Irish Times Motors

Peugeot’s new Golf-fighter

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:55:47 GMT

New 308 hopes to rebuild french brand’s sales in Europe

Video: BMW tests next X5 in Ireland

Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:39 GMT

German car firm’s new SUV spotted during pre-launch tests in Galway

Ferrari to reduce sales to protect brand

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:14:16 GMT

Concerns that rising sales in China damaging brand exclusivity

WRC champion Loeb takes on Pikes Peak

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:31:07 GMT

Return to the US could be a route to spreading Peugeot's sales further afield

Over 38,000 cars in Ireland recalled over airbag defects

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 05:25:00 GMT

Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan recall millions of vehicles manufactured between 2002 and 2004

Open-topped Bugatti tops 400km/h

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:23:29 GMT

Grand Sport Vitesse sets new world speed record for an open-top production car

Daimler may cut 2013 outlook on weak European demand

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:47:50 GMT

CEO sees ‘no signs of trend reversal’ in core European market

General Motors to invest €4bn on reviving Opel brand

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:22:57 GMT

Investment to fund 23 model launches through 2016

BMW shows off new X4 concept

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:03:21 GMT

Coupe-styled crossover looks like a shrunken X6

New car sales fall 16% in first quarter

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:45:17 GMT

At current rate of sales, this would be worst year for new car sales since 2009

VW Golf named ‘world car of year’ but not all good news for German brand

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:32:28 GMT

Recall in China dents brand’s reputation in its biggest market

Motors News

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Mazda recalls Mazda6 over fears of potential electrical fire

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:06:37 GMT

New model just launched in January

New Mazda Ireland MD

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:40:31 GMT

Japanese brand struggling to gain market share in Ireland

China sales lifts BMW profits

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:31:01 GMT

BMW avoids margin squeeze suffered by Audi, Mercedes

System blamed for low number of alcohol tests

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:52 GMT

A law introduced to ensure drivers involved in a serious collision are tested for alcohol is not functioning effectively because the Garda computer system has not been updated to take account of the new tests nearly two years after they came into law.

Car giants are upbeat in Geneva

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:52 GMT

Europe’s economy may be in the doldrums and its carmakers in the red, but judging from the showfloor at the Geneva motor show, better days are on the way.

New models with large boots putting their best foot forward

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:52 GMT

Irish buyers have in the past tended to shun estates, certainly compared to our British and European cousins.

Lightning strikes twice for VW's winning Golf

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:52 GMT

The new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf has been named Car of the Year 2013, well ahead of the joint-entry Toyota GT86/Subaru BR-Z, which came second. The announcement was made at a presentation event on the eve of the opening press day at the Geneva Motor Show.

Unionists up in arms about Kia's provocatively named new car

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:51 GMT

Korean car maker Kia faced consternation from Unionist MPs yesterday after it unveiled a new concept car painted green with an orange roof and christened the Provo.

Pricey Mini Paceman doesn't merit badge of honour

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:51 GMT

The Mini brand is continuing its attempt to expand its line-up while retaining the “essence of Mini” that has worked so well to date. In a way, it’s a victim of its own success, a winning retro marketing strategy that so intertwines the brand with the 1960s icon that any attempt to expand out of its current format risks damaging the very essence of what makes it a success.

System blamed for low number of alcohol tests

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A law introduced to ensure drivers involved in a serious collision are tested for alcohol is not functioning effectively because…

BMW chairman says the carmaker hasn't scrapped its electric car dreams

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past few months, it seemed that the world has cast aside electric cars

Car sales fall nearly 8% in February

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sales of new cars fell 7.6 per cent in February with 10,619 registrations recorded

VW plugs in with its new hybrid Golf

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:31:25 GMT

Volkswagen has announced a plug-in hybrid version of the new Golf that will share a part-electric drivetrain with the new Audi A3 e-Tron.

Custom-mades, adventure bikes and arena action at RDS show

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:31:25 GMT

Just 955 new motorcycles took to Irish roads in 2012 according to the Central Statistics Office. It’s a far cry from 2008, when 3,194 new bikes rolled out of the showrooms.

It's sync or swim for car manufacturers as the race to get connected heats up

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:31:25 GMT

The ubiquity of the mobile internet has been thrown in to sharp relief at the Mobile World Congress trade show by two deals between US carmakers and digital and online service providers.

How reliable is your car? Here’s the breakdown

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:31:25 GMT

We have all, at one time or another, been seduced by the appeal of the German car. The combination of a quietly classy image with the promise of peerless engineering standards mean that anything made with a German badge sells like the proverbial heated confectionary. Proof of that is that brands such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen have all managed to defy the worst ravages of the global recession, increasing sales, developing more models and powering to the top of national sales charts.

Modest looks, supermodel performance

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:31:24 GMT

Road Test:First impressions of the Audi A3 Sportback are not inspiring. The new A3 reflects a trend across the premium segment by which every model carries the same facade as its larger and smaller siblings. The idea is simple: create a family look and you increase brand recognition while closing the perception gap between luxury flagship version and entry-level supermini. Audi is not alone: Mercedes and BMW have been doing this for several years now. As one motoring hack recently christened it, we are witnessing the “Russian doll” dilemma in the premium car market.

Modest looks, supermodel performance

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Road Test: First impressions of the Audi A3 Sportback are not inspiring

VW plugs in with its new hybrid Golf

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Volkswagen has announced a plug-in hybrid version of the new Golf that will share a part-electric drivetrain with the new Audi…

A new low for European sales

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:17:39 GMT

Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota led European car sales to a new low in January, kicking off 2013 with an 8.5 per cent decline, the Association of European Automakers said yesterday. Registrations fell to 918,280 new cars, the Brussels-based industry body said in a statement, the slowest January since its records began in 1990.

