Halim blog

It has been a good while since I was in a Jeep, writes Brian Byrne , and though the second generation of the Jeep Compass has been around since early 2018, changes for last year have made it a car that surprises. Slight modifications to the lights and bumper and a somewhat wider grille might not seem much, but visually they have tanked up the look of the brand's competitor to the likes of Nissan's current Qashqai or Toyota's Corolla Cross. Inside has been more substantially modernised, with the dashboard no longer a throwaway retrospective of post-millennium Americana.  Pending the arrival of a new set of Jeeps to Europe, which will be spearheaded by the all-electric Avenger, the Compass is now the flag-carrier for the brand in the compact SUV segment, with the demise of the Cherokee. The Compass is built on a stretched version of the funky Renegade, but presents as an altogether smoother big brother. Think ballroom svelte instead of the morning after an Ibiza disco. Though...

A new Chinese electric car brand has now arrived in Ireland to join the growing number of EVs from that country targeting European markets, writes Brian Byrne . The BYD Atto 3 is being distributed here by Motor Distributors Limited, and is the first of three models to be introduced from the brand over the coming months. The Atto 3 is priced from €37,128 and is pitched at the compact family crossover segment. It is on sale in three dealerships in Dublin and Cork, with more locations to follow. BYD began as a rechargeable battery manufacturer, and bought a car company from the Chinese government two decades ago to progress an ambition to become an EV carmaker. Last year they knocked Tesla off their perch to become the biggest passenger electric car maker in the world. The company have their own proprietary battery technology, and also make their own motors and key electronic components.  BYD is also one of the biggest makers of electric buses, with substantial fleet business on sever...

The Cupra performance brand in the Volkswagen Group have debuted the Tavascan, an all-electric coupe SUV, writes Brian Byrne . The reveal took place in Berlin, in the fifth anniversary year since the brand was hived off from parent SEAT as a stand-alone. Joining the Cupra Born electric hatchback, the Tavascan will be launched to market next year. Two power outputs will be available, 286hp and 340hp, the higher with two motors and AWD. Cupra are saying a range of up to 550km will be achievable.  

An Irish buyer is the lucky owner of the 100,000th Polestar 2 delivered globally by the Swedish carmaker, writes Brian Byrne . The all-electric car with special 100,000th badging was leased by Dubliner Tony Lanigan, who works with Creative Technology Ireland (CT) which provides outsourced technology, staging and production services to event organisers and content creators. He also received a design book signed by Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath at the car's handover at the Polestar Space in Sandyford, Dublin. 

Renault has carried out a big re-styling of its long-popular Clio, and added a full hybrid powertrain, writes Brian Byrne . Very sharp and techy changes to the front and rear will make the latest version quite a standout on the road, and there are also substantial upgrades to the interior including a new Alpine-level trim option. The car also carries the latest design of the Renault logo. The new 145hp E-Tech hybrid can operates for up to 80pc of the time in electric mode in town driving, according to Renault. More details closer to launch. The Clio nameplate was launched in 1990 and since then some 16 million units have been sold. 

The all-new, all-electric Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV will shortly be available to order in Ireland, writes Trish Whelan .  Seventh generation in a series whose history dates back to 1972, this first all-electric Maybach is a super luxurious passenger car with champagne goblets and drinks cooler.  Commenting, Ciaran Allen, sales manager for Mercedes-Benz in Ireland said: “This car redefines exclusive motoring at the highest level. It comes in a two-tone colour scheme with customers having the option to choose gold or silver as the predominant colour.”  Its many interior features include ‘cocooning effect’ rear seats and a driving mode that delivers maximum on the road comfort - with rear axle steering for an even shorter turning circle.  The seamless dash-wide glass 'Hyperscreen’ combines the next generation MBUX to provide what Mercedes-Benz calls ‘magnificent navigation and exclusive animations’.  Armchair-like front and rear seats, discreet soft digital lighting...

The ORA electric car brand owned by Great Wall Motors of China is being distributed in Ireland by IM Automotive Ltd who recently introduced the Funky Cat small car to our shores, writes Trish Whelan .  This little feline comes with a mix of retro and futuristic styling inside and out, some high end technology and a long list of standard spec. It competes with other small and equally cute electric cars such as the Honda-e and Fiat’s 500e. All ORA's current range have Cat in their name. Unlike the Chinese, I don’t like cats.  However, this supermini sized hatchback impressed me with a friendly appeal, lovely curves, small circular headlamps, strong build quality and well thought-out interior. My car was in the sea green colour with white roof and pillars. The rear lights gave their own display when I turned the car on or off. Not to be outdone, the front lamps did their own workout, and actually winked at me.  The very roomy and equally colourful interior could hold its ...

