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Take a drive on the wild side with our Motoring special inside
otoring
ELECTRIC OPTIONS
February 2022 FIGHT ON: VW’s ID.4 is aimed at taking on Tesla
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Cash incentives for electric cars are introduced in Spain as we take a look at popular options
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PAIN has pledged to make the entire country carbon them into the reach of By Dilip Kuner neutral by 2050, and for many more people’s wallets. to happen cars are goingthis One of the most unusual to the country. have to get greener. Tesla Cybertruck. Aimed will be the Volkswagen Group’s SEAT It’s automotive plan focuses squarely at from subsidon the iary plans to Volvo’s environmentally-friendl team up with power the US market where ‘trucks’ are a new electric company Iberdrola huge segment, this retro-futuristic perforand hybrid car industryy to build Spain’s and aims to first battery mance arm make the technology cheaper, factory for Electric Vehi- ‘space machine’ is sure to make it (the other, the and cles (EVs). to Spain at some point. easier to use and access 1, is a hybrid across the Volkswagen country. has previously an- Clad in dent-proof stainless steel petrol-electric), it looks like something nounced its intention to Special incentives have out of Mad build alternaout over the coming been rolled battery plants across Europe,six EV Max, and according to Tesla boss and with tive models years to encourage the three earmarked for Elon Musk it will be a ‘really tough, and specs are ownership of green the Spain/Portugal/ not fake-tough’ truck. planned Mind you, he ended for vehicles, both private The government southern France up with egg this year. area. on his face at the vehicle’s launch and commercial. In total, the governApart from its when he tried to prove is granting The Spanish government its durability green is granting motor, ment has approved an €3.75 billion towards through a series of ‘torture tests’. Volvo €3.75bn to €800 million fund up making electric and All was going well until Musk hurled i n t has also r o d a u steel c make e d ball at the vehicle and shatuntil the end of 2023, electric hybrid cars cheaper frameless mirrors and which is available now. than petrol and diesel tered its ‘armoured’ glass. a light- The interior cars cheaper er-than-leather vegan interior is While Tesla has been Private buyers can to buy by 2027. fabric low, flat floor andminimalist, with a the leader designed a vibe that Nissan claim up to €7,000, But there is no need in EVs (particularly in the publicity a wetsuit. to mimic the durability of calls ‘lounge-like’. with companies buying to wait that long if you stakes) it will have more competi- A pair claimed range of aroundIt has a fleets to use wish to of electric motors work tion than ever this year, 300 miles as taxis eligible for more. help with with main- 27-module Vans can manufacturerssave the planet. Car stream manufacturers lithium ion battery packa and pricing is from around €40,000. attract subsidies of up have been developThis performance and to €9,000. ready to unveil a slew of not only to deliver an impressive 402 horseing electric vehicles for These incentives follow years wrapped in a package luxury will be nology models, but alsolatest-tech- power, and a range of up to with a range ment pledge to promote a govern- While still more expensive thannow. 275 of 200 miles. It ahead of miles. But all battery pro- traditional their costs from around this comes duction in Spain and push contemporaries, subsi- the game. at a price with the luxFor build quality €75,000. ufacture of electric vehiclesthe man- dies and scrappage schemes are neering Volvo and top-class engi- ury car costing from in Meanwhile bringing Their Polestaris worth a close look. €59,900. The Audi e-tron swagen’s ID.4 VolkThe compaEXPENSIVE: 2 five-seater SUV Volvo polish and Swedish brings ny aims to sell 65,000 is aimed squarely The Audi style to units this year. GT is a sleek at taking on Tescompete with Tesla’s e-tron GT Model 3. It When it comes is the second vehicle electric sedan la. Starting prices to mainto come stream manufacturers, are from around with loads of Nissan was one of the €46,000 in Spain first to enter the marand it has a range of power ket. Its LeafEV now has 250 miles. sales of nearly half a Staying with the Germillion. man marques, the Audi e-tron GT is a sleek, The car giant is aiming electric sebuild on this success to dan with loads of power and polish. hav- Behind the streamlined ing recently launched bodywork the Ariiya, a more stylish take is some architecture shared with the Porsche Taycan EV. on emission-free t r a n s - With 590 horsepower, portation. the two-moThe five-passenger SUV tor GT should accelerate from zero features a surprisingly to 60 miles per hour in an impresaggressive look, with some sive three seconds, and will be able to gain an 80% charge swoopy, concave in just and wheels pushed to thesurfacing minutes. The car is top-of-the 20 rancorners. geo expect to pay €100,000 plus.
