Apk Usema

BMW's electric Mini will be available in convertible format from April, but only 999 buyers in Europe will get the chance to buy it, writes Brian Byrne . Of these, 150 RHD versions are heading for the UK market, and there's no indication if any of these will be available to Irish buyers. The version comes three years after the Mini Electric hatchback was launched, and 20pc of all Minis sold in Europe now are electric, according to the company. The power consumption of the Mini Electric Convertible is rated at 17.2kWh/100km, outputs 184hp and has a claimed range of 200km. 

A scheme to provide licensed hauliers with support for their increased energy costs has been approved by the Cabinet, writes Brian Byrne . Under the initiative, the Licensed Haulage Support Scheme 2023 will target higher levels of support at smaller operators that are facing increased operating and fuel costs.  A graduated payment basis will see €1,200 each provided for the first five vehicles on a licence, €700 for vehicles six to 20, and €200 for each vehicle thereafter. The scheme will be administered by the Department of Transport and will cover eligible heavy goods vehicles authorised on the licence of a current road haulage operator as of 15 December 2022.  

An option for short breaks in Galway has come on stream thanks to the installation of 14 log cabins at an adventure centre just outside Galway city, writes Brian Byrne . They are located at Wildlands , operated on a 20-acres site by brother sister duo David and Faye Bohan at Moycullen, Co Galway.  The self-catering accommodation consists of studio cabins, two-bed family cabin, large studio cabins, large studio cabins with kids room, and a large accessible cabin for those with mobility issues. All have a fully fitted country style kitchen including a full suite of kitchen appliances. Wildlands offers a range of indoor and outdoor adventure activities. 

The Continental Irish Commercial SUV of the Year 2023 is the Land Rover Defender Commercial, writes Trish Whelan. The award was presented this morning by Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres Ireland to Eddie Kavanagh of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland with Joe Reyfus, chairperson of the Motoring Media Association of Ireland. The presentation was at Harris Commercials during a function organised by the MMAI, whose Van Jury members voted on the category, part of the overall Irish Car of the Year and Irish Van of the Year annual awards organised by the MMAI in association with Continental.  A category award under the umbrella of the Irish Van of the Year awards, the Commercial SUV of the Year is voted upon by a jury of the most experienced light commercial vehicle journalists in Ireland, who took into account such attributes as load capacity, reliability, overall versatility, cost of ownership and driving comfort. The overall Irish Van of the Year award for 2023 was won by the VW ID. Buzz. Ger...

Audi’s Q4 e-tron is a battery-electric compact premium crossover SUV based on Volkswagen Group’s electric MEB platform and the fourth fully electric model in the brand’s e-tron series, writes Trish Whelan . It is offered as an all-rounder and family car and, as the model number suggests, sits between the brand’s smaller Q3 and larger Q5 model. Its length of 4.58m is slightly shorter than that of the Audi Q5 although Audi say it offers comparable interior space.  Two body styles are offered — the SUV version and a Sportback model. Both have the same length and width at 4588mm and 1865mm respectively but the SUV is slightly higher than the Sportback. By comparison the VW ID.5 from the Volkswagen Group is slightly longer but not as wide or as high as the Q4 e-tron but that said, there’s not much difference really. Other cars of a similar size include the Nissan Ariya, Mercedes-Benz GLB SUV, and Skoda Enyaq iV.  The car’s high front is dominated by the big black grill with the bra...

Mercedes-Benz has revised the electric version of its Sprinter large van series to meet the requirements of some 60 markets in North America and Europe, writes Brian Byrne . The main changes are the development of a modular system that allows for a wide range of conversion options, previously not available on the eSprinter. This system comprises a front module with all the high-voltage components which will be the same for all variations of the vehicle. A middle module carries the battery located in the underbody, while the rear module has the electrically-driven rear axle along with its motor. The van will be offered in two body styles and two lengths. There will be three different battery options of 56/81/113kWh, the largest one capable of being charged from 10pc-80pc in around 42 minutes with a suitable charge unit. An initial markets launch in the USA and Canada in the second half of this year will be followed by a Europe one towards the end of the year. 

