1:07 AM
Risk Management
NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been criticised by Labour politicians for spending nearly £800,000 leasing cars.
MSP Elaine Murray and MP Russell Brown said it was "outrageous" and "unacceptable" at a time of cuts in health services.They described some of the 321 cars as "top of the range" sports vehicles.
NHS chief executive John Burns said the scheme actually saved money and allowed frontline staff to carry out their duties across a large, rural region.
The figures, revealed in a Freedom of Information request from Labour, show the NHS authority is spending £784,124 on lease cars.
They include vehicles such as the Mercedes CLC 200 Coupe Sport, BMW 1 Series CPE Sport and Audi A3 Sportback TDI SE.
Dumfries MSP Dr Murray said: "This is absolutely astonishing and fancy cars like these would be at the top of my list of things to cut.
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“Start Quote
End Quote John Burns NHS Dumfries and GallowayThe scheme was designed to give frontline staff in a predominantly rural area such as ours, access to safe, well maintained, and efficient vehicles to carry out their NHS duties across the region”
"It is outrageous that the NHS is cutting nurses and midwives while giving senior managers Mercedes and BMWs."
Dumfries and Galloway MP Russell Brown said local people would look "in disbelief" at the figures."How on earth can we be told that frontline staff need to go but the luxury cars remain?" he asked.
"It is unacceptable and shows the Scottish government is out of touch with the priorities of ordinary people.
"If the choice is between a sports car for a manager or a nurse on the ward then there is no doubt in my mind which I'd prefer."
'Cheaper option' However, NHS Dumfries and Galloway refuted any suggestion that it was operating a "fleet of luxury vehicles for executives and senior managers".
Mr Burns said the vast majority of the cars were being run by frontline staff.
"The scheme was designed to give frontline staff in a predominantly rural area such as ours, access to safe, well maintained, and efficient vehicles to carry out their NHS duties across the region," he said.
"No board director has a leased vehicle.
"Staff who are eligible for the lease scheme can opt for a higher specification vehicle than the baseline scheme and are required to make the appropriate payments proportionate to the size, make and model of the vehicle they lease."
He said any suggestion that the scheme was a "perk for executives" was untrue.
"If the NHS Board were to reimburse the appropriate mileage costs for all those staff on lease arrangements should they use their own vehicles, it would cost the NHS board £1,042,240 - an additional £258,000 annually," he added.
MICHAEL BETTENCOURT
Globe and Mail with correction Published on Wednesday, Jan. 05, 2011 9:45AM EST Last updated on Wednesday, Jan. 05, 2011 4:48PM EST
Some of its top sports cars, including the 911 Turbo S that impressed so many while taking the AJAC Best New Prestige Car crown over the Audi R8 Cabriolet and Mercedes-Benz SLS, have MSRPs reduced by more than $16,000.
Porsche says that the lower manufacturer suggested retail prices are more transparent than the “currency credits” incentive program it was using to try to smooth over the wide gap between Canadian and U.S. Porsche prices. The currency credits program therefore goes away with these new lower list prices, though of course, dealers are always free to set their own prices.
The ultra-exotic, 620-hp 911 GT2 RS comes in with the highest total dollar reduction of $17,500, although the rear-wheel-drive super coupe is still by far its priciest model at $279,000. That’s a mind-numbing $95,600 premium over the $183,400 911 Turbo S, now $16,600 lower.
The largest percentage cut from 2010 pricing is with the Panamera S sedan, which is reduced by 10.34 per cent, to $103,000. Porsche’s more “mainstream” products like the mid-engine Boxster sports car and Cayenne V6 now start at $54,900 and $55,300, respectively.
Porsche is also cutting the price of its options by 16 per cent, as well as adding rear side airbags and garage door opener to the Cayenne, after adding in basic standard equipment such as floor mats and hands-free Bluetooth technology to its vehicles last spring. Taking the MSRP and option price cuts together, Porsche says the average equipped vehicle will cost about $7,700 less.
After cutting MSRPs in the fall of 2008 when the Canadian dollar rose above par with the U.S. greenback, Porsche instituted the more temporary “currency credits” last April in response to the steadily creeping-up dollar. This was on top of previously announced price cuts on its sports cars, which had long drawn the ire of enthusiasts for being so much higher in Canada than in the U.S. These currency credits and price chops led to record sales for Porsche in 2010, the firm said this week.
“With this latest move, the relationship between Canadian and U.S. prices has improved by an average of 8 per cent across the lineup,” said Porsche Canada president Joe Lawrence in the statement announcing the changes. “No competitive brand has Canadian prices so closely aligned, across the board, to U.S. prices.”
This “alignment” of prices with those in the U.S. is still far from equalization, as a quick scan of Porsche's U.S. website will attest. There, the Boxster starts at $48,100 (U.S.) compared with $54,900 in Canada, while the Cayenne starts at $47,700, compared with $55,300 in Canada. Higher-end 911 sports car and Panamera sedan MSRPs are between 15 and 30 large higher than their American counterparts.
*****
Correction: In the paragraph above, Canadian prices were incorrectly listed as lower than U.S. prices, and the U.S. prices were inaccurate. The story has been corrected.
