MITSUBISHI PICKS UP: For those who find the SUV a little passé, Mitsubishi has introduced its new L200 pick-up.
Powered by a new 4-cylinder 136bhp 2.5-litre DI-D diesel engine - with a possible upgrade to 160bhp - the pick-up is styled on Mitsubishi's 11-times Dakar conquering Pajero Evolution. While it is available as a general working vehicle, the vast majority of sales here will be in the double cab high spec. Prices for the Double Cab start at €30,595 and rise to €35,230 while the single cab version starts at €22,995.
R-CLASS SALES DISAPPOINT: Mercedes has run into trouble with the latest addition to its luxury car range.
It is offering $5,000 to US dealers to sell its new R-Class, a highly unusual move just six months after launch. Many dealers are passing the cash straight on to buyers, while subsidised lease offers are also available that make monthly payments on the R-Class lower than several cheaper Mercedes models. The car has also suffered from technical problems that forced the recall this month of most sales since launch.
The incentives come amid a turnround plan designed to take it from losses at the start of last year to operating profit margins of 7 per cent next year.
END OF THE ROAD FOR TVR? Following the announcement that Peugeot was shutting its plant in Ryton, sports car maker TVR followed suit this week by closing its factory in Blackpool and laying off its 260 workers. It comes less than two years after Nikolai Smolensky, a 24-year-old Russian, bought the company. There have been suggestions that management plan to "relocate" the factory to Russia to cut costs.
GENT JOINS FERRARI: Former Vodafone president Sir Christopher Gent has joined the board of Ferrari. Sir Christopher, bruised from the boardroom battle with Arun Sarin, his successor as chief executive at the mobile telephone group, was picked as part of the Italian sports car company's efforts to "internationalise" its board, Ferrari said.