Skoda's Enyaq Coupe EV has gone on sale in Ireland at a starting price of €56,710, writes Brian Byrne . With a rated range of up to 545km (real-life use may not achieve that) the car offers a model option to its SUV sibling, and a 570L boot capacity is only 15L less. Skoda Ireland says the Enyaq Coupe's launch here was delayed by 12 months because of demand worldwide, and demand for Skoda's EV still continues to outstrip supply. There is a choice of two battery sizes, rear- and all-wheel drive, plus power outputs ranging from 180hp to 265hp. 

Peugeot Ireland has launched the new generation 408 here at a starting price of €39,995, writes Brian Byrne . In a fastback styling that changes the marketing space for the model, the new 408 has a 130hp petrol automatic at launch, with 180hp and 225hp plug-in hybrid options arriving soon and a fully-electric one planned. No diesel will be offered. In line with Peugeot's timeline on electrification, the petrol engine will be replaced by the end of this year with a mild-hybrid version. The car slots between the 308 hatchback and the 3008 crossover, at the upper end of the C segment in size. A long wheelbase allows generous space for those travelling in the back seats. Details which are elements of the new Peugeot branding include the latest coat of arms design embedded in a grille the same colour as the bodywork. There are three grades available, Allure, Allure Pack and GT. Driving assistance systems available include adaptive cruise control with stop and go capability in slow traff...

Opel Ireland has revealed pricing and equipment details of two GSe performance model variants, writes Brian Byrne . Reviving the performance label which was originally used in Commodore and Monza models back in the 1970s and 1980s, the GSe suffix will now mark Astra and Grandland PHEV versions with high power and fast acceleration, along with dedicated high end specification. An Astra Sports Tourer will get the GSe treatment later this year. The Astra GSe prices start at €52,695 and the Grandland GSe at €59,995. Both are plus delivery charges, and the cars are only available to special order. 

Suzuki has launched a full-hybrid version of its S-Cross here at a starting price of €31,895, writes Brian Byrne . The car is in addition to the mild-hybrid versions which has been on sale since a year ago. The hybrid system has been developed by Suzuki themselves, and includes an automated manual transmission. It was introduced last year in the brand's top-seller, the Vitara. In a revised product offering, all automatic S-Crosses will have the full-hybrid while manuals will be powered by the mild hybrid powertrain. 

This is not yet a Nissan production car, but it may well be in your electric not so far future, writes Brian Byrne . It's a two-seat convertible concept EV called the Max-Out and was recently revealed at an event in Yokohama, Japan. If produced it would likely be the first convertible electric car on the block. While the EV industry has envisaged or produced all the regular formats from hatchbacks to trucks, the Max-Out is the first convertible concept we have seen in the genre.

Over three decades-plus of automotive journalism, there have been occasions when having a particular car outside my door made me nervous, writes Brian Byrne . Mainly due to its price, and my responsibility for having the vehicle in my care. Most recently, such a car was the Mercedes-Benz S 580 e. Thankfully, I returned it at the end of my time in the same pristine shape as I had received it. Provided you don't aspire to the even more rarified Maybach-Mercedes, the S-Class in any form is not just the top Mercedes-Benz model, it is also arguably the benchmark for its rivals to attempt to match or surpass. Whether they succeed in that is very much a personal subjective matter, as cars at any level tend to be. But there's no doubt about the exclusive cachet to the S-Class. When I first reviewed the current S-Class back in late 2021, I mentioned what I saw as an unexpected positive in that the styles of Mercedes saloons have all become alike — it's not always easy to identify at...

A Nissan Ariya crossover electric car will take on a 27,000 kilometres journey from the North Pole to the South Pole next month, in an attempt to show the capability of an EV in long journeys and extreme conditions, writes Brian Byrne . It will be driven by a husband and wife team, Chris and Julie Ramsey, and the expedition will take about 10 months. The pair previously completed the 17,000kms Mongol Rally in a Nissan Leaf. Modifications to the Ariya are mainly the addition of 39-inch BF Goodrich tyres, with associated changes to the wheel arches to accommodate them. The 389hp powertrain for the AWD version of the car remains as standard. The car will also have a built-in espresso coffee machine, a drone launchpad on the roof box, and it will tow a trailer with portable solar panels and and wind turbines to help recharge the car when it is stopped. 

