End of the line for cowboy clampers

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

I was very pleased to see this month that Leo Varadkar is planning to tighten the rules for private clampers. Back in February of last year I attended a session of the Oireachtas Transport Committee to let them know what the AA felt about the issue.

 To state the extremely obvious, motorists don’t like being clamped. When we researched the issue we found that about seven per cent of motorists reported that they had been clamped in the previous year. Of those fully two thirds felt that they had been hard done by and only 20 per cent felt that it was fair.

BMW named Ireland’s most reputable company

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

BMW has been named the most reputable organisation in Ireland, according to the results of the annual Ireland RepTrak 2013 study, announced by Corporate Reputations today.

Toyota hybrid vehicle global sales top five million

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

Global sales of Toyota Motor Corporation’s hybrid vehicles topped the five million unit mark at the end of March.

Ford’s new fuel-efficient 1.5-litre eco boost engine

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

Ford Motor Company has confirmed a new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine will join its line-up of fuel-efficient, innovative powertrains.

Ford says this engine is a key strategic entry as the company works to meet the strong global demand for its four-cylinder EcoBoost engines

Bradley Motor Works appointed Renault dealer

Thu, Apr 25, 2013

Renault is back in business in Galway as Bradley Motor Works has been appointed main dealer in the county.

Damaging your own car is costly but common

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

Car manufacturers have spent millions investing in new technologies to protect drivers. There are thousands of components that go to make up a modern automobile and every single one has been researched, scrutinised, refined and redesigned a thousand times.

Mercedes-Benz world first in van safety systems

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

Mercedes-Benz is claiming a ‘world first’ status for its new Euro 6 compliant Sprinter vans range into which an additional five new safety assistance features are being fitted with the aim of preventing accidents from occurring.

Three world premieres for this category of vehicle are: Crosswind assist to help keep the van safely on course when winds are gusting strongly; Collision prevention assist which sounds an alert should the vehicle come too close to other moving traffic on the road ahead; and blind spot assist which alerts the driver to the presence of other vehicles when changing into an adjoining lane.

Ford delivers fast and dynamic Fiesta ST

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

The new Ford Fiesta ST is Ford’s fastest and most dynamic small production performance car ever - now that's saying something.

1.6 litre engine is now most popular in Ireland

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

The 1.6 litre engine is now the most popular engine size in the Irish private fleet, according to vehicle car history check experts, Cartell.ie.

The 1.6 litre engine is now undeniably Ireland’s choice of engine size, representing 28 per cent of registrations in 2012 – almost 6,000 units ahead of its nearest rival. In 2007 the 1.4 litre engine was the most popular choice with a 23 per cent share of registrations.

New Jaguar XJR revealed

Thu, Apr 18, 2013

A new high-performance Jaguar XJR, powered by a 542bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, debuted at the recent New York Motor Show.

Number of penalty points fell in 2012

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The total number of penalty point incidents fell last year compared to 2011. In all there were just over 239,000 cases, down by 7.2 per cent annually. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your point of view.

The official line from the Garda and the Road Safety Authority is that drivers are getting the message and behaving themselves better. That may well be true and of course the most important statistic of all – the number of road deaths – also fell which would tend to support it.

Two more new Dacia dealers appointed

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The Dacia Ireland network of dealerships has expanded to 22, with the news that JJ Burke’s in Ballinrobe, County Mayo, and Hogan Motors in Ennis, County Clare, have joined Ireland’s fastest growing car dealership network.

New Toyota RAV4 launched with a super price

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

This week Toyota Ireland launched the new RAV4 priced from €27,995. This fourth--generation SUV features new distinctive, sophisticated styling, premium-quality interior design, a new integrated dynamic drive system, and an engaging drive with fuel efficient powertrains and reduced emissions, resulting in road tax from €270 per annum. In addition, with Toyota Flex, customers can own a new RAV4 from €299 a month.

All-new Range Rover Sport debuts

Thu, Apr 11, 2013

The new 2014 Range Rover Sport officially debuted in New York recently and brough the city to a standstill when 007 James Bond, aka Daniel Craig, did the launch honours.

The Range Rover Sport is a dynamic and class looking mode, shedding its more conservative look. While the new Sport sits on the same lightweight platform as the new Range Rover, it is not a baby brother to the king of SUVs. In fact about 75 per cent of the Sport is new and unique. It has an all-aluminium body with the weight saving over the current Sport delivering economy and emissions improvements of up to 15 per cent.

Speaking the same language for road safety

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

Comparing data across different countries can be awkward. There are differing methodologies and ways of doing things. You have to do a lot of ground work to agree a lot of details before you can be sure that you are making valid comparisons.

Lexus ranks as the highest luxury brand again

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

Lexus has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among luxury brands in the JD Power and Associates 2013 Customer Service Index Study for the fifth consecutive year.

Volkswagen Golf is the 2013 World Car of the Year

Thu, Apr 04, 2013

The new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf was declared the 2013 World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, adding this global title to the European Car of the Year which it won earlier this month, writes Padraic Deane.

New road safety strategy won’t be exciting but will be important

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

This week the RSA will be publishing the latest Road Safety Strategy for Ireland. It will run for seven years taking us up to 2020.

The key measures will become well known in the coming days. In fact it is not all that revolutionary; a lot of the obvious measures that Ireland needed to take have already been done. To coin a fairly awful marketing expression, the ‘low hanging fruit’ has already been plucked.

Volkswagen first all-electric car - the e-up! debuts

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Volkswagen has been working on fully electric production vehicles for some time and finally has presented its first - the new e-up!.

Alfa Romeo unveils stunning 4C in Geneva

Thu, Mar 28, 2013

Alfa Romeo returned to the Geneva Motor Show with a spectacular stand that unfolded like a winding, dynamic road - the ideal place to present the world première of the Alfa Romeo 4C.

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.