C70 for Ireland in April

The new Volvo C70 retractable hardtop, which replaces the former 70 series coupe and cabriolet, goes on sale in Ireland in April at a starting price of €51,750. The top of the range version will sell for €62,950.

It will be available in three levels of specification and with a range of engines based on the 2436cc and 2521cc 5-cylinder units already familiar to Volvo owners.

Power outputs will be 170bhp and 220bhp, and a 180bhp will come available shortly after launch.

Five- and six-speed manual gearboxes are used, depending on engine, and a 5-speed Geartronic automatic is available on all variants.



Brian Byrne.

Megane revised

Renault has revised its Megane model with new tapered headlamps, a revised grille and bumpers, translucent rear lights and new wheels and wheel trims.

There's also a revised range of engines – all Euro 4-compliant – including a new 2.0 dCi 150hp diesel. The 1.9 dCi engine's power output has been increased to 130hp and now comes with a periodic-regeneration particulate filter.

New Mégane is available too with the 1.5 dCi 85hp and 105hp engines.

The range of petrol engines features the 1.4 16V (100hp), the 1.6 16V (110hp), the 2.0 16V (135hp) and the 2.0 T (165hp), plus the 225hp 2.0 16V Turbo which powers the Mégane Renault Sport.

Trish Whelan.

Roomster finally revealed

Skoda have released this first official picture of their new Roomster which is due to arrive on the Irish market next Autumn.

Making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the Roomster becomes the fourth model in the Skoda family and a step into a new compact SUV segment.

Prices and detailed specifications for the Irish market will be announced closer to its launch date.

Brian Byrne.

More hybrids in US

Ford has revealed a hybrid Escape research SUV in the US which will use ethanol fuel as well as electric power, and which the company's engineers say could cut a further 25 percent C02 emissions from the original hybrid.

Ethanol releases no fossil–based CO2, so its use in place of petrol reduces the release of greenhouse gases.

Ford plans to build 250,000 hybrid vehicles a year globally by the end of the decade.

A biofuel Focus is being launched in Ireland this month and a Government tax break has enabled Ford Ireland to retail the Focus FFV, which can run on either ethanol or conventional petrol, at €3000 less than equivalent models.

Brian Byrne.

New F1 Honda announced

The Honda Racing F1 Team has unveiled its challenger for the 2006 Formula One season and the new driver line-up of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello.

It is the first Formula One car launched by a Honda works team since 1968.

The new cars and their RA806E engines are the product of a single, unified team which combines the resources of the Honda Racing F1 Team Operations Centre in Brackley, England, Honda Racing Development’s engine base in Bracknell, England, and Honda R&D in Tochigi, Japan.

Brian Byrne.

Linders go Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge

Linders of Chapelizod have been appointed as authorised main sales, service and parts dealers for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.

Linders are one of the oldest motor dealers in the country having been started by the legendary Sonny Linders in Smithfield in 1938.

They became the first ever Toyota dealer in Ireland in 1973. The company moved from Smithfield to Chapelizod in 2002.

Chrysler has introduced the Chrysler 300C premium saloon, available with a 5.7 V8 Hemi or 3.0 V6 diesel engine.

In 2006 Dodge will become the third brand of the Chrysler Group to be introduced to Europe. The first Dodge to be seen at Linders next July will be the Caliber, a hatchback with coupe like profile.

Brian Byrne.

Colt cabrio for Geneva

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will unveil the third variant of the European Colt family at the 76th Geneva Motor Show

The Colt CZC coupé-cabriolet has been developed together with Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina.

The car is powered by the 150ps 1.5 litre MIVEC turbo-charged engine shared with the Colt CZT.

Brian Byrne.

WRC round 'worth €20m a year'

Securing a stage of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for Ireland in 2007 would be worth up to €5 million.

Rally Ireland 2005 generated an economic benefit of over €2.4 million during its pilot event last October. 

Organisers say that the WRC could have benefits worth over €20 million per year to the local economy.
 
Brian Byrne.

VW California camper arrives

Volkswagen's new California camper, based on the VW Caravelle and which sleeps four people, has arrived in Ireland.

