A roundup of today's other news in brief
Competition: Which car turns your head?
WHATS THE best-looking new car of 2011?
Whether you think its a funky new city car or a great big SUV, let us know what you think. Tell us in 150 words or less which of the new motoring metal launched this year stole your heart.
Our motors team will wade through the entries and the lucky winner gets a full set of Bridgestone Tyres to a retail value of €500, including fitting at any First Stop Tyre Centre in Ireland. Listen in for discussions on our views on the trends in new car looks and our favourites on the Motors podcast at irishtimes.com/motors/podcast.
Take part in the competition by emailing us your entry at the email address motorscompetition @irishtimes.com or by post to Motors Competition, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara St, Dublin 2. For terms and conditions email marketing@irishtimes.com
Ireland’s electric charge grows
ONE IN 10 Renault vehicles sold in Ireland next year will be electric. That’s the commitment made by the French car firm’s managing director in Ireland, Eric Basset.
At a launch event for its new all-electric Fluence and electric Kangoo van, Basset set a challenge for his dealers to sell 1,000 of these vehicles by the end of next year. Speaking at the launch he said that he was confident they could meet the commitment, despite the lacklustre public response to the likes of Nissans electric Leaf model and the seemingly slow roll-out of charging points across the State.
He said he believes that the charging points are starting to appear and a mix of competitive prices and a new leasing deal on the batteries that lets the public benefit from future technological developments will persuade motorists to make the electric leap. He said that Ireland is leading the way in Europe for infrastructure and availability of electric vehicles.
Sleek-looks planned for new Mondeo
IT MAY BE heavily disguised, but beneath the wrappings is the next generation Ford Mondeo, due for launch in Spring 2013. Key features include a pair of sleek-looking, projector headlights up front, in keeping with the styling of the Evos concept car it showcased in Frankfurt last month. At the time, J Mays, Fords chief creative officer, made clear his views that glitzy headlights were outdated and he was determined to slim the lights down to their minimum legal size requirement, but thanks to new technology maintain the quality and sharpness of the streams of light.
Aside from this, the biggest change we see with the current model is the new coupé-like roofline. The new Ford Mondeo will be riding on one of Ford’s new global platforms. Besides petrol and diesel units, the new Mondeo will be available with a hybrid system delivering some 200bhp. That system is rumoured to be good enough for a 75km/h top speed on the electric motor alone.
Conventional powertrains for the Mondeo are still unconfirmed but will certainly include four and six-cylinder petrol engines with up to 250bhp and diesels between 120 and 200bhp. A dual-clutch transmission is also said to be in the works.
Lexus, Toyota make recalls
LEXUS IRELAND is holding a voluntarily recall on certain RX300 vehicles in Ireland over potential problems with its crankshaft that can affect the car’s steering. The recall relates to 217 cars here built between June 2004 and March 2005.
A statement said the adhesive between the inner and outer section of the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate, causing misalignment of the pulley, and may result in noise or non-charge of the battery.
“In some instances this could result in an increase in steering effort,” it stated.
Lexus Ireland said it would be writing to the customers affected.
Meanwhile, sister company Toyota is instigating a recall of 130 of its Verso models over potential problems with the panoramic roof. The cars in question were built at various intervals between February and March 2009.
Customers with questions or concerns on either recall can contact Toyota and Lexus by telephone at 1800 224 222.
2012 Honda Civic to start at €20,995
PRICES FOR Honda’s new Civic will start at €20,995 when it arrives in showrooms in time for the January new car market.
The ninth generation of the car will be offered in a five-door format with three different engines. Prices start from €20.995 for the i.4SE petrol and from €23,995 for the SE diesel models. Exterior changes are more evolutionary, but the Japanese brand claims that virtually every part of the car is new, revised to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight. The new Civic is lower, wider and longer than its predecessor.
New finance deal for Seat
The engine options are a 1.4-litre 100bhp petrol with emissions of 129g/km, a 1.8-litre 142bhp petrol with emissions of 137g/km and probably the favoured engine for Irish buyers, a 2.2-litre 150bhp diesel with emissions of just 110g/km.
Seat has launched a new finance offering on its Ibiza and Leon models. Under the new Personal Contract (PCP) deal, after the initial 10 per cent deposit is paid, an Ibiza is available from €4.24 per day or a Leon from €5.56 per day. At the end of a three-year term customers can then choose to buy the car outright, use any equity as a deposit for another new Seat or simply hand the car back with no further payment.