This week in brief
Next generation Mercedes SLK roadster due for 2011 launch
MERCEDES IS working hard on the next generation of its SLK roadster.
Retaining its folding metal roof, the new model, not due for launch before 2011, will lose its current Formula One-inspired front nose and instead get a more upright and prominent grille.
Other changes include new Mercedes door handles and wing mirrors that will be mounted on the doors rather than on the a-pillars. More details will emerge as the launch date gets closer.
Drop in sales prompts new bail-out pleas
THE BRITISH government was facing renewed pleas to bail out the ailing British motor industry this week as figures showed sales of new cars had dropped by almost a third, year on year.
Only 313,912 cars were registered in March – a 30.5 per cent fall in sales from this time last year, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed, prompting fresh calls for the government to pay motorists to trade in their old cars for new ones.
The motor industry and lobby groups are hoping this months budget will include a scrappage scheme, under which car owners are given a financial incentive of about £2,000 (about €2,200) to swap their old vehicle for a new greener model.
Treasury officials have told the industry they are seriously considering including such a stimulus in the UK budget taking place in a fortnight, although ministers publicly insist no decision has been taken.
A German scrappage scheme that offers €2,500 to get rid of any vehicle over nine years old has attracted more than half a million buyers, with sales soaring by 40 per cent in March.
The SMMT estimates 280,000 Britons would take advantage of a similar programme over an 18-month period. This would cost around £560 million (around €620 million), a figure the SMMT said would involve a net cost of £150-160 million. The rest of the money would come from VAT on new cars.
However, green groups counselled against such a “knee-jerk” response and said the money could be better used to fund sustainable transport solutions. Some environmental organisations fear funds could be diverted from existing pots of money set aside by the government for investment in green technologies, such as the £400 million earmarked in the pre-budget report for an “environmental transformation fund” which supports the development of new low-carbon energy and energy-efficiency technologies.
Pro-motoring lobbyists argue that if the government does not move quickly to boost the industry, further jobs would be lost and some manufacturers may transfer their business to other countries.
In Whitehall, the debate is still swirling over the wisdom of adopting a scrappage scheme.
Peter Mandelson, secretary of state for business, said in February that his department was examining the experience of other countries to see if it would work in Britain and car makers were asked to produce costed proposals, but no decision has been made. David Cameron said in January that his Conservative Party were looking at the idea but he was yet to be convinced.
– Guardian Service
Chrysler names supplier for electric car batteries
CHRYSLER, RUSHING to develop electric cars for better fuel efficiency, has picked A123 Systems to supply lithium-ion batteries for such future models.
Chrysler was ordered by the government to re-organise by the end of April and is pressing its electric vehicle plans, which include a plug-in sports car, the Dodge Circuit, and four others that use on-board gasoline-powered generators to recharge batteries.
The company’s first electric vehicle is due late next year. Chrysler hasn’t said which it will build.
“We really wanted to be on the forefront of this technology,” said Lou Rhodes, who leads Chrysler’s electric vehicle team. “We think this will help change and move the perception of Chrysler.”
Chrysler has said it will put 100 electric vehicles into government and business fleets for testing this year.
The automaker is surviving with $4 billion in US loans and may get as much as $6 billion more if it completes an alliance with Fiat by the April deadline.
Hybrid Hyundai by 2012
HYUNDAI IS developing two hybrid models, both derived from technology previewed in the Blue Will concept car debuted at last week’s Seoul motor show.
Both will be unique models rather than conversions of existing cars. Petrol and electric motors will be arranged so that each can drive the car alone and in combination. One will also be a plug-in.
The two versions share the same platform and basic mechanical layout – a 152bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, a 134bhp electric motor and continuously variable transmission, this drivetrain claimed to be capable of 106mpg – but each will have distinct styling.
Also featured will be an exhaust heat-recovery system, with the recaptured energy used to power the car’s electrical systems.
The models will be launched in Korea in 2012 before going on sale in Europe in, most likely, the plug-in arriving shortly after the conventional hybrid.
– Reuters