Fitted with an electro-hydraulic pop-up roof as standard that incorporates a second bed, the California is offered with three engine options - a 1.9 TDI developing 104bhp and two 2.5 TDI engines of 130bhp and 174bhp power output.

Prices start at €52,395.

Trish Whelan.

Mini Traveller for production

BMW has committed itself to building a production version of the Mini Traveller concept, after 'overwhelming approval' of the studies so far shown.

The new car will appear sometime in the next three years.

Brian Byrne.

Captiva for Geneva

Chevrolet's new Captiva, the first diesel powered compact SUV from the brand, will be launched at the Geneva Motor Show at the end of February.

The vehicle will be available with a 2-litre 150hp diesel and two petrol versions -- a 2.4-litre four and 3.2-litre V6.

The new diesel engine was jointly developed by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Company, GM Powertrain and VM Motori and fuel consumption is 8.1 L per 100 km.

Brian Byrne.

New diesel from Renault

Renault has launched a new 2.0 dCi diesel engine with a 150hp version available in New Mégane and New Laguna,
and a 175hp version with particulate filter also destined for New Laguna.

The 1995cc unit was jointly developed by Renault and Nissan and is teamed with a new 6-speed manual gearbox. It complies with Euro 4 emissions standard.

Fuel consumption is rated at 5.4-5.8 L/100km for the 150hp version and 6 L/100km from the 175hp version.

Brian Byrne.

Ford's new WRC's maiden

The opening of the FIA World Rally Championship season in Monte Carlo this weekend heralds a new era for Ford motorsport. 

A new Focus RS World Rally Car is complemented by a fresh driver line-up comprising double world champion Marcus Grönholm and rising star Mikko Hirvonen. 

The new Focus RS WRC is based on the recently launched Focus ST road car and is fitted with a turbocharged 2.0 litre unit, with 300bhp.

In the Rallye Monte Carlo drivers can face bone dry roads, streaming wet asphalt and treacherous ice - with the threat of snow on the highest ground. 

Brian Byrne.

Punto's Grande ideas

Fiat Auto Ireland has launched its Grande Punto in both 3- and 5-door versions with a choice of two petrol engines and two turbo-diesel engines: 1.2 and 1.4 petrol units, 1.3 Multijet 75 bhp and 1.3 Multijet 90 bhp turbo-diesel units.

It is longer, higher, wider, more spacious and more luxurious than its predecessors and is the first car in the B segment to measure more than four metres long.

Prices are from €14,795 for the 3-door 1.2 65 bhp Active to €20,395 for the 1.3 90 bhp Multijet Emotion 5-door model.

In April, five versions including the 1.4 95 bhp Grande Punto Emotion and Sporting will join the range. The current 1.2 Punto model will remain on sale as a price-leader model.

Trish Whelan.

Alfa Romeo's new 159 range arrives

The new Alfa 159 range offers a choice of six engines across nine versions with prices starting at €36,550.

The three petrol engines are 1.9 JTS 160 bhp, 2.2 JTS 185 bhp and 3.2 JTS 260 bhp 4x4. Turbo-diesel engines are a 1.9- 120bhp, 1.9 150 bhp and 2.4 200 bhp.

Features include ABS with EBD, VDC which is Alfa Romeo's Electronic Stability Programme, and ASR (anti Slip).

The Alfa 159 has been awarded 5-stars in Euro NCAP tests for safety, the third model in succession from Fiat Auto to reach this level.

Trish Whelan.

Peugeot 207 revealed

Peugeot has unwrapped preliminary details of the new 207, due for arrival in Ireland this summer.

The latest arrival from Peugeot joins the new 107, the existing 206 range and the new 1007 and will go on sale alongside the 206 range, production of which will continue for a number of years.

The 207 hatchback is 19.5cm longer, 6.8cm wider and 4.4cm higher car than the 206.



Brian Byrne.

New Ford model

Ford of Europe has named officially the production version of its SAV concept vehicle as the S-MAX .

The vehicle will be positioned between the Ford Mondeo Wagon and the seven-seat Ford Galaxy MPV.

Prices will be announced around the time the S-MAX goes on sale in the middle of this year.

Brian Byrne.

