The car is available from €25,550 with a similar choice from two grades and two options packs as in the petrol versions.
The Civic is the Irish Compact Car of the Year 2018.
30 January 2018
Diesel Civic arrives in Ireland
The car is available from €25,550 with a similar choice from two grades and two options packs as in the petrol versions.
The Civic is the Irish Compact Car of the Year 2018.
Another 'best' award for Irish Ferries
Irish Ferries has been voted 'Best Ferry Company for the 8th year in a row at the Irish Travel Industry Awards, writes Trish Whelan.
It's the third current such title held by the company, following similar accolades from Irish Travel Trade News and the Irish Independent Readers Travel Awards.
The company has invested €315m in two new vessels , the WB Yeats due to enter service in July and a new 67,000-tonne ferry due for delivery before 2020.
Pictured are Irish Ferries' Marie McCarthy and the company's head of passenger sales Dermot Merrigan with the latest award.
New A-Class for reveal on Friday
This is a teaser for a new generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class due to be revealed on FRiday, writes Brian Byrne.
The formats of the new car will include the familiar hatchback and a new saloon style for some markets. The coupe CLA will also be available in the latest A-Class.
A development of the front-drive platform used by M-B for its compact cars has resulted in a lighter A-Class.
Changes to controls will include a touch-screen interface for the first time and it will have speech control for a number of functions.
Skoda Karoq on sale
The 5-seat compact SUV replaces the Yeti and is wider and longer and offers a much larger cargo space.
There's a choice from four engines with a power range from 115hp-150hp, and transmissions are manual and automatic. The most powerful version has AWD. A new 1.5 turbo petrol is among the powertrain options.
Onboard WiFi is available in the top levels of specification and remote management of a number of functions are available as part of a comprehensive connectivity technology.
29 January 2018
New Santa Fe for Geneva
In addition to a range of what are fast becoming industry standard driver assistance technologies, Hyundai say they will add one that will strike a chord with parents of young children.
It is called Rear Occupant Alert, and it will warn drivers leaving the car if they have forgotten an occupant in the rear.
A sign of sad too-busy-parent times?
Anyway, first produced in 2000, this will be the fourth generation of the Santa Fe nameplate, which has evolved from Hyundai's first medium SUV into a larger and more premium automobile.
Mazda plans 'petrol engine more efficient than electric'
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| Mazda MX-5 |
The Skyactiv-3 engine target is to have a thermal efficiency of 56pc, which would represent an improvement by more than a quarter over the thermal efficiency performance of its current petrol engines.
The claim that it would be cleaner than electric cars is based on the fact that the bulk of electricity is still produced with fossil fuels, and the Mazda engine would come out better in 'well to wheels' emissions calculations.
On the other side of the world, the Mercedes-Benz F1-inspired engine in the Project One supercar is expected to have a thermal efficiency rating of 41pc, making the Mazda projection a very ambitious undertaking in internal combustion engine terms.
24 January 2018
New 8 Series Coupe on test
The tests serve in particular to optimise the vehicle’s driving dynamics on surfaces with a high friction coefficient and mark yet a further decisive stage on the way to the launch of the new BMW 8 Coupe during 2018.
They are being carried out on a disguised prototype.
Plug-in Kia Niro now available
Already in sale in Ireland as a hybrid, the new variant is available for €35,995 including the VRT reduction for this type of vehicle. It is eligible for a €5,000 SEAI grant.
The fuel consumption rating is 1.3L/100km, with CO2 emissions of 29g/km.
The car will be available at a later stage with an improved predictive driving assistance, which improves fuel consumption by suggesting driving techniques suitable for .
The powertrain is based on a 1.6 direct injection petrol engine and a high-capacity lithium-polymer battery.
The Niro is built on a dedicated Kia platform designed for environment-friendly technologies and powertrains.
GoCar expands EV fleet with Renault
This expands an EV fleet established by GoCar in 2016.
The cars will be located on streets where there are charging stations, and can be rented by the hour by GoCar members. The rate is €8 per hour, including a trip distance of 50km. Further distances are charged at 50c/km.
