Last year comprised a series of exclamation marks that punctured an otherwise uneventful twelve months. In times of recession industry hunkers down to protect what it has, and in a double-dip recession the temptation becomes even stronger; financial meltdown is an ever-present threat for the meek and bold alike with mass-market manufacturers feeling the pinch especially keenly; the squeezed middle is a very unhealthy place to be at the moment and…

The ‘Squeezed Middle’ is a much abused term, most frequently applied to the law-abiding middle classes who don’t have the wherewithal to dodge taxes through off-shore film investment schemes and are too morally-grounded (or too far in hock…) to give up work and suck from society’s withered but ever obliging teat. It applies to manufacturing too; luxury consumer goods and bargain-basement imports are both thriving while the middle ground struggles…

The wisdom-of-the-crowd – the aggregation of collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom to become better informed – has few serious critics. Idiosyncratic noise will inevitably distort the opinion of an individual and lead to a degradation of interpretation; after all, a solitary view can also be expressed as a skewed survey with a sample size of one. So the received wisdom that the BMW 3 Series is a great car is…

Have you ever wondered how Alfa Romeo manage to sell as many cars as they do in the UK? Or why customers are so loyal towards Porsche and Subaru? Or which marque on sale today is the envy of all others? Well, we have the answers to all these questions, and many more besides. There has been significant research into why people behave in particular ways when they are considering…

Sometimes you come across a video that takes your breath away with its stunning composition, attention to detail, and management of light – and yet it depresses you at the same time. Why? Well, just watch this beautifully-shot video and tell me that you could have done it so well… Definitely Blu-ray – thanks to @pipeburn for the tip

The Insignia VXR Unlimited boasts a 325PS engine, a 170mph top speed, and a sophisticated chassis that drives all four wheels; it’s a quick car then, but is it a good one? Let’s get the impressive technical specification out of the way first. The chassis has a manual six-speed gearbox that drives all four wheels. The front suspension features HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) a nifty design that minimises torque steer…