Citroen takes time over C6

Citroen is allowing more than two-and-a-half times the number of hours it takes to build its new C6 executive car than the next model below it, the C5.

That's in large measure because of quality control. The company is determined that its new flagship will have 'zero defects', especially in the electronics area that plagued the C5 in its early years.

The C6 will launch in February in its main European markets, powered by a 2.7-litre V6 diesel and a 3-litre V6 petrol. Its direct competitors are the Audi A6, the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes-Benz E Class.

Brian Byrne.

Toyota's top models

Toyota was substantially the largest-selling brand in Ireland in 2005, with no less than three models in the top ten cars sold.

With its Corolla, Avensis and Yaris, the Japanese carmaker sold 22,113 units of a total of 64,809 top ten sellers, more than a third.

Ford was the second largest seller in the top ten, leading the table with its 10,955 Focus units and adding 4,411 Fiestas to a total of 15,366 cars.

In the total 2005 market outturn of 171,732, Toyota sold 24,260 cars, followed by Ford with 20,413 and Volkswagen with 14,653 cars.

Brian Byrne.

More Hondas from Civic platform

The next Honda CR-V and HR-V cars are expected to be built on the platform inaugurated under the new Honda Civic.

And according to speculation by well-connected automotive commentators an all-new global model car from Honda might also be produced on the architecture.

About 100,000 Civics for the European market will be built each year at the company's factory in Swindon in Britain. A further 20,000 sedan versions will be imported from a facility in Turkey.

Brian Byrne.

New LS revealed

Lexus has shown its next generation LS flagship at the Detroit Motor Show.

It will be powered by an all-new 4.6-liter V8 engine that will produce approximately 380 hp. Combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission, a world-first, the LS 460 will accelerate from 0-60mph in less than 5.5 seconds.

The stylining is based on the Lexus L-Finesse ethos introduced in the latest versions of the GS and IS cars.



Brian Byrne.

Focus is Number One

The Ford Focus has again claimed the title of Ireland’s best-selling car, according to industry statistics.

The car has a market share of almost 6.5 percent.

The top selling cars in 2005 were:

1. Ford Focus 10,955
2. Toyota Corolla 9,403
3. Toyota Avensis 8,843
4. VW Golf 7,033
5. Nissan Almera 6,749
6. Opel Astra 4,819
7. Renault Megane 4,783
8. Ford Fiesta 4,411
9. Skoda Octavia 3,946
10. Toyota Yaris 3,867

Brian Byrne.

Is it a car? Is it a bike?

Volkswagen says it's a motorbike, but it has more in common with a roadster than that.

The GX3 presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show today is powered by a 1.6-litre 125hp VW engine, has a chain-driven rear wheel with suspension of the motorbike kind, and two seats side by side.

And yes, it does have a steering wheel instead of handlebars.



But VW claims it qualifies to be ridden in the bus lanes in the US, where it is aimed.

And it may even be built, if there's enough interest in its Stateside market.

And they're suggesting it could cost less than $17,000.

Oh, yes ... and the power/eight ratio is such that it can do the 0-100km/h in just 5.7 seconds.

We reckon they'd not be able to meet the demand!

Brian Byrne.

New Volvo concept previews C30

The Volvo C30 Design Concept which makes its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show next Monday will preview the syle of the production car to be introduced next autumn in Paris.

The company is aiming to rival the Audi A3, BMW 1-Series, and Alfa 147 with their 2-door car.

The car is shorter but wider than a Volvo S40 saloon and is powered by a 260bhp 2.4-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged engine.

Brian Byrne.

Car sales up

Year on year car sales were up 11.4 percent at the end of 2005, or 171,732 units against 154,136 in 2004.

About 130,000 old cars were scrapped in the same year, according to an estimate by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI).

Toyota sold 24,260 cars during 2005, followed by Ford with 20,413 and Volkswagen with 14,653 cars.

Brian Byrne.

New AMG supercar for Detroit

Mercedes-Benz is debuting its new S 65 AMG is celebrating its world premiere at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.

The car is powered by an AMG 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine which can accelerate it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.

A 5-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel gearshift paddles transfers the power to the wheels.

Brian Byrne.