Alcohol tests still not carried on all drivers in fatal, serious crashes

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:17:39 GMT

Gardaí are continuing to exercise discretion in deciding not to test drivers involved in serious collisions for alcohol consumption, despite the introduction of legislation two years ago removing this authority.

A classy car to tap into your inner oligarch

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:17:39 GMT

ROAD TEST:We like to think that everyone is sharing our economic pain, but the reality is that in countries such as Russia (and certain corners of Ireland) the rich are still getting richer. Hardly surprising, then, that BMW chose St Petersburg for the international launch of the latest incarnation of its flagship saloon, the new BMW 7 Series.

VW makes the leap with new mega-platform

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:17:38 GMT

Ulrich Hackenberg isn’t yet a household name but if Volkswagen’s multi-billion bet on his big idea pays off, he may join the likes of Henry Ford and Alfred Sloan in the canon of auto industry pioneers.

The perils of buying a used car privately

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:17:37 GMT

With car sales in Ireland struggling to get over the 17,000 mark (an 18 per cent drop on the previous, also dismal, January), the market for pre-owned cars is relatively roaring ahead. Nearly 41,000 used cars changed hands in January, but the most striking statistic is that, of that number, 73 per cent were purchased from private vendors.

A new low for European sales

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota led European car sales to a new low in January, kicking off 2013 with an 8

Alcohol tests still not carried on all drivers in fatal, serious crashes

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Gardaí are continuing to exercise discretion in deciding not to test drivers involved in serious collisions for alcohol consumption…

BMW hopes 3 is a magic number

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:22:13 GMT

BRIEFS:BMW has introduced the latest addition to the 3 Series family, the new 3 Series GT, and it’s already proving to be something of a controversial model. You may well remember the 5 Series GT – that halfway house between a 5 and a 7, with the double-boot format similar to that on the Skoda Superb – and that was a car that didn’t go down entirely well with either critics or the buying public.

Is it scrappage time for the traditional car dealer?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:22:13 GMT

The recession that has bedevilled us since 2008 has cut a brutal swathe through Main St, Ireland, taking with it the likes of HMV, Blockbuster, Habitat and Birthdays. While the retail sector has been bloody, it has equally been a bloodbath in the car world, with dealers closing up and shutting down in packs.

The E-class gets a facelift from bonnet to boot

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:22:13 GMT

ROAD TEST:The usual facelift involves a new grille, new head and tail lights, maybe for some a new engine or gearbox and, at most, a bonnet. And, in a seven-year life cycle, they usually arrive just before the five-year mark.

Mazda gets its message across loud and clear

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:22:13 GMT

ROAD TEST:What is to be done with Mazda? It’s one of the most infuriating brands on the motoring planet. Well-regarded for quality engineering and an enviable sporting pedigree, it has earned a reputation as one of the best used-car buys on the market. And yet it languishes in the doldrums of the sales table, largely because it invariably fails to get its message across.

BMW hopes 3 is a magic number

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

BRIEFS: BMW has introduced the latest addition to the 3 Series family, the new 3 Series GT, and it’s already proving to be something…

Evolution rather than revolution with Auris

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:31:25 GMT

ROAD TEST:‘The best built cars in the world,” is the pitch that drove thousands of Irish motorists to put their money in Toyotas for the past 40 years. It was ingenious, playing on the strengths of the Japanese brand at a time when it was common to see sleeker and sportier cars sitting by the side of the road, steam rolling out from under their bonnets.

Irish cars 'are getting older'

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:31:24 GMT

Ireland’s car fleet is ageing faster than previously thought, with the age of cars on the road now at eight and a quarter years on average, according to car data experts Cartell.

Works Cooper delivers barrels of excitement

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:31:24 GMT

FIRST DRIVE:The back seats are missing. That’s the first thing you’ll notice when you climb aboard the (deep breath) Mini Cooper S John Cooper Works GP. It’s a limited edition Mini, with just 2,000 production examples for worldwide sale, and it has been body-kitted, tweaked and tuned to within an inch of its tiny life.

Maserati and Alfa Romeo set for Turin

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:31:24 GMT

Fiat will build Maserati and Alfa Romeo models at its flagship Mirafiori plant in Turin, chief executive Sergio Marchionne said, safeguarding the under-utilised factory’s future for now.

Dedicated and diverse classic car scene in Ireland

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:31:24 GMT

Beware of the classic car bug. Once the venom of delight for older cars is in your bloodstream it’s almost impossible to entirely eradicate. You may well go about your daily life as the driver of a sensible, staid modern hatchback but with the love of classics in your system, your life will vibrate to the tune of some gorgeous 1960’s sexbomb. You will crave it, it may consume you and you will be happily consumed.

Making a smooth crossover into Kuga town

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:38:11 GMT

ROAD TEST:There was a time when car launches were more about wrenches than wifi, when phrases such as torque steer and the coefficiency of drag were spun through the air like confetti. But in the space of three years the lexicon has changed to “syncing” and “apps”. The combustion-engined auto has collided head-on with the tech world.

Kia goes turbo for Geneva

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:23:14 GMT

MOTORS NEWS:We have become used to Kias with high quality, Kias with style and Kias with a long warranty, but are we ready for a Kia with a high-performance engine? Well, we will find out very soon as Kia will be presenting its Cee’d and Pro_Cee’d GT models (below) at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, with a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine with 200bhp.

Fun French car set to lift the Irish gloom

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:23:13 GMT

ROAD TEST:There is not enough fun in our lives anymore. We sit at home, commute to work or shop at the weekend, surrounded by the worst kinds of depression.