Renault Ireland's country manager Paddy Magee noted that his company already has standard Clio cars as part of the total CoCar fleet and that he is delighted to be working again with the car-share provider, this time with electric vehicles.
"Zoe is the ideal urban car, but with an exceptional range that allows the user to move much further afield and drive out of the city if they so wish," he says.
He's pictured here with Colm Brady, MD of GoCar, who says the inclusion of vehicles like the Zoe offers an opportunity 'for both individuals and business customers to access EVs without having to own one'.
GoCar has more than 300 vehicles across 200 locations in Ireland, and has a current membership of over 15,000.
Next Golf to debut in 2019
A €2bn investment will go into developing the Mk 8 version of VW's best seller.
It is expected that the next Golf will feature a very deep full-time internet connectivity, with self-driving technology a key part of the offering.
Given the backlash towards diesel, it is likely that hybrid systems will be to the fore in the powertrains.
Pictured is the Golf GTE Sport concept shown at the annual Wörthersee GTI extravaganza.
New large Citroen in the works
In a recent interview with Autocar magazine, Citroen CEO Linda Jackson said it will replace both the C5, which was ended last year, and the C6 which was taken out of production in 2012.
The car is likely to be based on the Cxperience concept car shown at Paris in 2016 (above).
Revised Fabia for Geneva
The update will include the provision of LED headlights and rear LEDs will also be available.
Skoda is also promising new technology.
Review: Kia Stonic
Kia's new Stonic is a fresh model in the burgeoning small SUV space, and it may well be this year the Irish operation's best selling car, writes Brian Byrne.
That need not be a surprise. The top seller for the brand here for several years has been the Sportage SUV, competent, stylish, and individualistic.
Stonic is adopting the same formula downsized. With the idea that it will take customers both from larger cars whose owners want to downsize, and get to the younger buyers with a frisky attitude. At the same time, it's a straightforward car which doesn't try to be more than it looks.
21 January 2018
Renault Group in 3rd position for 2017
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| Renault Koleos |
Last year was Renault Group Ireland’s most successful year achieving third position in the combined new car and van market with a combined market share of 9.8pc and 15,226 units sold, writes Trish Whelan.
Renault finished the year with a new car market share of 6.3pc, up from 5.7pc in 2016 while Dacia took 2.8pc of the passenger car market.
One of the Group’s star performers was the Captur crossover (pictured above), maintaining its number one spot at 29.8pc share in its segment for 2017. Renault’s Scenic range also held number one in the C-MPV segment at 17pc, while the Kadjar and Dacia Duster’s combined share of 11.6pc took the Group to fourth position in the C-SUV segment. The Megane range was the best-selling model at 2,300 units while in the B segment, the facelifted Clio and Dacia Sandero ensured Renault Group maintained its number one position.
Renault Group finished in fourth position overall in the new passenger car market and is the only player in the top five brands to have grown new car share in 2017.
Westmeath was Renault’s best-performing county for both passenger cars and LCVs with its market share taking 14.46pc and 29.97pc respectively. Waterford was the top seller for Dacia at 6.25pc share.
2017 saw Renault enjoy the youngest model range in the market with the launch of the new Megane and Scenic ranges as well as the new Koleos and new 100pc electric Renault ZOE Z.E. 40.
On the commercial front, Renault achieved 13.5pc share of the LCV market for 2017 remaining on the podium. Trafic finished in second place in the overall van market and was the best-selling medium-sized van, while Master retained its place on the podium as the number two large van last year. Kangoo gres its segment share from 7.3pc to 9.9pc.
Renault Bank, celebrating seven years in Ireland this year, lent over €200 million to Renault and Dacia customers in 2017. A key driver here was the number of returning Renault Bank customers. Over 60pc of PCP customers have returned to purchase another Renault vehicle. A Renault Bank branch is available in all 28 Renault Group dealerships, offering two-hour decision times and approval rates of 80pc.
Renault continues its sponsorship of The Late Late Show for 2018 as well as the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on TodayFM while Dacia sponsors Breakfast Republic on RTE 2fm.
