Halim blog

A new record for reclaiming plastic dumped in the world's oceans has been set by The Ocean Cleanup , a global partner of the Kia car company, writes Brian Byrne . Some 55 tons of ocean plastic from the 1.6 million square kilometre Great Pacific Garbage Patch has been delivered to Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada. The plastics will be recycled with a proportion to be used in future Kia models. The GPGP is a 1.6-million-square kilometre area of plastic refuse and The Ocean Cleanup is scaling up its mission to remove 90pc of floating ocean plastic by 2040. Kia is committed to more a than 20pc increase in plastic reuse by 2030 and achievement of carbon neutrality by 2045. 

Paul McNeice, Head of Country for GoCar. The GoCar vehicle sharing service is investing €10 million in the expansion and enhancement of its current vehicle sharing services across Ireland, writes Brian Byrne . The investment will support increased vehicle availability and wider vehicle choices for customers throughout the country.  A total of 280 new vehicles will be added across 149 locations, catering to both urban and rural communities. GoCar’s fleet has seen a rise from 820 vehicles in January 2023 to 930 vehicles in July 2023, with the current investment supporting further increase to more than 1,100 vehicles in over 600 locations across 24 counties nationwide by the end of the year. GoCar will also be launching a new website and app and a new loyalty programme will be introduced, rewarding repeat customers for their continued use of car sharing services, with the launch planned for late 2023. 

Hyundai has begun production of the electric version of the new generation Kona, writes Brian Byrne . It is expected to be on sale in Ireland in October. The car is being produced in its Czech Republic plant, and the company expects to produce 21,000 units of the EV there in the first year. The petrol-only and petrol-hybrid versions of the latest Kona was launched here earlier this year. Two versions of the electric Kona are being offered, with 377km and 514km ranges. No Irish prices are yet available. 

When Nissan introduced the Juke small crossover in 2010 there was a lot going on in its style, writes Brian Byrn e. So much that I thought it might not wear well visually. The bug-eyed face and high-set daylight running lights made it a distinctive but love-or-hate model for many. Still, the 'many' seemed to be a good number because it became Nissan's second-best seller in Europe behind the bigger Qashqai. A couple of mild facelifts kept it going until the second generation arrived in 2019. Larger, keeping the overall design theme but with more sophistication in the details. It took until a year ago, though, before the powertrain option included a hybrid. That was my reason to give it a thorough run a while ago. I have to say that the car looked exceptionally smart in the white-black 2-tone scheme along with the 19-inch very stylish alloys that come with the SVE grade. What were originally almost cuddly lines have become rakish, and the three-quarter rear aspect has real ch...

Jeep Ireland has set pricing for the new Jeep Avenger, the brand's first all-electric model, writes Brian Byrne . The range starts at €35,995, with three trim levels available from launch in mid-October. The Avenger was recently awarded the European Car of the Year 2023 title and was also the Best Family SUV in the Women's World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards. The rated range of the Avenger is up to 400km, with substantial higher capability when used only in urban settings. The FWD car comes with terrain and hill descent controls, as well as standard and optional advanced driver assist systems. 

This is the new Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, revealed last week, which adds an option of two extra seats, writes Brian Byrne . Sharing its underpinnings with the new SL roadster from the brand, it is larger in all dimensions from its predecessor. Power remains from the 4.0 V8 with up to 577hp, and offers a 0-100km/h in shortly over 3 seconds. The car is also AWD, rather than the rear drive of its predecessor. Pricing, and when it will be available here, is 'coming soon'. 

The new generation Toyota C-HR will arrive in Irish dealerships in December and registration of interest is now open, writes Brian Byrne . The second generation of the crossover has a sharper and sleeker body that the outgoing version, initially available with a choice of 1.8 or 2.0 hybrid powertrains, and a 2.0 plug-in hybrid coming later. The fifth generation of Toyota's hybrid system offers an increased ratio of EV driving. Two grades will be available. No prices have been released yet. 

Just over 120 years ago, an advertisement by the Locomobile Company of Great Britain offered its three 'Best Cars' on a map published for the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup motor race held in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne , one each powered by steam, electricity and petrol. The Locomobile Steam was advertised as 'Cheap, Silent and Effective', the Waverly Electric as the 'Handiest Run-about', and the Oldsmobile  Petrol as 'Light and Reliable'. I got to thinking about that electric car after I'd had another chance to run the Cupra Born through its paces last week. The Waverley was an American import, tiller-steered and open, advertised with rare women drivers as having 'no complication, turn on the power and steer'. The range was 40 miles, or up to 94 miles with a substantially more expensive new-technology Edison battery. Electric cars were outselling steam and petrol in America at the time and continued to do well for another decade. But the much chea...

