Car 6

The late Lee Iacocca was the US Ford guy who decided in the mid-1960s that there was a market for an affordable sporty car based on the humble Falcon sedan, writes Brian Byrne . He nixed a couple of smaller concepts before deciding on a version that was still a ‘family man’s’ potential buy. Built on the Falcon’s underpinnings, it was only about $400 more than the sedan’s $2,400. The rest is icon history. I remember because I was at the time fascinated by American cars, in motor magazines which then crossed the Atlantic. I had a special version of the Mustang to drive within a few weeks of Iacocca’s passing last month. The Bullitt is a limited edition version of a model still totally individual more than five decades after it debuted. This one doesn’t have a Ford oval badge, nor a Mustang name anywhere. It doesn’t have the classic motif in the grille. Only, in the back panel behind where the original had the fuel filler hidden, the name ‘Bullitt’. But everywhere I drove, the...

Skoda's Octavia has been named as the car with the best residual values in Ireland for the third successive year, writes Brian Byrne . The nomination was in the most recent DoneDeal Motor Industry Review . According to the publication, the Octavia only loses a third of its value in its first three years. The Octavia has been on sale in Ireland in a number of generations for some 21 years. The model currently enjoys a 7.9pc share in the Irish market.

Ford Ireland MD Ciaran McMahon. Ford is going to provide lower-tariff electricity to customers of its electrified vehicles in Ireland and the UK, through a partnership with the international energy services provider Centrica, writes Brian Byrne . In the Irish context, Centrica home- and Ford-dealer charging systems will work with Bord Gáis Energy in the scheme. More details closer to launch. Every new Ford passenger vehicle nameplate in Europe will include an electrified option – mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full battery electric.

Tesla screen could 'soon' show streaming movies. Can't wait until you get home to get your next Netflix hit? That's OK, just pull over and put your car into Park, writes Brian Byrne . That's the substance of the latest tweets from Tesla founder Elon Musk. Apparently, in an unspecified time-frame, both Netflix and Youtube will be available to stream onto the electric car's big centre screen. But only when the car's transmission is in Park position. He suggests inbuilt sound systems in cars are the best places to enjoy a 'fully immersive' surround sound experience. TV reception has been available in many luxury cars for many years, but not in the front while the car is being driven.

Mercedes-AMG CLA45 S — be quiet, now. The snarly sound of most sports-oriented cars is one of the attractions to buyers, but the EU figures that doesn't help the quality of life of those on the street who have to hear it, writes Brian Byrne . So a new regulation aims to trim back the current maximum permitted noise levels from cars. At the moment that is 74 decibels, but the regulation will have it down to 68 decibels by 2026. Carmakers are taking note. One option is to have artificial exhaust notes, working through the car's audio speakers. But the Mercedes-Benz AMG division is staying natural, routing the sound directly into the cabin before muting it as the exhaust expels through the tailpipes. So, for pedestrians and cyclists and other audio-unprotected road users, the 'snap, crackle and pop' of the super sports cars will in future be only in their Rice Krispies.

Toyota’s RAV4 family crossover is now offered only with hybrid technology, writes Trish Whelan . The car was one of a number of new self-charging hybrid cars (with Corolla and Camry), which have landed on our shores from last January.   The RAV4 has been a big success since then with a huge demand from both retail and fleet customers. Drivers looking to make the switch from diesel to the more environmentally and economically friendly hybrid are finding it quite affordable to do so as buyers enjoy a lower monthly payment for a hybrid over a petrol.   Like PHEVs, hybrids are a half way measure to going full electric. They have different characteristics from conventional cars. RAV4’s system combines a 2.5L petrol engine, CVT automatic transmission, a battery pack and an electric motor to give 218bhp in 2WD. The AWD provides 222hp from this system. Toyota say this new generation of self-charging hybrid vehicles are more fuel efficient resulting in a signi...

Economist Jim Power The Quarterly Motor Industry Review for Q2 of 2019, released by The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), warns that 12,000 Motor Industry jobs here are under threat if the Government fails to adjust VRT bands in the October Budget, writes Trish Whelan .  The report, composed by economist Jim Power, makes for stark reading.   Despite the economy performing strongly, the environment for new car sales continues to remain very challenging with new car registrations down 7.4pc (80,712 units) on the back of a rise in used car imports which are up 2.4pc this year (53,119). Since the announcement of Brexit, both new cars and commercial registrations continue to drop with the exception of electric cars and used car imports.   External threats such as Brexit uncertainty, greater consumer caution and the ongoing growth of used imports continue to undermine new car sales. Another factor dampening demand was the increase in the VRT on new cars in...