The 181 Renault passenger car offer includes 3pm APR PCP finance, 3 years’ servicing included and 3 years’ road tax on all models ordered and registered before 31 January 2018. Dacia is offering zero deposit and 4.9pc APR on PCP with Dacia Bank across the range for 181 including new facelifted Duster, Sandero, Stepway and new Logan MCV Stepway.
Renault Pro+ dealers are offering 3pc APR HP over 60 months on all orders taken and registered before 31 January 2018 across the Renault van range.
17 January 2018
JLR to create 150 jobs in Shannon
Jaguar Land Rover is to open a software engineering centre and create 150 jobs in Shannon this year, writes Trish Whelan.
Working alongside JLR’s engineering team in the UK, the Shannon facility will be involved in realising the company’s vision for electric and automated driving vehicles and will develop new technologies to support electrification and self-driving features on future Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles.
The company has selected Shannon as it is globally recognised as a centre of excellence for current and future software engineering talent.
Supported by the Irish Development Agency, the Shannon team will start by developing the next generation of electric architecture as well as exploring advanced driver assistance systems features for future vehicles.
Jaguar Land Rover has agreed a partnership with online education provider Udacity, which specialises in courses such as automated driving, artificial intelligence, robotics and data analytics. These courses will provide the skills to support JLR’s engineering capabilities and ongoing technological innovation.
JLR is looking for software engineers with experience in a range of disciplines such as artificial intelligence, safety critical systems and vehicle architecture.
The first fully electric performance SUV, the Jaguar I-PACE, goes on sale this year.
1 million kms and still going strong ...
James Foley of Leighlinbridge, Carlow, is the proud owner of a 2007 7-seater Ford Tourneo Connect taxi which has done an incredible one million kilometres and is still going strong, writes Trish Whelan.
James has been astounded by the reliability of his Tourneo Connect which he bought second hand in 2008. He works as a taxi-driver in the Carlow-Kilkenny area with the occasional longer run up to Dublin.
The Tourneo Connect has a standard 1.8 TDCI diesel engine which James says has not given an ounce of trouble.
“In my business, regular servicing of your vehicle is an absolute must and I religiously stick to the service schedule - never more than 12,000km between service actions. I also always insist on using only top quality oil in the engine,” said James. “And you can see the result of this dedication to regular maintenance in the high mileage I’ve put on the car and the ongoing trouble-free motoring that I get from it. No reason why she won’t be good for another million!”
James faced a unique problem when the car’s odometer reached 999,999km - the older format dials didn’t reset themselves to zero automatically. Main Ford Dealer, Boland’s of Wexford, stepped in and helped reset the dials free of charge for James.
Ciaran McMahon, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland said the company was delighted to hear about James’ very impressive milestone in his Tourneo Connect. He said 'it also helps when you have a really well put together powertrain like the Ford TDCi diesel engine'.
The Tourneo Connect is the passenger version of the Transit Connect van - the smaller brother of the iconic Ford Transit van. A new version of the Transit Connect will be arriving in Ireland in May this year.
The Tourneo Connect is the passenger version of the Transit Connect van - the smaller brother of the iconic Ford Transit van. A new version of the Transit Connect will be arriving in Ireland in May this year.
Review: Mazda CX-5
Sometimes we don't pay attention to the engineering skills of people who make paint for cars, writes Brian Byrne.
But carmakers do, and Mazda in particular pays a lot of attention to what has become its signature colour, officially Soul Red Premium Metallic.
So, if it is as hugely popular to Mazda buyers as it has become, you don't mess with it, right?
Not quite.
16 January 2018
New generation Jetta launch in Detroit
Styled in the form of a 4-door coupe, the company says the seventh generation of the model has been designed primarily for customers in America.
The new car will have the digitised instrumentation and connectivity systems already familiar in VW and Audi models.
Since it was first launched, as a sedan version of the Golf, some 17.5m units of the Jetta have been produced, 3.2m of which were sold in the US.
Some 991 Jettas were registered in Ireland last year, representing 0.07pc of the brand's sales here.
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