May 2003 NEWS

Edited by Trish Whelan

31 May 2003: Up to 90 cars took part in today's speed trails at the Moat of Ardscull, as part of a week of festivities commemorating the 100th anniversary of the original Gordon Bennett road race.

31 May 2003: Subaru's next generation Legacy is set to arrive in Europe in the autumn. It will again be marketed in wagon and saloon form and will be powered by 2- and 2.5-litre engines.

31 May 2003: Honda has developed a personal attack warning system aimed at helping motorists deal with a 'road rage' attacker.

Volvo survey shows scary driving

31 May 2003: A study carried out by Volvo in the US found that 91 per cent of drivers admit to 'taking risks' when they are driving.

Mazda to recall 6s, MX-5s

30 May 2003: Mazda plans to recall more than 174,000 vehicles worldwide, including the Mazda6, after reports of a defective fog lamp which in one case caused the bumper to catch fire.

30 May 2003: Women are at much greater risk of disabling injury than men in 'rear-ender' crashes, according to a study carried out in Sweden.

30 May 2003: Opel used an internet campaign to raise awareness of the new Signum model in the weeks prior to its European launch. And by launch date, 6,500 visitors to the site had already committed to buying the Vectra-based vehicle.

30 May 2003: A rear-view mirror with a digital blind-spot detector has been developed by a Spanish automotive mirror supplier, Ficosa.

30 May 2003: A Lamborghini-based sports car concept to be unveiled at Frankfurt in September is aimed by Audi to take Porsche 911 buyers.

Ford makes Mondeo changes

29 May 2003: Ford has made 1,500 changes to its Mondeo on the 10th anniversary of the nameplate's launch, including adding the 6-speed gearbox first provided in the TDCi Mondeo earlier this year to all the high-powered versions.

29 May 2003: The Mazda6 accounts for more than half of all Mazdas sold in Germany. The 2003 European Car of the Year is leading Mazda's resurgence in Europe, where sales have been boosted more than 40 per cent in the first four months of this year.

Toyota/PSA small car for 2005

29 May 2003: A joint venture small car being developed by Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot is well on target for production in 2005.

29 May 2003: Mitsubishi will target European markets with a new version of its Grandis MPV next year.

29 May 2003: Opel is planning to revisit the US market with the Signum and the upcoming Vectra wagon.

Mini D on sale in June

28 May 2003: BMW's new Mini D diesel goes on sale in Ireland from mid-June with a price tag of E22,400.

28 May 2003: Toyota's recently arrived Land Cruiser has swept up five of the top nine accolades on offer in Irish 4x4 and Off-Road magazine's 2003 Awards.

Micra, euro, push Nissan performance

28 May 2003: The strong euro is likely to contribute to 'strong growth' to Nissan's business in Europe this year, according to the company's CEO Carlos Ghosn.

IC engine has strong future - Ford

28 May 2003: Reports of the imminent death of the internal combustion engine may be premature, according to boss of the global Ford empire, Bill Ford.

Irish Ferries celebrates 30 years to France

28 May 2003: Irish Ferries celebrates a major milestone this year with the completion of 30 years of successful operations on their direct service between Ireland and France.

28 May 2003: RAC Ireland has issued guidelines for safe towing, as an increasing number of Irish families take to the roads in their caravans for holidays.

28 May 2003: The Alfa 147 replacement due in 2006 will be built on the new platform scheduled for both the new Opel Astra and the next Fiat Stilo.

Yaris, Verso, upgraded

27 May 2003: Toyota Ireland has introduced the upgraded Yaris for 2003, which incorporates a number of visible and under the skin improvements.

27 May 2003: Over 80% of motorists in Ireland have altered their driving behaviour on foot of the introduction of penalty points for speeding, according to research commissioned by tyre distributor Semperit Ireland.

Nissan sponsors junior golf

26 May 2003: Nissan Ireland is to sponsor the Irish Boys Close Championship 2003.

Focus rally goes to Limerick

26 May 2003: The next round of Irelands premier one make Rally Championship, the 2003 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship, sees the crews head to the foothills of West Limerick, to compete in the Circuit of Munster Rally on the 1st of June.

