Arizona police unhappy with YouTube video of speeding Bugatti Veyron

Arizona police unhappy with video of Veyron at 362kph on public road

Police in the US state of Arizona have made their displeasure clear after a video appeared on YouTube showing a Bugatti Veyron being driven at near top speed on a public road.

The video, Bugatti Veryon (sic) High Speed Runs x7, has accumulated more than 1.2 million hits in less than two weeks and, according to the uploader, sees the car doing seven runs at speeds of between 215 and 225mph (346 and 362kph).

Despite these speeds, this is still way short of the Veyron's top speed of 408kph, something the uploader blames on keeping the car in "handling mode" due to the uneven surface on the road.

Despite the implication that the car was being driven in Mexico, Arizona authorities called the driving a "criminal act".

The driver's identity is never revealed and the location cannot be known so there's little police can do about the video unless they catch the drivers red-handed.

Ironically, the end of the video shows the car being stopped by a highway patrolman but, apparently, the car was within the speed limit at the time and the cop just wanted a look at the car.

Music to ears of Ford buyers

When fine tuning the perfect sound system for a car, Ford engineers realised that it also needed the perfect playlist.

So, when trying to deliver the ideal acoustics for the new B-MAX, which will become the first car to debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 27, an eclectic taste of music was used.

Radiohead, Black Eyed Peas, the Eagles and jazz legend John Coltrane rubbed shoulders with classical composers Vivaldo and Carl Orff on the B-MAX playlist as engineers used key moments in the songs to fine-tune the car's sound system.

The classic opening to the Eagles' Hotel California features the ideal "dry" sound for testing bass, ambience and tone, while the powerful kick bass in Black Eyed Peas' track Just Can't Get Enough was used to test woofers; tuning the low-frequency filters in the amplifier unit to retain a strong and punchy bass without door buzz and rattles.

The car will feature DAB radio as standard, an exclusive Sony audio system with eight speakers and 4x24 Watt Sony amplifier, USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

For music lovers, there will be no better ride.

Toyota jazzed up for festival

Sticking with the musical theme, the Dubai International Jazz Festival is currently under way at the city's Festival City and Al-Futtaim is sponsoring the event for the first time.

The event features top international acts including James Blunt, Jools Holland, James Morrison, Jonathan Butler, Brett Dennen, Spyro Gyra and the multi-talented Jason Mraz.

The sponsorship is good news for Toyota customers as the first 100 of them to arrive at each event will be directed to privilege parking close to the entrance and each day of the festival VIP tickets will be given away at Toyota UAE's Facebook page.

Visitors will also be able to preview the new Toyota FT86 and have their photos taken next to their cars at a professional photo booth set up at the event.

"We are extremely excited to be part of this event, which has gained global accolades for being one of the finest musical events of its genre in the region," says Simon Frith, managing director at Al-Futtaim Motors. "In celebration, we are presenting our customers with many exclusive offers during the show, including a preview of the much-awaited FT86."

The jazz festival runs until Friday February 24. Visit www.dubaijazzfest.com.

Maruti Suzuki hits 10 million sales - five million in last six years alone

Maruti Suzuki, the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese car maker, has sold its 10 millionth vehicle in its domestic market.

The 10 millionth vehicle, a Red Swift, was delivered to a customer last week from the company's Manesar plant near New Delhi.

Maruti Suzuki rolled out its first car in December 1983 and attained five million domestic sales by February 2006.

To put the growth of the Indian car market into perspective, it took just a further six years to sell another five million vehicles to bring total sales up to 10 million.

The strong growth has been achieved through strong sales of the Swift and Wagon R vehicles, as well as the fact that the Alto has remained the most popular car in India over the last seven years.

Unit sales in 2010 reached 1.1 million for the year but that figure is set to grow to 1.7 million by next year.

Maruti Suzuki has more than 1,000 car dealers and 2,992 service centres across India.

Documentary on Ayrton Senna picks up two awards at Baftas

The Artist may have been the biggest winner at this year's Bafta Awards, picking up seven gongs, but the night was also a triumph for the makers of the excellent documentary Senna.

The docufilm on the life of one of Formula One's most talented and charismatic sons, Ayrton Senna, picked up two awards at the event in London on Sunday night - Best Documentary and Best Editing.

Senna pieced together the life and death of the Brazilian F1 hero using archive and some never-before-seen footage and interviews with his family and friends.

It received wide critical acclaim, which has now been backed up with the two awards.

But Senna wasn't the only motoring-themed film to make an impact at the Baftas this year. Drive, starring Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan and directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, was nominated for four awards, including Best Film and Best Director.