles of individual Bosch employees are ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said. Bosch confirmed the settlement and said 2 million euros of the fine are for the alleged regulatory offense and 88 million euros for the disgorgement of economic benefits. “Bosch will continue to expand its compliance organization continuously in order to minimize the risk of violations of applicable law occurring at the company,” the company
Origin: Bosch settles German diesel-engine probe for US$100 million
German police seize 120 sports cars racing across Europe in high-speed rally
More than 100 supercars were seized in Germany this past week after witnesses reported the owners were driving recklessly and illegally racing on the autobahn. The incidents happened during Eurorally, a US$900-per-person event that sees a bunch of supercar owners get to together to enjoy their sports cars as the manufacturers intended—by driving them as fast as possible on the famously speed-limit-less German autobahns. Apparently, that was too much for some people. According to Global News, one of the drivers said the rally was “just some car guys having fun,” but the police say the drivers were racing each other, and employing illegal maneuvres such as passing in emergency lanes at high speed. Witnesses to the events said the supercars were travelling speeds in excess of 250 km/h. In the video, you can see entrants taking off their Eurorally stickers in order to avoid further trouble from the authorities. The rally started in Oslo, Norway, and was supposed to end up in Prague before it was stopped on a section of the A20 in Germany. View this post on Instagram German police tried to stop EURORALLY by accusing us, but what happened only made us stronger. We are moving forward to our last stop in Prague! ❤️ @rwmedia #eurorally2019 # eurorally #nothingcanstopus 📸 @renarso A post shared by Eurorally (@eurorally) on May 4, 2019 at 5:10am PDT Once the authorities were notified, they didn’t hesitate to bring out all the firepower they could. Dozens of cops descended on the supercars; even helicopters were brought in to follow the vehicles. While almost all the cars were seized, not all were found guilty of driving infractions, and despite the interference, the event was able to reach its finish line happily in Prague, with all drivers receiving their supercars back from the impound
Origin: German police seize 120 sports cars racing across Europe in high-speed rally
This gold Porsche got pulled over by German police for being way too shiny
A gold foil-wrapped Porsche Panamera stopped in Germany for being too shinyMarius Röer / Morgenpost German authorities have ordered a blinged-out golden Porsche off the road for being too shiny. Hamburg’s Morgenpost reported April 12 that the 31-year-old driver was stopped in the northern city last week and told his Porsche Panamera, sporting a reflective gold foil finish, might blind other drivers and was a danger. He was told to remove the foil and re-register the car, but police say he continued to drive it. The driver was stopped again Wednesday and police took his keys, papers and license plate, before the vehicle was towed to a garage. He was fined an unspecified amount and will have to remove the foil to make the car street-legal again. Morgenpost reports a Lamborghini owner nabbed at the same time with similar gold foil complied and removed
Origin: This gold Porsche got pulled over by German police for being way too shiny
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