Today's other stories in brief
Hyundai's Sonata replacement
This is Hyundai’s new Sonata replacement in its estate guise, undergoing testing ahead of the car’s launch next April.
The i40 range is believed to be a leap forward in terms of fit, finish and features on the aged Sonata. The Koreans are planning for it to be a serious contender against rivals like the Ford Mondeo.
Details are unconfirmed as of yet but we expect the engine range to feature the 1.7-litre and 2-litre diesel powertrains that also feature in the recently launched iX35 range.
The new i40 will not arrive in Ireland until April at the earliest, but Hyundai is planning to have a revamped line-up in time for the usual January sales.
Alongside revised i10, i20 and i30 models, it will also offer the new iX20 supermini.
Opel's offer
Opel has announced a new “lifetime” warranty on new cars sold in some European markets. Unfortunately, the warranty will not be offered to Irish customers for now, but Opel Ireland say they are “evaluating the campaign” in Germany and in the UK, where it applies to Vauxhall cars.
The “lifetime” warranty also has some limitations in that it only covers up to 160,000 kms (100,000 miles) and only applies to the original buyer of the car. It also requires an annual visit to an approved dealership for a car check-up. It’s a response to lagging sales for the brand and the success of rival offers, such as Kia’s seven-year warranty offer.