The good news is that British Tesla fans won’t have far to travel, as the US firm’s new garage (right) is based in London’s swanky Knightsbridge district, just a short stroll from the famous Harrods department store. To mark the occasion, Tesla gave its new European-ready Roadster and uprated Roadster Sport a public airing.

Boasting a new push button gearshift, a bigger boot and an even lighter carbon fibre frame, both are powered by a lithium- ion battery, which gives the Roadster a 0-60mph time of only 3.9 seconds, and a zero-emissions range of up to 211 miles on a single charge.

Prices start at £94,000 when the new models go on sale later this year, rising to £103,000 for the Sport. A right hand-drive version will be available next spring, followed by a new Model S saloon in late 2011.

This is the hydrogen-powered Riversimple ‘urban car’. Driven by a 6kW fuel cell, it will be able to reach up to 50mph, travel from 0-30mph in 5.5 seconds and has a 240-mile range.
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The financial conflagration which started in the US has spread around the world. Bloomberg tells us that in the UK “despite an easing in prices at the gas pump, sales of new cars in September tumbled, falling 21.2% from the same month a year ago. That was even worse than August, when sales were down 18.6%.” Porsches are apparently the SUV’s twin sister over there with a 33.3% sales plunge. But apparently the UK’s art market is strong: “Stuart McCullough, board member for sales and marketing at Bentley said in an interview last week that some customers were putting off delivery because they didn’t want to make such a lavish and visible purchase when many consumers faced tougher times. ‘We are seeing buyers not taking delivery of our cars, but continuing to invest in the art market’, he said.” You do have to wonder how Sir Stuart knows this. Do his customers invite him into their homes for private showings of their art? Perhaps he will find a still hot selling Smart Car mounted on a pedestal as an object d’ art.