Hard Shoulder

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Prognosis unclear for Japan

WHILE CONCERNS in Japan obviously focus on the horrendous loss of life and the threat of a meltdown at the nation’s nuclear plants, its future national economic recovery will depend greatly on its motor industry.

Apart from damage to their own plants, Toyota, Honda and their competitors were assessing the state of their suppliers as they considered when they might be able to resume production.

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Analysts said that because of unanswered questions about the viability of the industry’s suppliers and the earthquake-hit country’s ports, it was far too early to provide a prognosis for recovery for one of Japan’s biggest industrial sectors.

Skoda on a roll

SKODA WOULD seem to be on something of a roll these days, with its global operating profit doubled last year to €447 million and global sales of 762,600 in 2010.

In Ireland, sales at the VW-owned firm have increased from 3.04 per cent in 2008 to 5.3 per cent so far this year, making it the seventh biggest-selling car brand in the country.