Today's other stories in brief
New Irish motor show comes to 3e
PETROLHEADS HAVE a reason to stay in on Friday evenings. A new Irish motor show, Xccelerate, begins this Friday at 7pm on 3e. The show is co-hosted by Conor Twomey, a contributor to The Irish TimesMotors supplement, and TV presenter Rachel Wyse.
It will provide a local flavour to motoring coverage on TV and some upcoming features include tests of BMW's X1, a twin test of the Fiat 500C and the Abarth 500, several bike reviews and features on Defence Force vehicles and Dublin Airport fire engines.
There will also be a search for Ireland's fastest pensioner and paintball battles in Mazda2s.
New Mercedes E-Class cabriolet
THIS IS the new Mercedes E-class cabriolet, caught testing ahead of an official launch at next year's Detroit motor show.
Following on the from smart coupé recently launched on the Irish market, this new derivative will arrive - complete with soft-top - by the middle of next year.
Its front-end styling is identical to that of its coupé sibling, while Mercedes has opted for a fabric roof to keep weight to a minimum and increase rear headroom.
The engine range has yet to be confirmed but expect four-, six- and eight-cylinder units taken from the latest E-class saloon and coupe range.
Toshiba to sign-up car companies for new lithium-titanate batteries
TOSHIBA EXPECTS to sign up around five car companies as customers for its new lithium-ion battery, according to the head of the business.
Shoshi Kawatsu, general manager of the Super Charge Battery (SCiB) division, also said Toshiba was preparing for the possible manufacturing of batteries in the US and Europe, and would make a decision on whether to go ahead in 2011.
Toshiba has no existing presence in lithium batteries but says its lithium-titanate chemistry has a number of advantages. including a lifespan of more than 10 years; much lower risk of fire in a crash; reliable output even when low on charge; and the ability to recharge to 90 per cent of capacity in only five minutes.
So far Toshiba has announced a partnership only with Volkswagen but Kawatsu said it was in talks with various carmakers in Japan and abroad.