A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Spotlight on China as French probe Renault spy scandal
Chinese motor industry figures are denying any link to the Renault spy scandal, which has seen three Renault executives, including one member of its management committee, suspended over allegedly leaking data relating to its electric car programme.
Renault is saying that an international network may have obtained data about its electric car programme, but that its vital technology secrets were safe and production of the cars would go ahead as scheduled.
The three Renault executives are thought to have had access to Nissan Motor and LG Chem power packs and battery-management systems. Late last week a French government source had said that a Chinese link was being explored. However, China has denied any connection and labelled as “baseless” reports that the possibility was being probed. But, a French government spokesman said on Tuesday that France was not accusing any country of involvement.
As yet, none of the three Renault staff have been charged with anything but are due to meet with Renault management this week.
Nissan say they are confident their alliance partner Renault has handled the affair correctly and isn’t concerned about the potential loss of secrets. Nissan began selling the Leaf in the US and Japan last month and will introduce it to Europe later this year.
New C4 offers Irish market three diesel engine options
Citroën has launched its new C4 on the Irish market this week, with prices starting from €18,990.
Hoping to take some sales from the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and Renault Megane in the hatchback market, the French manufacturer’s new C4 comes in three time levels and three diesel engine options, including a 1.6-litre e-HDI version with emissions of just 109g/km.
Early car sales up on last year but commercial figures slump
Initial figures for new car sales over the first 10 days of the year show an increase of 41 per cent on 2010.
The latest statistics from Motorcheck Car Index show that new car registrations were 6,296 by close of business on Monday, up from 4,467 on the same 10-day period last year.
Toyota has taken the lead with 1,102 registrations, ahead of Ford with 735 and Renault with 608. The biggest selling models are Toyota’s Avensis and Corolla, followed by the Renault Fluence.
However, the news is not all good, with registrations for commercial vehicles – which are often a bellwether for overall economic activity – down 22 per cent from last year to 617.