A round-up of today's other stories in brief
LAMBORGHINI IN SLOW LANE
Italian carmaker Lamborghini, which ceased production of its high-performance Murcielago six months ago, will not see sales of new cars picking up until late next year with the launch of a successor supercar, its chief executive says. “We will pay for the absence of the Murcielago this year,” said Stephan Winkelmann.
Lamborghini, a unit of Volkswagens Audi, sold 2,430 cars in 2008, a record year.
A return to the record levels seen in 2007-2008 will not be immediate, considering the slow demand from markets like Europe and the United States, he said.
Winkelmann added that Lamborghini aimed to launch a new model every year and boost investments in new technologies.
In contrast, Ferrari reported third-quarter revenues of €446 million, up 12.6 per cent on last year. It is expecting to post near record results this year, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, its chairman, said in September.
SPORTY HYBRID FROM HONDA
Honda has launched its CR-Z hybrid sports car in Ireland, with prices starting at €26,630.
The car has a six-speed manual transmission. It is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine and Honda’s parallel hybrid system. The CR-Z claims emissions of 117 g/km and an official fuel economy of 5 litres per 100km.
FORD NAMES ITS PRICE
Ford has confirmed the prices for the face-lifted Mondeo range, which goes on sale here this month. Prices start at €25,975 for the 2-litre 115bhp Style version. That’s a €675 drop from the previous entry version, which was a 100bhp 1.8-litre diesel.
All of the manual transmission models in the updated Mondeo will have an emissions figure of just 139g/km, placing the car within Band B, with a motor tax bill of €156.
PLUG-IN PRIUS TAKES TO THE ROAD
Toyota Ireland has reached agreement with the Government to put three of its new plug-in Prius models into an 18-month test programme with eight companies here.
In a deal with the ESB and government officials, the electric cars will be available to employees of firms including Google, Hewlett-Packard, Coca-Cola and Bank of Ireland. The company will use the test to gather data on performance and economy ahead of the car’s full launch in 2012.
David Shannon, Toyota Ireland’s managing director, said: “The real-life experiences . . . will provide Toyota with valuable insights into driver attitudes and usage patterns to help shape strategies for the wider introduction of plug-in hybrids and rechargeable technologies.”
Official figures for the plug-in Prius claim a fuel consumption of 2.6 litres per 100km and emissions of just 59g/km.
BMW ECO-SUPERCAR DUE FOR 2013
BMW says it will introduce a diesel/electric hybrid supercar by 2013. The ground-hugging four-seater, first seen at last year’s Frankfurt motor show, will achieve performance targets similar to the M3 going from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds. It will achieve fuel economy figures of 3.8 litres per 100km and emissions of 99g/km.
The car will have a six-speed double-clutch gearbox and will run in either engine mode, a hybrid mix of both, or full electric mode.
The unnamed model will have a carbon fibre body and will be powered by a mid-mounted 1.5-litre three-cylinder common-rail diesel engine producing 161bhp.
In eco-mode, this engine will work as a rang-extending generator to two electric motors: a 110bhp unit at the front and a 52bhp unit for the rear wheels. In total, the output equates to 323bhp, with an expected range of 700kms.