Visitors to Tractor World Show could win a tractor for just £1. An International B-275 has been restored by the team responsible for this year’s National Vintage Tractor Road Run and they will be raising money for charity, selling tickets to win the vehicle; must be worth a flutter. The Tractor World Show is at Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, on March 1 and 2.

There will be big displays from Ford and Massey Ferguson clubs to mark the opening of Ford’s factory at Basildon and the launch of MF’s 100 Series, as well as displays from the likes of Leyland and Allis-Chalmers enthusiasts. Horticultural entries are already the highest ever and stationary engine entries are pouring in.

Three Counties Showground is not far off the M5 in Worcestershire. Advance ticket prices are £10 per day for adults (£12 on the gate). Under 15s go free and there’s a great value weekend camping pass for two adults for the advanced price of just £50 (£60 on the day). For more information go to www.tractorworldshow.co.uk or tel: 01697 451882

As befits the exclusive Knightsbridge store, which once claimed was the place where you could buy just about anything, Porsche recently took over the main front window display to unveil the new Macan SUV. The display showed the new compact performance SUV some two months before it would appear in Porches Centres. When it arrives, there will be three models available in the UK, the Macan S Diesel and Macan S are priced from £43,300, and the top-of-the-range Macan Turbo will be priced from £59,300. All models include Porsche Traction Management (PTM), seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch transmission, alloy wheels, digital radio, front and rear ParkAssist, floor mats, multi-function steering wheel with gearshift paddles, electronic tailgate release, USB port connection and a three-year warranty. The model will also be included to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone for customers to get the full performance experience.

As with all statistics, it’s all relative and it was only a few years ago when we all wondered whether the Jeep brand would even continue. On that basis, the company – effectively a new concern since its association with Fiat – has grown from a pretty poor base, but 2013 sales figures still make good reading. Global Jeep sales totalled 731,565 in 2013, which is four per cent up on the previous year. The new Jeep Cherokee (due in the UK later this spring) was strong with 25,000 sold in the first two months of it being available. This model will be expected to push Jeep sales to even higher figures throughout 2014. Exciting times for Jeep.

The new Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has become eligible for the Government’s Plug in Car Grant (PiCG), which is apparently awarded by The Office for Low Emission Vehicles. This is a Government initiative that came in back in January 2011 whereby motorists (both private consumers and businesses) purchasing a qualifying ultra-low emission car have been able to receive a grant of 25 per cent towards the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum of £5000. According to Mitsubishi, the Outlander PHEV qualifies for the PiCG, while most other hybrids in the market do not, and this is due to Mitsubishi’s hybridsystem. Unlike many hybrids, the Outlander PHEV can be driven at speeds over 70mph, using just its electric motors. Interestingly, over the UK’s average daily commute, which is 32.5 miles, so people driving the Outlander PHEV can get to work and not use any fuel at all. This also means the vehicle only emits 44g/km CO2 (based on EU drive cycle figures), which means a Vehicle Excise Duty of £0. So you can commute using no fuel, and paying no car tax… Mitsubishi’s claim that the company’s hybrid/electric vehicle philosophy heralds a new era of automotive ownership starts to make sense.

MIKE AND SUSAN Jones produced a gritty performance in their Rally Raid UK to reach the finish of the Dakar in 51st overall, writes Neil Perkins. Eight years after tackling the event and retiring after 11 stages in 2006, the founder and co-owner of Rally Raid UK was determined to reach the finish.

“I used to race enduro bikes internationally when I was younger,” said Jones. “In 1982, I was meant to do the Dakar, but I missed the opportunity. That’s when I really discovered the rally. It took me almost 20 years to get back but I moved to cars after injury. I first competed in the Dakar in 1999 with Paul Round. Since then, I’ve taken 350 team customers to the event. That’s also why, for business reasons as well, we absolutely had to get to the finish!”

Now, it’s highly unusual for a manufacturer to launch a new model onto the market, with all the associated fanfare, only to withdraw it immediately – before any models have hit the streets – and declare that production will be delayed by three months while a number of ‘key issues’ are sorted! That appears to be the case with Great Wall’s newest SUV, the H8, according to a report in the respected China Motor News. And the news raised more than just eyebrows when announced, as shares in the company fell by a reported 10 per cent; Great Wall is a particularly large company, so a 10 per cent drop is a lot of Yuan.

The H8 is the bigger brother model to the particularly successful selling H6 (which we still believe may available in the UK later this year). The H8 is claimed to be a competitor to the Honda CR-V and Ford Kuga, so this is a mainstream model, not a niche product.