A round-up of today’s other stories in brief
New Mondeo line-up announced
Fords new version of the Mondeo will arrive in Ireland in October. There will be three versions of the 2.0-litre TDCI diesel engine offered in the new car, which boasts many exterior and interior changes.
Ford will offer the 2.0-litre TDCi with outputs of 115hp, 140hp and 160hp and with a choice of three trim levels: Style, Zetec and Titanium. All manual versions of the TDCi Mondeo will come with emissions of 139g/km meaning that they will reside in tax band B, with annual road tax of €156. It is expected that pricing will start at under €26,000 for the 115hp Style version.
Entry level Style models include as standard equipment: 16” alloy wheels; 7 airbags including drivers knee airbag; and Ford 6000 series radio CD with AUX in MP3 connection.
New technology options include: Blind Spot Information System; Lane Departure Warning; Driver Impairment Monitoring System; and rear view camera.
Lotus return to supercar market with Elite
Lotus is returning to the supercar market with its new Elite, the first of a line of new models from the British brand.
The car will debut next week at the Paris motor show alongside an updated Esprit model. The name harks back to a previous iconic model from the 1970s and remains a a four-seater, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupé.
The roof is a folding hard-top and up front there’s a five-litre V8 engine, supplied under the firm’s ever-growing ties with Toyota.
Although it’s not expected to go on sale for at least two years, Lotus seem eager to remind the car-buying public that it’s still around.
Listen up
On this week's Motors podcast, produced in association with Bridgestone, Paddy Comyn reports on his marathon car-testing trek around Europe, where he tested the revamped Ford Mondeo, Citroen's new C4 and Audi's impressive A7.
We also hear from engineer Ben Hamilton-Baillie on his vision for Dame Street in Dublin without traffic lghts or road markings. And for our in-car report we'll take you behind the wheel of Saab's new 9-5.