While the saloon car has all but disappeared in most segments with the unstoppable trend towards crossover-SUV type cars, one space where it still dominates is the large luxury car, writes Brian Byrne . And the one that stands out particularly in that space is the latest version on BMW's 7 Series. At nearly 5.4 metres long, it is noticeably bigger than any of its European competition. Indeed, the only car surpassing it in any dimension is the Bentley Flying Spur, which is shorter but wider. And you could also mention the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class which is a stretch on the MB flagship. I felt this size quite a lot when driving for review the i7, the electric version of this BMW saloon leader. It's not that I'm unused to large vehicles, but they're generally also tall, and the experience in a low saloon with a lot of front and significant length behind the driver does have specific challenges, especially when parking in the typical Irish space that's designed for somet...

John Manning, Market Lead, Ford Ireland. The motor industry is doing its part in the necessary shift towards electric vehicles, but other stakeholders, including the Government, must up their game, writes Brian Byrne . That was the message from Ford Ireland boss John Manning this week, when he said that the market is now 'beyond the watershed' in the transition to EVs. He was speaking at the Irish reveal of the Ford Explorer, the first purpose-built battery electric vehicle for Europe, coming to this country in January. The Ford Ireland Market Lead said the Government plan for 1 million EVs on the road in Ireland by 2030 is 'theoretically achievable, but probably not realistic'. "However, we have to drive towards that figure, and to sustain these we need to have somewhere between 90,000 and 110,000 Fast Chargers available throughout the country. At the last count, there are around 2,500, so we are way behind what is needed." Saying the transition to EVs is be...

Opel is supporting the Irish Women’s Open Tag Rugby Team, representing the nation in the 2023 Tag Rugby World Cup currently under way at the University of Limerick, writes Trish Whelan . The event, running from from Wednesday 2nd to Saturday 5th August, is showcasing immense rugby talent from across the globe, including Hong Kong, South Africa, France, New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain, the USA, Italy, and Australia. Around 2,000 of the world's best tag rugby players are competing for gold medals across men’s, women’s, mixed and senior categories. Pictured are Tena Thornton (C), Rosie Newton (VC), Rebecca Conway, Hannah O’Sullivan, Cliodhna O’Regan, Jayne Pennefather, Mona Fehily, Orla Maher, Megan Carroll, Tara Coleman, Ellen O’Shea (VC), Lydia Looney, Tara O’Connor, Shauna Bermingham, Mairead O’ Sullivan, Cat Galvin, Fiona Brauneisen, Zoe Carroll, Fiona O’Shea, Michaela Fitzgibbon, Mike Storey (Coach), and Syphonia Pua (Manager). 

This is the car on which Ford is pinning the regeneration of its future in Europe, writes Brian Byrne . I was at a static preview of it last week in Dublin along with colleagues, and while the inaugural drive event is some way off, it’s worth giving the new Explorer EV some attention. It is the first dedicated battery electric car designed for Ford in Europe, and developed and built in Europe apart from taking the long time around name of an American Ford SUV. In the compact crossover space, it sits between the Puma compact utility vehicle and the Kuga crossover SUV, marginally smaller in most dimensions than the latter. The target competition will be VW’s ID.4, Skoda’s Enyaq, Kia’s Niro EV and similar. When it lands in Ireland in January, Explorer will be the second all-electric passenger car in Europe from the blue oval, after the Mustang Mach-E. By the end of next year, it will be one of four all-electric passenger vehicles from the brand in this part of the world, including a batte...

MG4, top selling electric model in July. Car registrations for the year to date are up by 20.1pc over the same period last year, according to figures released by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, writes Brian Byrne . The increase is in part due to improved supply of vehicles resulting in the fulfilment of long-standing orders. "Improved production over the last few months has helped supply catch up with demand," says SIMI Director General Brian Cooke, "resulting in July new car sales almost matching those of the key selling month of January." Once again, sales of electric cars are in sharp focus, with the 18,458 units delivered to date representing an increase of nearly two-thirds on the same period in 2022.  Light Commercial vehicle registrations year to date are up by 35.3pc at 22,997 units. In fuel-energy market share, petrol retains the largest share at 32.29pc, diesel at 22.06pc, hybrid 18.04pc, electric 17.64pc, and Plug-in electric hybrid 7.67pc