More motoring news in brief.
File on crash sent to DPP
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has sent a file on its investigation into the death of Co Mayo woman Aisling Gallagher to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
At an inquest hearing in Castlebar on Monday, coroner John O'Dwyer agreed to an adjournment and deferred until December 1st.
Ms Gallagher died in a collision with another vehicle on the N59 Achill to Westport road on December 22nd, 2004. The inquest into her death has been deferred a number of times pending the end of the HSA investigation.
The HSA said yesterday: "We have transmitted our investigation file to the Director of Public Prosecutions and cannot make any further comment at this time".
HSA inspector Tom Dowing called it an "extremely complex investigation".
New Toyota people-carrier to hit the forecourts late next year
Toyota is currently working on a people-carrier replacement for its current Corolla Verso. The new car will compete with the likes of the Renault Scenic, Volkswagen Touran and Ford Focus C-Max.
It will be powered by the same range of engines that feature in the current Auris range. However the latest styling direction of the upcoming Avensis is featured on the car pictured. It is expected to be hitting the market late next year.
Production of world's cheapest car under threat
The fate of a plan to make the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, in West Bengal is looking increasingly doubtful after the state's government and main opposition party reached an impasse in talks over the future of the plant.
The two sides have suspended negotiations after the opposition party Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the government of reneging on an agreement to return a large part of the site to farmers who were evicted to make way for the plant.
The breakdown of talks is bad news for the Tata group, which had planned to launch the Nano commercially next month before ramping up to full production of about 250,000 units.
The conflict has come to symbolise India's challenge of industrialising its economy while at the same time not harming its farmers, who make up nearly 60 per cent of the workforce.
Touted as the world's cheapest car with a price of €1,750, the Nano has sparked competition among carmakers to build ultra-low-cost vehicles for emerging markets.
Tata chairman Ratan Tata has warned he will relocate the plant if TMC does not stop its protests. But this would sacrifice a large part of the group's "first mover advantage" in the market.
Detroit carmakers lobby for funds
Meeting US targets to improve automotive fuel efficiency will take substantial capital investment by industry, General Motors chief executive Rick Wagoner told Congress on Friday. Lobbying for $25 billion (€17.7 billion) in low interest loans, Wagoner also said meeting the government's target of 40 per cent better fuel efficiency by 2020 will take leadership and direction from Washington.
Struggling automakers are pressing Congress to activate the loan program included in last year's energy law.
Congressional Democratic leaders hope to push through a $3.8 billion (€2.7 billion) funding measure in the coming weeks.