Image: Ferliana Febritasari via Pexels. The Government is planning to cut car use in cities and towns by 20pc over the next seven years by what it calls ‘demand management’ strategies, writes Brian Byrne . In a Memorandum of Information to Government today, Transport minister Eamon Ryan says the strategy will also feature ‘unprecedented’ levels of investment in public transport and active travel facilities. The strategy will take a year to complete. It was outlined as a key action in the Climate Action Plan 2023. The demand management measures will include road space reallocation, car-free zones, and user charging. Minister Ryan says the transport system today is overly-reliant on the car, bringing ‘daily traffic chaos and lower quality of life’. The strategy being developed will provide a ‘road-map’ of guiding principles for measures that could be used at local level. There will be widespread public consultation, the Memorandum brought to Government today says. 

Volkswagen have released details of their new large electric car, the ID.7 which will go on sale in Ireland towards the end of this year, writes Brian Byrne . The car is a saloon in format and will be the flagship of the brand's electric car range. A rated range of up to 700km is claimed for the ID.7, which also features a brand new electric motor system and furthers VW's stated ambition to be selling only electric cars in Europe by 2033. Volkswagen say they have emphasised a high quality appearance, and the car will have a new style of display. Very smooth aerodynamics will contribute to the ID.7's range efficiency. Pricing will be revealed closer to launch here. 

Alfa Romeo has been in the doldrums in Ireland for a few years now, primarily because the Irish distribution was in the same becalmed state as has been the parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles operation, writes Brian Byrne . Partly too because of a dearth of new models due to underinvestment in the famous Italian sporting brand. That’s changing. The merging of FCA and PSA Peugeot-Citroen in 2021 established what is becoming a global automotive powerhouse as Stellantis. Locally, the distribution for all Stellantis brands has been acquired by Gowan Auto, a highly invested subsidiary of the Irish family-owned Gowan Group. The potential for positive change in Alfa Romeo fortunes was illustrated at the recent launch of the new Tonale compact SUV in Gowan Auto’s brand new HQ on the outskirts of Dublin. With this car here there are now three Alfa models, the large Giulia saloon, the Stelvio mid-sized SUV being the biggest seller, and the Tonale launched in other markets last year. The time I spen...

Ford has won approval to offer a 'hands-off' semi autonomous driving system on designated motorways in the UK, writes Brian Byrne. The 'BlueCruise' system is being made available on 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E cars by a subscription service at £17.99 a month after an initial 3-month free period. BlueCruise allows hands to be off the wheel on 3,700km of the UK motorway network which are designated as Blue Zones, mapped to work with such systems. The catch is, the driver must keep their eyes on the road or the system will default to requiring steering wheel control. Ford has already introduced the system in the US and Canada, where drivers have logged more than 102 million kilometres of hands-free travel. Ford expects BlueCruise to be activated in further European countries as and when regulatory conditions permit, and will roll out the system to further Ford vehicles in the coming years.  

Opel's current Astra has been given a Red Dot award for Product Design, writes Brian Byrne . It's the latest to a string of accolades for the car, which include Continental Tyres Irish Compact Car of the Year 2023 , German Compact Car of the Year 2023 and a Golden Steering Wheel 2022 award. The Red Dot Awards are more than 60 years old and are given for innovative design of products across 60 countries. The Astra is available in petrol, diesel, plug-in electric hybrid and soon will be offered as a fully electric 5-door hatchback and Sports Tourer estate. 

Mazda is now offering a 6-year warranty in 28 European markets on its full range of cars, writes Brian Byrne . The warranty is for a maximum of 150,000 kilometres or six years, whichever comes first. The carmaker initiated the new warranty early last year in Germany and Austria and this move completes its rollout in Europe. Ireland was among another group of markets where the warranty was implemented last autumn.  For battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), the company also provides an eight-year warranty on the high-voltage battery for up to 160,000 kilometres. 

Mercedes-Benz Ireland is introducing its entry-level Citan small van to Ireland in May, writes Brian Byrne . It's the second generation of the vehicle, but the first generation never made it to the Irish market. The Citan fills out the Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle range with the Vito and Sprinter medium and large vans, and is expected to attract strong interest from SMEs, urban delivery users, small trades, and services markets. 

