Irish drivers have put a brake on buying Tesla electric cars, says The Sunday Times. The company run by billionaire Elon Musk, whose split with US president Donald Trump dominated headlines in recent days, has suffered a 13 per cent drop in Irish sales so far this year.
Chinese rival BYD has overtaken Tesla, increasing its sales by 48 per cent, the newspaper reports.
“In Ireland, Tesla’s year got off to a good start with sale of his cars doubling year on year in early 2025, driven by the arrival of the cheaper Tesla Model 3,” it says. “But sales plunged by 62 per cent last month.”
Housing policy chasing developers away
Government policy is driving investment in housing to other countries, according to the Sunday Independent.
Developers including Claire Solon, managing director of the Irish arm of international player Greystar, tells the newspaper that the Government needs to tackle “planning, infrastructure, rent caps and viability”.
The company warns that “problematic policy changes” are pushing housing investment to other countries.
Michael O’Flynn, chief executive of O’Flynn Group, says additional taxes on the building industry in the middle of a housing crisis are “actually holding back the delivery of new homes”. He maintains that the residential zoned land tax has become a development tax.
Hotelier’s Heathrow runway pitch
Surinder Arora, a billionaire hotelier, is joining forces with US engineering giant Bechtel, to pitch an alternative third runway plan for London’s Heathrow airport, reports The Sunday Telegraph.
Mike Kane, Britain’s aviation minister, says the country’s government is open to alternative bids for the hub’s third runway. Mr Arora told the newspaper that his bid could no doubt “build it cheaper than Heathrow Airport Ltd”.
The hotels mogul previously led an alternative bid in 2018, saying he could do it one-third cheaper than the airport company.
Renewables’ biogas call
Renewables developer Bia Energy says data centres and large energy users should be obliged to use biogas to aid kick-starting the industry here, the Business Post writes.
The firm, backed by businessman Eamon Waters, who sold Panda Waste to Macquarie Infrastructure Fund for €1.2 billion, warns that the Government will not meet its climate plan biogas targets.
Bia Energy is calling for a “renewable heat obligation policy” which legally binds large energy users, such as data centres and pharmaceutical manufacturers, to buy renewable energy.
The Republic of Ireland faces penalties of up to €28 billion by 2030 if it fails to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent.
