Dacia launches Spring electric car at sub €20k price

Dacia has introduced its new Spring electric SUV to Ireland priced from just €16,990 which currently makes it the most affordable new electric car in Ireland, writes Trish Whelan. The model, now offered in right-hand-drive, was introduced here last week but has sold around 140,000 units since launch across continental Europe in 2021. Dacia say it is perfectly suited for urban use as well as for country roads. 

Two trims are offered: Expression and Extreme as well as two powertrain options. The 45hp and 65hp versions are equipped with a 7 kW AC charger that can charge the battery from 20pc to 100pc on a domestic outlet in less than 11 hours, or 4 hours on a 7 kW wall box. The 65hp versions come with a standard 30 kW DC charger for fast charging from 20pc to 80pc in 45 minutes. The 45hp /33kW engine is available on the Expression trim only. Energy economy is a claimed 13.5kWh/100km for the more powerful option and 14.1kWh/100km for the 45hp version. 

Dacia people said at launch that the 225km range for the compact 26.8kWh is mostly sufficient for customers who travel an average of 37km per day and they can recharge the battery at home overnight on a domestic socket using a specific cable with a 3-pin plug, available as an accessory. 

Expression comes with a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, Media Control system with USB port, cruise control, rear parking sensors; Extreme adds some copper finishes, power rear windows, Media Nav Live multimedia system with the 10-inch centre screen, rear camera, and connected navigation. 

A big range of new ADAS features are on-board to meet the latest European safety standards. Annual road tax is €120 for all versions. The retail price, after grant for private customers, is from €16,990-€19,990.

 

Skoda produces millionth EV battery

Skoda Auto has produced its one-millionth traction battery system for the Volkswagen Group at the company's main plant in Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic, writes Brian Byrne. 

The carmaker has been manufacturing high-voltage traction batteries since 2019. 

With capacities ranging from 55 to 91 kWh (net capacity 52 to 86 kWh), the batteries are installed in the Škoda Enyaq and Škoda Elroq as well as other Volkswagen Group brands including Volkswagen, Cupra and Audi. 

Fiat Professional reveals pricing for latest vans range

A complete specification and pricing matrix for the new Fiat Professional light commercial vehicle range in Ireland has been revealed, writes Brian Byrne. The models include Doblo, Scudo and Ducato.

Doblo comes in three trim levels, a choice of two or three seats, and with electric, diesel and diesel automatic. Prices start at €24,995.

The Scudo medium van comes in two levels of specification with diesel and electric powertrain options. Prices start at €35,995.

The latest generation Ducato large van comes in four different lengths, two wheelbases and three heights, as well as alternative body options that include tipper and chassis cab. Three diesel outputs and an automatic option in powertrains are joined by an electric version. Prices from €35,295. 

Rugby star Aoife Wafer lines out for Ferrybank Motors Opel

Irish Rugby star, Aoife Wafer, brand ambassador for Ferrybank Motors, Main Opel Dealer in Wexford, has been presented with a new Opel Mokka, writes Trish Whelan. She joins her Irish rugby teammates, Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood, Linda Djougang, Aoife Dalton and Beibhinn Parsons, as an Opel brand ambassador. 

From Ballygarrett, Co Wexford, and a physiotherapy student at UCD, Aoife started playing rugby at Gorey RFC aged six, initially playing for the boys’ team, before switching to the Under-15s girls, then moving to Enniscorthy RFC at the Under-16s level. She also played for Blackrock College and Leinster Rugby and earned her first Ireland cap in a 29-8 win over Italy in 2022. 

2024 has been a glittering year for the 21-year-old. Propelled to rugby-stardom and named in the World Dream Team at the 2024 World Rugby Awards in Monaco, she closes the year with the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland’s Women’s 15s Player of the Year title, adding more accolades to her Leinster Young Player of the Year, the Rugby Players’ Ireland Player of the Year, and Young Player of the Year 2024 titles. 

Wendy O’Rourke, Ferrybank Motors Director said: “As official Car Partner to the IRFU, Opel continues to strengthen its commitment to both Irish rugby at every level; club level, nationally and internationally.” She welcomed Aoife onboard as their brand ambassador and wished her continued success in her rugby career. 

Aoife is pictured receiving the keys of her new Opel Mokka from Lesley Walker, Ferrybank Motors.

 

Dacia launches New Duster family SUV

Dacia yesterday unveiled its new Duster family SUV to the Irish car market in good time for the January 2025 new car sales market, writes Trish Whelan. Dacia say this new generation of the model will still be a value-for-money option for buyers with a start price of €25,990 and 9pc APR finance for 251 registrations. 

