A round-up of today's motor news in brief
New partnership for Daimler
MERCEDES’S PARENT brand Daimler will unveil a new partnership with French carmaker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan later today.
Renault and Daimler have been discussing a partnership as carmakers worldwide seek to become more competitive by sharing technology costs.
It’s some much-needed good news for the German brand after it settled a charge in the US for violating anti-bribery laws. Daimler was accused of making some $56 million in bribes related to more than 200 transactions in 22 countries that earned the company $1.9 billion in revenue and at least $91.4 million in allegedly illegal profits.
The alleged bribes were frequently made by over-invoicing customers and paying the excess back to government officials or their proxies, according to the charges.
The alleged bribes also took the form of luxury European vacations, armoured Mercedes vehicles for high-ranking officials and a birthday gift to a senior Turkmenistan official, including a golden box and 10,000 copies of the official’s personal manifesto translated into German. Daimler have also been accused of violating the terms of the United Nations’ Oil for Food Programme with Iraq.
Focus on limited RS
FORD WILL unveil a limited edition 345bhp version of the Focus RS. The new RS500 – taking its numeric tag from the fact only 500 will be built – will go on sale later this year. Only three are being made available for sale in Ireland. The power output is 15 per cent more than the standard RS and will come a matt black “foil” paint finish with matching alloy. It is the final fanfare for the current RS range ahead of the arrival of an all-new Focus later this year.
New car sales by tax band
Band A
120g/km and under
2010: 30.2 per cent
2009: 11.06 per cent
Band B
121-140g/km
2010: 44.14 per cent
2009: 46.07 per cent
Band C141-155g/km
2010: 11.84 per cent
2009: 20.57 per cent
Band D
156-170g/km
2010: 9.34 per cent
2009: 13.35 per cent
Band E
171-190g/km
2010: 3.03 per cent
2009: 5.87 per cent
Band F
191-225g/km
2010: 0.78 per cent
2009: 1.92 per cent
Band G
226g/km and over
2010: 0.66 per cent
2009: 1.16 per cent
LISTEN UP!
IN THIS WEEK'S Irish TimesMotors Podcast in association with Bridgestone Tyres, we take to the streets in Mitsubishi's iMiev electric car and gather public reaction to the upcoming electric age.
Renault’s Thierry Koskas, head of the brand’s electric vehicle project, tells us about the great advances being made in electric ar development and how we haven’t seen anything yet. Finally, our in-car report features the Fiat 500 Cabriolet.
Listen in at irishtimes.com/ motors/podcast