With new car sales up 30% for the second year running can the increases continue this year? The latest figures for new car sales in 2015, released today by car history experts Motorcheck.ie, show the Irish market is up 30% year on year. The industry had estimated total sales of approximately 115,000-120,000 units at the start of 2015 and the final tally has exceeded these predictions yet again. This is the second year running that…

Demand for new commercial vehicles in the western European market (European Union plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) increased for the 11th consecutive month, according to the latest data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). Overall CV registrations increased by 17.8% in November 2015 compared to the previous year, with growth sustained across all market segments. Spain (+52.2%) and Italy (+28.4%) recorded the largest increases. Heavy truck registrations (16 tonnes GVW and over) have increased year-on-year…

With wet weather continuing to engulf the UK and Ireland, the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ (IAM) director of standards, Mark Lewis, looks at how drivers can best prepare for driving in heavy rain. 1. Before setting off, check for any weather alerts, traffic updates or planned road closures that may affect your journey. Only travel in extreme adverse weather conditions if it is really necessary. 2. Check lights and windscreen wiper blades are clean and…

Auto Express magazine has exclusively published the results of one of the UK’s most comprehensive car reliability studies, the Warrantywise UK Dependability Table. As always, it makes for interesting reading, even from this side of the Irish Sea, because we get largely similar cars here. According to the exclusive data, Japanese and Korean cars are more dependable than their European or U.S. rivals. The table also reveals which brands are likely to see owners visiting…

TechTalk.ie, the portal that supplies top tips for professional mechanics and technicians continues to break new ground with top tips from the top trainers in the UK and Ireland. The site constinues to grow its readership base on the back of delivering insightful content, instructional videos and articles from leading technical trainers. Recent posts include: Professional repair solution with febi Five Steps for Powering Down a Hybrid/EV (Promoting and Profiting with Hybrids) What is brake…

RecruitAuto.ie, Ireland’s leading recruitment site for the motor industry, continues to go from strength to strength on the back of the upturn in the economy, with upwards on 50 motor industry jobs live on the site.

The new figures show that 58 per cent of people who have four or more drinks on a night out sometimes take the risk and drive the following morning, with only a third (33%) aware that they could still be over the limit. Even though a drink driving conviction can lose drivers their jobs, the most common reason for getting behind the wheel after a heavy night of drinking was to get to work (37 per cent). Getting behind the wheel after…

Automotive News is reporting that Ford and Google are in talks to have the automaker build Google’s next-generation autonomous cars under contract. Automotive News has learned. Although few details about the project are known, a source with knowledge of the project says both parties have been negotiating on a contract manufacturing deal “for a long time.”