A round-up of this week's other motoring news
Fuel economy push in US
CAR FIRMS in the US have agreed to a blueprint announced by President Barack Obama that would boost fuel economy requirements 53 per cent by 2025.
However, experts claim this target is unlikely to prompt a dramatic ramp up in production of electric cars and hybrids, which are only a fraction of the US sales market.
Instead they say the industry will accelerate development of cleaner burning petrol engines, enhanced transmission systems, lighter materials and more aerodynamic designs.
These changes are already taking place, as is a shift toward production of small cars to meet consumer demand and new US government mandates in an era of high fuel prices.
New car sales fall 63 per cent
NEW CAR sales for July fell by 63 per cent compared to the previous month, in the first full month of registrations since the Government scrappage scheme came to an end.
Sales last month were 4,076, compared with 11,005 in June. Compared to July last year, this was down by 35 per cent.
However, overall sales this year reached 81,176 by the end of July, up 9.9 per cent on the same period last year.
Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director of Ford Ireland, said: “These figures do point to something of a post-scrappage hangover. While the strong start to the year will see full year sales come in ahead of last year, the market is bracing itself for a chilly few months ahead.
“The same economic factors that are depressing spend throughout the retail sector are at play in the car business, with the absence of credit a particular concern.”
Toyota tops the sales table with a 13.2 per cent share this year, followed by Volkswagen with 12.3 per cent, Ford with 12 per cent and Renault with 9.5 per cent. At the premium end of the market, BMW leads with sales of 3,009, 120 cars ahead of arch-rival Audi.
In terms of monthly sales, the end of the scrappage incentive has not changed buyer interest in lower emission vehicles with 88 per cent of the new cars falling into either band A or band B.
Telsa to launch family car
TESLA HAS made a name for itself as the pioneer of electric sports car but now it’s preparing to offer a more family-friendly model to market.
The Model S is due to start production in the middle of 2012 and will draw its power solely from a lithium-ion battery pack.
There are still no plans to offer a model with more hybrid traits, so while sales are strong in the west coast of the US, they remain limited on this side of the Atlantic – due in part to both a lack of dealers and European range anxiety.
There are said to be a few different trims of the Model S with varying ranges. While the entry-level model should be able to travel about 240km, the more expensive car – with the larger battery – should have a range closer to 480km.