Ford Ireland is again supporting the annual Defence Forces Band Concert which will be held in the City Hall in Cork on Friday 24 February, writes Brian Byrne . The concert is in aid of the Defence Forces Benevolent Fund, and Ford has been involved since 1989. The event was last held in 2020 and has been absent in the last two years because of Covid restrictions. This year’s concert will feature personnel from the Bands of 1 Brigade, 2 Brigade and the Army No. 1 Band. As is traditional, the concert will also feature Defence Forces pipers and drummers, who are always very popular with the Cork audience. The guest artiste will be soprano Rachel Croash. Pictured at the launch for the concert recently in Collins Barracks Cork were General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade, Brig Gen Brian Cleary and Market Lead for Henry Ford & Son Ltd John Manning.

With more than 10pc of Audis sold in Ireland last year being electric, it's clear that Volkswagen's premium brand is playing its part in the push by the group towards an all-electric future, writes Brian Byrne . Nearly half of those sales were of the Q4 e-tron, the newest and smaller of the three Audi EVs available. My review car is newer still, as the Sportback version of the Q4 e-tron, and I was quite taken with the softer rear roofline compared to the full SUV version's. It has the style of a coupe liftback, but without sacrificing any of the passenger space, and only mildly diminishing boot capacity. In size it not surprisingly is close to the VW ID.5 equivalent and a bit more compact than key competitor Hyundai's Ioniq 5. I thought the car's shape was very well displayed in the non-metallic grey — they call it Pebblestone — of the review car.  The Q4 e-tron stylists held on to the sense of a grille front end, which I still think gives an EV more presence than s...

The Peugeot 208 was the biggest selling car model in Europe in 2022, writes Brian Byrne . Some 206,816 units were registered. The car toppled from the top spot the Volkswagen Golf (177,203) which had been the most popular vehicle in Europe since 2007. Also ahead of the Golf were Dacia's Sandero (200,550), VW's T-Roc (181,153) and Fiat's 500 (179,863), according to the latest analysis released by motor industry consultants Jato Dynamics. Their report noted a third year of decline in overall sales across Europe, but a surge in sales within that for Chinese makers as well as Korea's Hyundai-Kia and Japan's Toyota. Tesla's Model Y was Europe's best-selling electric vehicle, much of it cannibalising sales from the brand's own Model 3. The further drop in sales was caused by a combination of product availability and a loss of consumer confidence following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and related high economic inflation.  

The second generation Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV has now arrived in Ireland at a starting price of €80,310, writes Brian Byrne . The new car is longer and has a wider track than the outgoing version and a 70-litre increase brings boot capacity to 620 litres. It will be available as a mild-hybrid in petrol and diesel, and plug-in hybrids in petrol and diesel which the carmaker rates at more than 129km of EV range (general PHEV real world experience is usually less — ED). The first generation of the GLC was launched in 2016 and a facelift was revealed in 2019. A coupe variant was launched the same year.  The best-selling model in the Mercedes-Benz range for the past two years, the car achieved 2.6 million units sales globally through its first generation iteration. 

Mazda has premiered its latest model from its Large Product Group, the CX-90, but it won't be coming to Europe, writes Brian Byrne . The car is an 8-seat SUV designed primarily for markets where larger cars are common, in particular the US. The CX-90 will be powered by a 3.3 mild hybrid 6-cylinder engine or a full plug-in hybrid based on the company's 2.5 four. The next model planned to debut for Europe is the CX-80, a 7-seat which will follow the CX-60 launched late last year. 

Range Rover have revised their Velar model, a mid-size in the luxury brand's range, writes Brian Byrne . Externally there's a new grille, and newly-styled LED headlights, and there have been detail changes to the rear including a new bumper. Inside the car gets a new single centre console-located touchscreen in curved glass. Powertrains continue to be options from petrol and diesel, with mild hybrid technology and a plug-in hybrid that is rated to have a greater EV range of up to 64km. That version has a combined power output of 404hp. The revised car is now available to order in Ireland priced from €91,680.