24 May 2003: The Mazda2 is now on sale in Ireland with a range of engines that include 1.25-litre and 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.4-litre diesel. There is also a 1.6-litre petrol 'Sport' version.

A Ford with a rainbow glow

23 May 2003: Ford's latest funky concept, the GloCar, has turned Henry Ford's immortal phrase 'any colour, as long as it's black' on its head. It is a vehicle that can turn any colour according to the environment around it, or the driver's preferences … as long as it's NOT black!

23 May 2003: Mazda in Ireland is introducing a used car guarantee scheme which will provide a full 3-year warranty on three-year-old Mazdas, including a two-year 24-hour recovery service.

23 May 2003: MG Rover is to launch two new cars in October, aiming at attracting buyers to the brand at two ends of the supermini segment.

Record Gordon Bennett participation

23 May 2003: More than 300 veteran and vintage cars will participate in the 100th Mercedes-Benz International Gordon Bennett Rally which will take place over 5 days from the 4th to the 8th June 2003. The cars will be travelling through, Kildare, Carlow and Laois.

23 May 2003: The Irish Road Hauliers Association wants the national speed limit of 50mph for large trucks to be increased to 55mph.

Pluriel leisure car Irish prices announced

22 May 2003: The Citroen Pluriel will cost E21,000 and E23,500 when the two versions arrive in Irish Citroen showrooms in June.

22 May 2003: The Allianz insurance group has called for continued enforcement of the penalty points regime, or improved driving behaviour could disappear.

Honda develops anti-collision system

22 May 2003: Honda has developed the world's first Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMS), which predicts rear-end collisions and assists brake operation to reduce impact on occupants and vehicle damage.

Vauxhall shows official Lighting pix

22 May 2003: Opel's UK subsidiary, Vauxhall, has released the first official pictures of its VX Lightning concept car, as part of the company's Centenary celebrations.

Fiat launches Ulysse in Ireland

21 May 2003: Fiat has launched the new generation Ulysse in Ireland at prices ranging between E34,995-E45,295.

21 May 2003: Subaru Ireland is giving a free Sony Playstation kit with every new Subaru Forester and Outback.

21 May 2003: Westlife are driving between gigs on their latest tour in the UK and Ireland in two Volvo XC90s.

Upgrade to Punto, here in autumn

20 May 2003: Fiat has revealed details of the upgrade to the Punto, which will arrive in Ireland in October.

Maserati to target Republic

20 May 2003: The Maserati and Ferrari franchisees for the island of Ireland, Charles Hurst Specialty Car Division, are to target the Republic in a campaign to sell their supercars.

Iron Butt rally for priest's charity

19 May 2003: This year's Iron Butt Association motorcycle rally will help the work of Jesuit priest Fr Peter McVerry in providing care and accommodation for homeless and deprived children.

Peugeot appoints new main dealer

19 May 2003: Lismard Autoworld in Portlaoise has been appointed Main Peugeot Dealer for the Laois area following the retirement several months ago of Joe Dooley, Dealer Principal at Dooley Motors, Mountrath.

Coast Guard chooses Toyota

19 May 2003: Toyota Ireland has delivered 11 Hi-Lux Crew Cab vehicles to the Irish Coast Guard.

Motor industry demands 'value for taxes'

19 May 2003: The Irish motor industry has demanded that the Government 'deliver value' for the more than E4 billion it collects in motor-related taxes each year - a figure that represents almost 16 per cent of all tax income to the state.

Three Ford GTs almost ready

16 May 2003: Ford engineers in the US are working hard to finish off three prototypes of the 2005 Ford GT which will take part in the company's centenary celebrations this summer.

Disco for teen 'Dragon Slayers'

16 May 2003: Land Rover North America has given a 2003 Discovery vehicle to a group of seven Alaska teenage girls to help in their humanitarian efforts.

Truck blind spot highlighted

16 May 2003: A 'blind spot' on the fronts of high-sided trucks is to become the subject of correspondence between Dublin's City Coroner and the Department of the Environment, and may result in a regulation that such vehicles have front-facing mirrors.