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GIBRALTAR
Vol. 6 Issue 167
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Find out Property what top Bye bye Bofill real estate agents predict for A the year ahead KEEP THE GOO in our T IMES ROLLINGD Property magazine February 2022
The Rock’s ONLY free local paper
February 23rd - March 8th 2022
Family fear mystery skull and skeleton belong to missing Michael ‘Nod’ Brittain EXCLUSIVE by Elena Goçmen Rueda
January. A month earlier in December the Olive Press revealed how an expat living in Beneficio had found a skull while walking her dog nearby on November 18. Her pet, Dragon, had unearthed the skull on a walk, while he has since dug up the jaw and other bones, she revealed this week. It is not clear why the head and body were found some distance apart. Now we can reveal that a pile of clothes and a series of dreadlocks have also turned up near Dreadlocks the body. Police confirmed last month that the body “A purple sweater, some jeans and a pair of found near the alternative settlement of Ben- small shoes - without shoe laces - were found eficio appeared to be that of a man in his 40s. next to the skeleton,” said the Romanian exThey had removed the skeleton from a ravine pat, who lives in Beneficio. after it was found by a German hiker in late They have also been taken by officers from the Guardia Civil for analysis. According to his sister, Nod had dreadlocks, as well as small, size seven, feet. He lived in Beneficio around 2014/15, having arrived from the UK two decades ago with the intention of relocating full time to the area. Bizarrely, he had brought ‘drilling gear’ to dig his own well on a plot he is understood to have acquired there. The family, while hopeful that it is not Michael, believes the gruesome disMYSTERY: Dragon the dog (right) dug up the skull above the covery would house (main picture) explain all these years of disconnection. “We tried to find him 11 years ago when our mother was dying and found out through friends that he was in Orgiva at TM an encampment,” explained Michelle, an ad-
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See page VIII
The Olive Press Spanish genius, pays tribute to a tenticles spread whose architectural widely, and were even said to have hit tv series the inspired last years Squid Game
IS IT HIM? THE family of a missing British man who came to Spain two decades ago believe he may have died in mysterious circumstances near Granada. The sister of Michael Brittain fears a skeleton recently discovered in a ravine may be his. Michelle Brittain thinks it ‘likely’ her brother, known as ‘Nod’ - and who was last seen living around nearby Orgiva - is the dead man. “It would explain how we haven’t heard from him for seven years when he was last seen at an encampment, near Orgiva,” she told the Olive Press.
A taste of the future or a galactic waste of money?
SPANISH architectural legend has died. Ricardo Bofill died aged 82 last month, Calpe made 2023 a year before the ‘Bofill Year’ to celebrate his remarkable creations and he was set to get a Spanish national stamp. The Catalan was one of the most celebrated architects of the 20th century and a pioneer of the style that came to be known as postmodernis m. Like Richard Rogers ter his influence has or Norman Fosbeen vast. When Netflix released Squid Game, which would become the series in its history, most watched noticed an uncanny many viewers tween the striking resemblance bestaircases patrolled by masked guards and one of Bofill’s most famous works La Muralla Roja (The Red Wall) on the Costa Blanca.
HOME sales in December were the second-highes And 2022 has kicked off where last year ended… t on record in Spain. up! going up and up and Andalucia, Valencia and fore,” explained Scott each seeing spectacular Murcia are leading the charge on the mainland, enquiries are coming Marshall, from PropertieSpain in Benahavis. While Andalucia saw growth by over a quarter against last Christmas. in thick and fast.” “And Meanwhile, Ben Bateman “Sales were up Murcia posted figures 29% more sales than last December, Valencia from Sotogrande’s Holmes of 26% and 25% respectively. could be a record year and ered the ground26% on 2019, showing the market has more agency added: “It The Balearics experienced if we it lost to the pandemic. than a 41% uplift, while the The Spanish housing recov- “Last year was the best yearcan get the right number of new listings. rise in December’s year Canaries saw a 44% undergoing a post-pandemic boom in sales.” market is 2022.” since 2008 and we remain on year figures. In total, 72,023 property “Home sales in December confident for sales were completed to official figures. in December, according Adam Neale, at Terra Meridiana, in buoyant Spain’s housing set almost a record high, illustrating quite Estepona, market is despite the last year, with nearly the pandemic,” said property ongoing repercussionshow According to a trio of leading estate 100 million of properties also recorded record sales “It was of also begun well, analyst Mark Stucklin. despite concerns over agents in Andalucia, the year has ing, a very busy year and it didn’t stop last sold in 2021. particularly now people month, it just keeps comsupply. “We sold three properties can travel again.” in January, which is three The highest December more than ever be80,000 properties were property figures were in 2010 when sold around Spain. nearly
After almost record December sales, January is also perform ing strongly
Will it be sixth time lucky? AN agreement over the future of Gibraltar post-Brexit should be in place by Easter. Spain has confirmed all sides have made a ‘commitment’ to have it finalised by then, with 99% already in place. The announcement came as a new round of talks between the UK and the EU will continue this week. The sixth round of negotiations for a treaty began on February 22 in Brussels with the next session scheduled for London on March 1. "The sixth round is being split due to school holidays," a European Commission official announced.
Commitment
I MISS HIM: Michelle with missing brother ‘Nod’
min assistant, in Warminster (Wiltshire). “We didn't get any further news and now my father is ill and having reached out again through a similar route I have been told he disappeared from Orgiva seven plus years ago and nobody has seen him since.”
Alternative
She added that most of his friends called him Nod, a nickname he has had from school and he was born in Harwich, Essex, in June 1966. “He left school at 16 and never went to college. He always lived an alternative lifestyle even as a teenager”, Michelle added. “He spent quite a lot of time living in the woods.” He is 5 foot 8 (1,72cm), of light to medium build. He had acne as a teenager which left him with pockmarked skin on his face and back. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said the skull and skeleton had been sent to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Granada for analysis. “We have suspicions about who it may be, but until we dont have the test results - which take a number of months we can't confirm anything. “We must be cautious about the information we share until then”, he ended.
Although no agreement has been reached so far, the Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares insisted 'there is a commitment to do everything possible to bring about a definitive agreement by Easter'. "As we approach the end of the negotiations, which are almost 99% complete, the more nervous we become, but there will be no lack of generosity from the government," Albares said after the fifth round. For its part, the Gibraltar government has always publicly expressed its confidence that an agreement will be reached, while still preparing for a nodeal scenario. Earlier in February, Gibraltar’s government published a guide outlining the possible effects of a non-negotiated exit from the EU. With it came the warning that 'it will be impossible to mitigate these effects completely because, in many cases, the new situation will reflect life outside the EU'.
TALKS: Jose Manuel Albares