A busy year for new cars

Up to 50 new or revised cars will be launched in Europe this year, writes Brian Byrne.

A packed schedule means that in every month there are new vehicles going on sale, their makers all hoping to take as much of the action as possible by retaining existing customers or gaining new ones by conquest.

High on the list of formats are SUV/crossovers (like the Fiat 500X above), a key growth segment for a number of years now. But there will also be new small and family cars, niche vehicles, exotica, and prestige offerings.

In February the BMW 2 Series Convertible will arrive, along with Kia's new Sorento (above), and Rover's Discovery Sport, Mazda's new 2 and the Skoda Fabia wagon.

The latest version of the Alfa 4C, the Spider, roars in during March, as do the Audi TT Roadster (above), Fiat's 500X, the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake and Volvo's big XC90.

April will make available the 3-door version of Hyundai's new i20, plus the Mercedes AMG GT and the new Renault Espace (not for Ireland, as it will only be in LHD).

A 2 Series Gran Turismo from BMW will come in May, along with a new Ford S-MAX, Jaguar's XE, the new city car Opel Karl, and Skoda's brand new Superb.

Just two cars are slated for June, Ford's Mustang and a new Renault compact crossover based on the Nissan Qashqai.

Audi will release a brand new Q7 SUV in July, while we'll also see a new Jazz from Honda (above), a small crossover CX-3 from Mazda, and a GLE Coupe from Mercedes-Benz (below).

The wicked month of August will roll out with Honda's new HR-V, Mazda's latest MX-5 (above), and Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell car, the Mirai.

A new Ford Galaxy MPV will go on sale in September, as will the revised Kia Optima, a Huracan Spyder from exotic Lamborghini, a Mercedes GLC and the latest iteration of Hyundai's ix35.

In October there will be a new R8 from Audi, the latest 7 Series from BMW, a brand new Astra from Opel, and the wagon version of Skoda's new Superb.

A new Audi A4 comes along in November, also the new generation of BMW's X1, and a revision of the Jaguar XF.

In December there will be a refreshed Sportage from Kia, a new Lexus RC 300H coupe, the latest Mini Clubman, a Smart ForTwo Convertible, and a new Volkswagen Tiguan.

Also coming in 2015, but without launch dates yet, are a new Toyota compact crossover, and a new Touran compact MPV from Volkswagen.

And that's not all of them, just what we have details of. It's going to be a busy year, again.

Citroen DS3 'Best Supermini 2013' - survey

Citroen's DS3 has been ranked 'Best Supermini' in the 2013 JDPower/What Car? vehicle ownership satisfaction survey in the UK, writes Trish Whelan.

It ranked 4th in the overall results out of 116 models.

In is very first showing, DS3 received an 82.2 percent satisfactions core - the overall industry average was 77.6 percent - with a maximum five-star rating awarded by its owners for Performance, Service and Running Costs.

The high score means the Citroën DS3 is ranked an impressive 4th in the overall results out of a total 116 models, led only by Skoda’s Superb and Yeti, and the Jaguar XF.

The previous supermini top spot was held by the Honda Jazz.

Fredéric Soulier, Managing Director of Citroën Motors Ireland, said; “This is a simply fantastic result for DS3 and the Citroën brand. The JD Power survey ranks the views of real car owners in the UK so this is very meaningful recognition for a model that continues to go from strength to strength and is obviously rewarding drivers with an outstanding ownership experience. The Irish Dealer Network is also seeing continued growth in sales of DS3 in Ireland.”

Electric Cars for Dublin EU Ministers Summit

Electric cars for EU delegatesEU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik is pictured in a 100 percent electric Nissan Leaf car at Dublin airport.

As part of ESB's sponsorship of Ireland's Presidency of the EU, the company is facilitating the provision of electric cars which are being used to transport some visiting delegates for the duration of the Informal Council of EU Environment and Energy Ministers meetings at Dublin Castle yesterday and today as well as other events during the Presidency.