A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Porsche's diesel Panamera
Porsche has released a second diesel variant to its line-up. The Panamera diesel will join the Cayenne as the brand’s second diesel offering and will feature a 250bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel that is capable of 1,200km from a single tank.
The new model has fuel economy of 6.3 l/100km and CO2 emissions of 167g/km, so here in Ireland you would pay just €447 in annual road tax as it sits in motor tax band B.
It is still a quick car though, reaching 100km/h in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 242 km/h. No pricing for Ireland has been confirmed.
Refreshed Accord on sale
The Honda Accord has been refreshed and there are lower retail prices in the hope of boosting sales.
The new car, which arrives in Ireland this week, features some refreshments in terms of styling, but also in terms of safety, ride and handling.
Five versions of the car will go on sale, all of which feature a 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine. These include the entry-grade ES, the Type S and the high-spec EX version.
The 150hp 2.2-litre diesel comes twinned with a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic and this engine comes with 180bhp in the sporty Type S version.
Emissions in the new car are now lower too, with emissions of 138g/km in the ES and Type S versions and 141g/km in the EX. The automatic versions have emissions of 159g/km - 162g/km. Prices now start at €30,875 for the ES version and rise to €42,250 for the EX Auto. The Type S will cost €32,725.
Fast charging points revealed
ESB ecars has announced the locations of fast charge points in service stations across the country beginning this month. Following an agreement with Topaz, Maxol and Lidon Ltd, fast charge points will be available along inter-urban routes starting this month and rolling out throughout the summer.
A fast charging point, according to ESB ecars, will charge an electric car from fully depleted to 80 per cent capacity in less than 30 minutes.
The first charge points are being placed at Topaz stations in Monaghan and Cashel, followed shortly afterwards by locations in Cork, Athlone and Cavan in June. A spokesperson for ESB ecars told The Irish Times that it would cost “around €6” to charge an electric vehicle to 80 per cent.
New car sales up 10 per cent
NEW CARS sales are up 10 per cent, according to figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI). 56,710 new cars have been sold up until the end of April, compared to 51,391 over the same period in 2010.
Sales in April were consistent with that of April 2010. 8,714 new cars were registered last month, a 1.5 per cent rise on April 2010’s 8,583 units.
Volkswagen’s Golf has now overtaken the Toyota Avensis as Ireland’s best-selling car, although Toyota remain the biggest selling brand in the country, with 14 per cent of the Irish car market.