A new Grand California motorhome has been launched in Ireland by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, at a starting price of €76,900, writes Brian Byrne. Based on the Volkswagen Crafter large van, the completely new addition to the California range is available in both 2- and 4-berth formats, and the price includes product design and delivery. Power is a 177hp engine with 8-speed automatic transmission. Features include a bathroom with toilet and shower, a kitchen and dining area, and there are options which include overhead bunk beds for children, an awning, rear bicycle rack, and air-conditioning. All the driver assistance and infotainment systems from the Crafter are available in the Grand California. The first California motorhome was launched in 1988, based on the Bulli commercial van. The new one joins the T6 based vehicle.

There's a new offer in SUVs coming from Audi, it the form of a coupe-esque version of the Q3, dubbed the Q3 Sportback, writes Brian Byrne . A lower roofline and a spoiler provide a visual that looks longer than the standard Q3. The lower roof also gives the front view of a much lower, apparently wider car. Power will be a 230hp petrol and a 150hp diesel. No prices until closer to the Irish arrival in October.

Having driven a (thirsty) American Chevrolet Silverado for a time last week , I was interested to see this one, writes Brian Byrne . Produced in the US by a company called Hennessy Performance Engineering, they call it the Silverado Goliath 6x6. Obviously that latter relates to the extra pair of wheels and a third axle installed in what is already a pretty massive pickup. New rear suspension and an 8-inch lift kit are part of an extensive range of extra kit on this one, which also has 450hp from the Silverado's V8 ... but they're planning a 750hp one. Cost? $375,000. So, you were saying, you just bought a new L200 ...?

Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Dublin City Council (DCC) have launched a Mobility Hub pilot as part of the Smart Dublin initiative, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Programme. Under the project, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will provide a shared electric car and e-bike service at the council’s Wood Quay offices, helping to reduce congestion, free up parking spaces and encourage Council employees to adopt healthier ways to commute. The dedicated vehicles – three Nissan Leaf electric cars and five e-bikes – are available to employees during the workday. DCC team members can reserve vehicles through a smartphone app, their laptop or PC, and can view real time information on vehicle availability. Access is provided through a PIN that is generated each time a user books a car or bike. Pictured are Gary Killeen, Business Rental Sales Director, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Ireland; Owen Keegan, Chief Executive, Dublin City Council; and George O’Conno...

It's another small step on the long road towards ever more autonomous driving, Bosch and Daimler have won local authority approval for driverless-parking, writes Brian Byrne . It's quite limited, though. The authority is in Baden-Württemberg, and the location is the Mercedes-Benz Museum parking garage in Stuttgart. The initiative is made possible by an intelligent multi-storey car park infrastructure from Bosch in conjunction with the vehicle technology from Mercedes-Benz. A smartphone app is used to do the actual parking. It's a view of the direction that commercial parking garages are likely to be going.

Nissan Ireland has added a new longer range option to its Leaf electric car range, writes Brian Byrne . The 62kWh variant offers up to 385 kms on a single charge. The rated power output is 217hp. It is priced from €37,840 and is available to order in two grades. The wide range of Nissan connectivity technologies come as standard, along with a new NissanConnect Services app that can send navigation routes from their smartphone to the car. A number of new style options include seven two-tone body and roof colour combinations.

In the premium segment, the BMW 3 Series has an iconic status, writes Brian Byrne . For the young executive moving upwards, it’s the aspiration model beyond whatever motor they have at the moment from the mass-market pool. Given that getting someone into a brand at this level can mean keeping them for a career, it’s arguably the most important car in the Munich-based maker’s portfolio. So BMW tends to be careful with how they change their 3 Series when it comes to a new generation. Recognition is everything in the premium business, and there’s no wriggle room for being daring and major shifts. The 330i which is the subject of this review is a case in point. Make no mistake, there are significant changes both outside and underneath. But in neither case do they distract from the icon familiar. The unmistakable cues of the older 3 Series remain, but closer examination brings out the subtleties of sheetmetal shifts and restyle. The most significant of these are not quite so subt...

Nissan Ireland's sustainable headquarters. It might have seemed frivolous to be offering ice-cream cones at the launch of a sustainable energy building, but Nissan Ireland were making a very serious point, writes Brian Byrne . That the ice-cream was being dispensed from an electric-powered Nissan van, with refrigeration energy from recycled EV batteries charged by solar panels on the van roof was just one point. The other was that the ice-cream, from top Scottish maker Mackie's, was produced in a dairy where all the energy is provided by solar and wind power. Add in the notion that the cattle who provide the milk for the product graze in fields made green by nature’s own energy and you have absolutely ‘zero emissions ice cream’. The exercise was part of the official opening today of Nissan Ireland’s new HQ in the Park West business campus, by Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. James McCarthy, CEO Nissan Ireland, and...