Now with a more robust and outdoor character, there’s also more space for passengers and luggage (now up to 517 litres of boot space) than the previous generation yet the vehicle is only fractionally longer overall. Features include a more digital and more connected cockpit including a new 7-inch cluster and new 10.1-inch central touchscreen and new infotainment system. Almost 20pc of the plastic used in the New Duster is recycled and the brand will stop using leather and decorative chrome in all its models for environmental reasons. 

Duster is available with 4x4 Terrain control transmission that includes five driving modes of Auto, Snow, Mud/Sand, and Off-Road. Ground clearance of 217mm (between axles) in the 4x4 versions are the highest on the market. New hybrid powertrains are the Hybrid 140, Tce 130, and ECO-G100 that provides a dual fuel option of petrol and LPG. The Hybrid 140 powertrain uses a 4-cylinder, 1.6, 94hp petrol engine with two electric motors, an electric automatic gearbox - the 1.2 kWh battery makes it possible to drive in all-electric mode up to 80pc of the time in cities; the Tce 130 comprises of a 1.2 turbocharged petrol engine and a 48V mild hybrid motor. This powertrain is available with a 6-speed gearbox in the 4x2 and 4x4 versions. 

Grades are Essential and Expression, and for those looking for more than basic technology there’s Duster Journey and Duster Extreme with more equipment and an outdoor focused style. Some 19,500 Dusters have been registered here since launch in 2013. 

About 1,000 Dusters roll off production lines at the carmaker’s plant in Pitesti, Romania, every day where the model is built on the flexible CMF-B platform also used for Jogger, Sandero and Logan models. New Duster is a finalist for European Car of the year 2025, a first for the Dacia brand.

 

 

L&K motorised bicycles pre-dated Skoda

This is the forerunner of Skoda, launched 125 years ago by the bicycle firm established four years previously by mechanic Václav Laurin and bookseller Václav Klement in Czechoslovakia, writes Brian Byrne. Dubbed types A and B, they were showcased in a riding presentation in Prague and were technically refined.

In the spring of 1899 they had already been offering an auxiliary engine for bicycles, but these motorised bicycles had engines within the frame, which lowered the centre of gravity, improving the handling and protecting the engine components. The rear wheel was driven by a leather belt, with speeds of the two versions reaching 30km/h and 40km/h respectively. 

Commercial and sporting successes with motorcycles paved the way for the Mladá Boleslav-based brand’s first automobile, the L&K Voiturette A, in 1905. 

New large Hyundai electric heading to Europe

This is the new Hyundai Ioniq 9, a 3-row large electric SUV on its way to Europe next year, writes Brian Byrne. The style will continue to change the visual image of Hyundai, with very clean slab-sided design similar to the latest Santa Fe and a distinctive rear treatment.

The car will have a rated driving range of up to 620km and there will be RWD and AWD versions.

The car will include in its high tech specification an option for the owner to upgrade to different features over the internet. In some markets the car can be set up to manage parking payment directly by the vehicle itself. Digital side mirrors will replace bulky mirrors with small cameras, the screens inside located close to the angle that mirrors would usually be looked at.

No date yet for arrival and no pricing, but look to Kia's EV9 for probable cost range.

  

Cummins Motor Group win Opel Aftersales 2024 award

Cummins MotorGroup, Main Opel Dealer in Portlaoise, Co Laois, has been awarded the Opel Aftersales Dealer of the Year 2024 accolade, writes Trish Whelan. 

Dealer Principal, Michael Cumins, was presented with the trophy at the annual Opel Dealer Conference held this year in Frankfurt, Germany. The 3-day conference took in a visit to the OpelClassic Collection in celebration of Opel’s 125-year milestone in 2024, together with a future product reveal at Opel’s headquarters in Russelsheim. 

Operating in the automotive trade for over 20 years, Michael Cummins began his motoring career as an apprentice mechanic at 17. He started his own business in Portlaoise 16 years go, and was appointed to the Opel Dealer Network in late 2021. 

Cummins Motor Group topped the polls across set criteria to win the Opel Aftersales Dealer of the Year 2024 title, to include parts sales performance and growth, recall management, technical training, and Aftersales customer satisfaction. Cummins Motor Group were crowned SEAI EV Dealer of the Year 2023 for Co Laois and more recently enjoyed an Irish Enterprise Award for automotive Dealership of the Year 2024 for Co Laois. 

Michael Cummins personally thanked all his team for their ‘absolute dedication to our company and to Opel’. He also thanked all his customers for their support throughout the years. 

Garreth Wilson, Head of Opel Aftersales; Dealer Principals, Michael and Aimee Cummins, are pictured above.