Soft-top Mini will come

15 May 2003: BMW is to go ahead with building a convertible version of its Mini.

Diesel market continues to increase

15 May 2003: In 2002, VW Audi Group and DaimlerChrysler for the first time sold more diesel than petrol powered cars, according to a recent study by automotive technology developer Ricardo: “Diesel passenger car and light commercial vehicle markets in Western Europe”.

15 May 2003: Nissan is to launch a car-derived van in October, the Kubistar. This will bring it into an LCV class is dominated by the Opel Combo, Citroën Berlingo and the Renault Kangoo.

15 May 2003: The Irish Road Hauliers Association has called on the public to report instances of bad driving and speeding by trucks.

Ducati opens new Dublin showroom

15 May 2003: Ducati, known as the "Ferrari of bikes", has opened a massive new state-of-the-art store in Dublin after its first outing in Ireland proved successful. In 16 months, Ducati has gone from a 500 sq ft show room in Terenure to this new 5,500 sq ft store that incorporates a 1,200 sq ft workshop.

New BMW 5 details released

15 May 2003: The new BMW 5 Series Saloon, which is currently on its international launch programme, offers more space and comfort on less weight, with enhanced fuel economy and better performance.

15 May 2003: Up to 50 racing yachts are expected in Dun Laoghaire in June to compete in the Alfa Romeo 33 European Championships, which will be hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club.

Signum for Ireland in June, from E33,120

14 May 2003: The Opel Signum due to go on sale in Ireland in June will be offered with four petrol and two diesel engines. And the price will range from E33,120 to E47,720.

14 May 2003: MG Rover Ireland has introduced its first car-derived van.

14 May 2003: An impending merger of Russia's top and 5th oil producing companies, Yukos and Sibneft, will make the result the 4th biggest oil company in the world.

GM to build Astra in UK

14 May 2003: General Motors is to invest £80m in its Ellesmere Port plant to build the next Vauxhall Astra, which will have something very close to the GTC Geneve (above) in its lineup.

Two new Kaloses

13 May 2003: Daewoo Ireland has launched a new entry-level Kalos powered by a 1.2-litre engine.

13 May 2003: Opel is betting on high specification for realistic money as the attraction that will have it sell 70,000 units of its new Signum throughout in the 12 months from next July.

13 May 2003: Toyota has unveiled the first model in a new generation of Toyota cars designed with good ergonomics and ease of use in mind.

Beetle ragtop in Ireland

12 May 2003: The new Beetle Cabriolet is now available from VW dealers across the country.

Gronholm wins Argentina

12 May 2003: Reigning World Champion Marcus Gronholm has won the Rally Argentina after a brilliant comeback drive. The victory closes him to within two points of the World Championship lead, held by team mate, Richard Burns who finished third in Argentina.

Chadwick wins third round of Ka Championship

12 May 2003: Ian Chadwick from Ballincollig, Co Cork, has won in convincing style the third round of the 2003 Ford Rallysport KA Championship at the Carlow Stages Rally based in Carlow Town.

Viano to debut at Frankfurt

12 May 2003: The new Mercedes-Benz Viano will make its public debut at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt in September, with order books opening before then in mid-June. The Mercedes-Benz V-Class will then be replaced successively in the markets, starting in autumn 2003.

Women want to race Mazdas

12 May 2003: An all-woman race event being promoted by Mazda in the UK has attracted more than 2,000 applications from would-be participants. And the organisers are expecting that up to 10,000 applications will be in place before the autumn.

SEAT hot diesel award

12 May 2003: The SEAT Ibiza TDi 130 Sport has won the performance diesel car of the year 2003 award from Diesel Car magazine in Britain.

Transit Connect wins new award

10 May 2003: Ford's new Transit Connect has won two more accolades in major European markets, including Europe's biggest market for commercials, Germany.

New Peugeot hot hatch here in October

09 May 2003: The Peugeot 206 GTi 180 hot hatch to flagship the best-selling model in Europe will be in Ireland in October.

09 May 2003: Anyone still expecting that new cars will come down in price in the next few years, because of price harmonisation across the EU, can forget it.

First details of Citroen C2

08 May 2003: First details of the Citroën C2, the company's replacement for the Saxo, have been released. It is expected to go on sale towards the end of the year.