Petrina Gentile for The Globe and Mail
2010 Cadillac SRX
Cadillac SRX kills turbo six
After only one year on the market, the turbocharged 2.8-litre V-6 engine upgrade in the Cadillac SRX crossover has reportedly been axed. This throws into question plans for the engine to be made available in the all-new 2011 Saab 9-4X that will come out of the same Mexican plant; Saab said as recently as November that it would be the top engine in the 300-hp 9-4X Aero model.A Cadillac spokesperson reportedly confirmed to gminsidenews.com that the torque-y V-6 has been discontinued due to its slow take-up rate, saying that more than 90 per cent of (presumably American) buyers opted for the base 265-hp V-6. While largely praised for its power, the turbocharged V6 has been criticized widely for its low fuel economy numbers, rated here at 13.6 litres/100 in the city and 9.1 on the highway in 2010 in the top (all-wheel -rive) SRX.
Saab has long been known for its turbocharged powerplants, and the 2.8T provided Cadillac’s SRX with noticeably more oomph than the somewhat-relaxed 3.0-litre V-6 that comes standard in both of these five-seat utility vehicles. Saab North America didn’t respond to a request for comment earlier this week, but Saab executives have said previously that the 9-4X is basically a GM program that it took over as is, which suggests that even if the 2.8-litre engine does make it to some top 9-4X Saab models in 2011, it will likely not last more than a year in it either.
Next Mercedes ML coming
The high-performance Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG SUV ceased production at the end of 2010, but both the blazing speed AMG model and the BlueTec diesels will continue on in next-generation models, Mercedes-Benz Canada confirmed this week.The 2011 AMG models will come from what’s already in the pipeline, while an all-new ML is expected to be introduced later this calendar year. Mercedes-Benz cancelled the AMG version of its R-Class three-row crossover soon after it and the ML 63 went on sale in 2006.
Federal aid for hybrid BRP three-wheeler
The Canadian federal government will invest $6.2-million to help Quebec manufacturer BRP research and develop a hybrid version of its three-wheel Can-Am Spyder Roadster, which has been described as a road-going version of the firm’s popular snowmobiles.But there is still no indication that the government is looking to add any significant electric vehicle rebate, as offered in the U.S. and most Western European countries.
The Université de Sherbrooke will receive $11.3-million in total funding for the research project, the balance coming from BRP in a four-year research project aimed at cleaning up the emissions of the three-wheeled motorcycle (two in front, one out back), which is powered by a 1.0-litre Rotax four-cylinder engine. The school’s goal is to cut emissions and fuel consumption of this engine by 50 per cent, while maintaining its performance characteristics.
The hybrid Spyder, which won’t be available to the public for at least five years, is planned to have a range of 600 kilometres, about 32 of which is planned to be available on electricity alone.
Results - Mercedes-Benz
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2011
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Mini Mpv
$29,900 - $32,400
8.1 - 8.7 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Sedan
$35,900 - $63,900
9.5 - 13.9 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Sedan
$91,200 - $126,700
12.9 - 14.8 L/100km
Globe Rating
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Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Sedan / Convertible / Coupe / Wagon
$59,900 - $106,900
8.1 - 13.7 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$115,000 - $155,900
16.5 - 16.9 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$70,500 - $88,900
10.8 - 14.8 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
9.7 - 17.5 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Minivan
$55,200 - $56,700
9.9 - 12.6 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Convertible
$126,000 - $240,100
12.9 - 15.2 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Convertible
$59,900 - $66,500
9.4 - 10.0 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
Coupe
$198,000
13.2 L/100km
Globe RatinG
2010
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Mini Mpv
$29,900 - $32,400
8.1 - 8.7 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Sedan
$35,800 - $63,500
9.5 - 14.7 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
Coupe
$135,900 - $243,000
12.5 - 16.0 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Sedan
$88,500 - $121,300
12.6 - 14.8 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Coupe / Sedan
$58,600 - $106,900
10.3 - 14.3 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$114,400 - $154,950
16.5 - 16.9 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$69,000 - $88,600
10.7 - 14.8 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$42,900
11.6 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$57,400 - $97,500
10.2 - 17.5 L/100km
Globe Rating
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Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Minivan
$54,700 - $56,200
9.9 - 12.6 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Sedan
$107,800 - $236,000
9.5 - 15.4 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Convertible
$125,000 - $238,500
12.9 - 15.3 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Convertible
$57,500 - $84,800
9.6 - 12.2 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van
Cargo Van
$42,900 - $52,500
Not Available
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Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Wagon
Passenger Van
$47,900 - $53,900
Not Available
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2009
Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Mini Mpv
$29,900 - $34,400
8.1 - 8.8 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Sedan
$35,800 - $63,500
9.5 - 14.1 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
Coupe
$130,500 - $241,000
12.5 - 16.0 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
Convertible / Coupe
$69,500 - $117,900
10.3 - 14.7 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
Sedan
$93,500 - $128,300
12.6 - 14.8 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Sedan / Wagon
$65,800 - $121,100
7.7 - 13.5 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$111,900 - $152,450
16.5 - 16.9 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$69,000 - $88,600
10.8 - 14.4 L/100km
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Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Sport Utility Vehicle
$57,400 - $97,500
10.2 - 17.3 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Minivan
$54,700 - $56,200
10.1 - 12.6 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Sedan
$108,000 - $234,000
11.9 - 16.1 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Convertible
$125,000 - $238,500
12.9 - 15.3 L/100km
Compare
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Convertible
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