I remember when I wrote a first drive review of the DS 4 at its launch last September, I reserved judgement as to whether DS Automobiles are 'nearly there yet' as the premium-luxury brand they aspire to be, writes Brian Byrne . A proper review period has given me the chance to evaluate that further. The DS 4 certainly has impact in very distinctive looks. If you didn't know that it shares its underpinnings with a number of other brand models in the space, you'd not equate it with them. Bold diamond shapes and crossing diagonal character lines are a key part of the styling detail, offering a crisp and crystalline edginess that turns heads whether the car is parked or passing on a motorway. The grille and headlights treatment could have been in your face brash if they had got things wrong, but they didn't. The result is perceived elegance and strength, attributes that also flow along the profile of the car and are still there in the complex but nevertheless coherent a...

Volvo has updated its C40 and XC40 Recharge electric vehicles to provide longer ranges and faster charging rates, writes Brian Byrne . The company now rates the two cars' ranges at up to 578km and 570km respectively, while the maximum charging rate has been increased from 150kW to 200kW where available. This cuts nine minutes of previous charging times. The changes were achieved by changing the FWD single-motor cars to RWD, and on the AWD versions providing larger batteries. Both cars are available to order now from €61,715, with deliveries expected from July. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is the overall winner of the World Car of the Year Awards 2023 , writes Brian Byrne . It was in against the BMW X1/iX1 and the Kia Niro.  In categories, the Lucid Air electric car produced in the US won the World Luxury Car accolade, against the BMW 7 Series/i7 and the Genesis G90. Kia's EV6 GT took the World Performance Car title, against the Nissan Z and the Toyota GR Corolla. The Ioniq 6 also won the World Electric Vehicle title , from the BMW i7 and the Lucid Air; and the World Car Design of the year, from the Range Rover and the Lucid Air. The Citroen C3 won the World Urban Car slot, from the ORA Funky Cat and the Volkswagen Taigo. The World Car Awards are decided by more than a hundred jurors worldwide and this is the 19th year. The 2023 awards were announced last week at the New York Auto Show. 

Before we even get into the £154,650 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Coupe or F1 Roadster if you prefer, writes Mark Gallivan , with its 535PS cannonade of V8 power (up 25PS from the base Vantage) we need to talk about that man in the silver Peugeot 3008 crossover. There he is to my right stationary at the set of traffic lights with his entire family in tow. Looking straight ahead I get this odd feeling he’s staring across at me. So I look over. His wife, next to him, is scrolling through her phone. Oh no, not for her a tasty green Aston Martin Vantage F1 with an over the top rear wing that Airbus would give low whistles to. No, Mrs B&Q is studiously ignoring the grumbling car next to her.  The man, meanwhile, stares the sad stare of person who has just seen his life - the one he sellotaped to his bedroom wall of super performance cars when he was 11 - slowly slide away. Ashen faced he gives me a half nod of a condemned man from his Peugeot. The I-might-as-well-kiss-all-my-dreams-goodb...

Revisions to the Mercedes-Benz GLS top end SUV include visual changes to the grille and bumper, the rear lights, and the alloy wheels options, writes Brian Byrne . There are also interior changes to the luxury 7-seat car which include a fresh look to the displays and graphics.  The engines range is now fully electrified, with 48-volt mild hybrid technology the base standard throughout. 

Volkswagen ID.4 top selling electric car. New car sales are up 16.5pc for the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, writes Brian Byrne , and within that sales of electric cars are up by 49pc. The figures follow the release by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry of March car sales, which increased by 37pc compared to March 2022. Electric car sales of 9,303 for the quarter bring the market share to 16pc, against 32pc for petrol, 22.8pc diesel, 20.6pc hybrid and 8pc plug-in hybrid. Toyota remains the top-selling brand for the quarter, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Skoda and Kia. The best selling EV brand is Volkswagen, followed by Hyundai, Kia, Tesla and BMW.  The Hyundai Tuscon is the best selling car model year to date, while the top selling EV is the Volkswagen ID.4. The Nissan Qashqai e-Power was the best selling model in March.

Hyundai's latest electric car, the Ioniq 6, is now on sale in Ireland at a starting price of €48,295 after private customer grants and VRT reliefs, writes Brian Byrne . The car has an extended coupe style, and is available with two battery sizes with claimed ranges of up to 429km and 614km respectively. Power outputs range from 151hp to 326hp.  There are 2WD and AWD versions and three grade options.