Lexus RX300 now available

08 May 2003: Lexus Ireland has announced the specification and pricing for the new RX300 SUV, the best-selling premium SUV in the world.

Volvo upgrades cars

08 May 2003: Volvo has announced changes to a number of its cars for the 2004 model year.

Nissan sponsors 'Right Hook'

08 May 2003: Nissan Ireland is to sponsor 'The Right Hook' drive time programme on Newstalk 106. The one-year sponsorship agreement will be supported by an extensive outdoor advertising campaign.

Citroen C3 Cashback

08 May 2003: Citroën have announced the introduction of a E1,000 CASH BACK customer offer on the entire C3 range.

Fiat celebrate 5 millionth Punto

08 May 2003: Fiat recently achieved the 5 millionth Punto sale in Europe, having regularly sold over half a million cars a year since its introduction.

08 May 2003: The Bridgestone tyre group has received a Supplier of the Year award from General Motors Corporation for the eighth year in a row.

Volvo invites feedback for concepts

07 May 2003: Volvo has unveiled five concept design studies showing a range of possible small Volvos for the future.

07 May 2003: Fiat Auto Ireland has announced a new Special Edition of the Punto, with almost E1,000 worth of of extra items for an on the road price of E13,000 for the 3-door car.

07 May 2003: For the fifth year running, Toyota has led the US J D Power car reliability lists, though slightly down in strict numeric terms, and with more makers snapping more closely at its tailpipe.

07 May 2003: The new Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class Cabriolet is now available in Ireland, at a starting price of E62,200.

Ford looking at under-Ka model

06 May 2003: Ford is said to be looking for a partner company to produce a new car smaller than its current mini, the Ka (above).

Fiat group model changes programme

06 May 2003: By 2004, the Fiat Auto group will have facelifted or completely changed its complete model line, in a programme begun with the Alfa Romeo GTV (above) and Spider last month.

Colm crushes opposition

05 May 2003: Colm Murphy from Athea, Co Limerick has returned in devastating form, to crush the opposition in a giant killing performance to win the opening round of the 2003 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship and finish in an amazing fourteenth position overall, at the International Rally of the Lakes in Killarney at the weekend.

Six models to bring Alfa to US

02 May 2003: Alfa Romeo's 156 replacement, which will be built on the GM Epsilon platform, will spearhead a six-model line-up of cars that will bring the brand back to the US in 2007.

Safe tyres campaign week

02 May 2003: Continental Tyres/Advance Pitstop have launched a nationwide tyre safety 'blitz' to take place this coming week.

Ka Rally heads for Carlow

02 May 2003: After the excitement of the last two rounds, the 2003 Ford Rallyesport KA Championship heads to the Carlow Stages on the 11th of May for the third round of this highly competitive series.

Bristol unveils Fighter

1 May 2003: Bristol Cars have unveiled a brand new car, the Fighter, which will sell in Britain for £229,125.

Suzuki Playor of Match

1 May 2003: The final of the Suzuki Ladies National Football League (Division 1) between Kerry and Laois was played recently in Cusack Park, Ennis. Laois player Kathleen O'Reilly is pictured above receiving the Suzuki Player of the Match Award from Niall O'Gorman, General Manager, Suzuki Ireland, sponsors of the league. 

5-star MPV a joint success

1 May 2003: The first full-size MPV to gain five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests has shared its kudos between the three brands under which it is built as a joint venture.

Stamp to mark Ford centenary

1 May 2003: An Post is issuing a special stamp in commemoration of 100 years of Ford Motor Company. The 41c stamp features a Model T along with its creator Henry Ford, whose father William emigrated to the US from Cork in the 1840s.

1 May 2003: The very stylish all-new Jaguar XJ range is now available here with an entry level price of E82,000.

Fiat Ullysse gets five stars

1 May 2003: Fiat’s new Ulysse MPV, which goes on sale in Ireland later this month, has just been awarded the highest safety rating possible - five stars from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).

Honda launches new finance plan

1 May 2003: As production of the Honda Civic reaches 15 million units world-wide, the company has introduced what it calls ‘Intelligent Finance from Honda’ with all new Civic sales in Ireland for a limited period.