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In all five of its largest individual markets [Europe (+7.6%), in North America (+5.3%) with further growth in the plateaued U.S. market (+4%) and Asia-Pacific (+0.5%)], 2016 has recorded more cars sold than ever before.

Worldwide, demand increased for the seventh year in a row since 2009, with Audi almost doubling its market success over this period. Audi sales have also increased in Ireland, with over 6,000 registrations recorded in 2016.

Commenting on Ireland’s performance, Henning Dohrn, Managing Director of Audi Ireland said: ‘We are very happy to be the number one premium car brand in Ireland, the basis for this success is due to our loyal customer base, committed dealer network, award winning products and our continuous technological innovation.

“We are optimistic about the year ahead, particularly with the introduction of new models such as the Audi A5 Sportback, Q2 and Q5 to the Irish market; these models clearly demonstrate our commitment to our brand claim ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’.

In addition to our investment in the product range, our dealer partners are investing in the dealer network, which will see the opening of three new Audi dealerships across the country later on in the year."

Demand rose sharply in Europe where two important new models, the Audi Q2 and the Audi A5, were launched only recently. The sustained high level of demand for the new Audi A4 had an equally positive effect on the delivery results. Despite political and economic uncertainties throughout Europe, Audi A4 sales grew by 7.6 percent to around 337,550 units sold, in comparison with 2015.

Audi also performed well in Europe with its high-performance portfolio from Audi Sport, most notably with the Audi R8 supercar.

In 2016, deliveries of the Audi R8 increased by 31.8 percent to around 2,890 units.

Across the entire portfolio, the overall number of customers in Europe who received keys for their new Audi increased by 7.6 percent in 2016 to around 860,600 cars.

Audi also posted further growth in North America in 2016: 4 per cent, with overall deliveries totalling 210,213 units in the US market, 4 percent more than in 2015.

The Audi Q7 plays an important role in this respect, with the United States constituting its most important sales market worldwide.

More than one in four customers of the SUV comes from the United States. Since the new generation was introduced in January, US deliveries of the Q7 increased by a substantial double-digit figure every month. The Q7 has grown by around 60.9 percent to 30,563 units in the market in 2016. Worldwide, around 102,200 customers decided to buy the model this year, up 43.6 percent.

In China, Audi increased its overall sales for 2016 by 3.6 percent to 591,554 deliveries, maintaining its clear lead in the Chinese premium car market. The demand for the Audi Q3 increased year-on-year by 27.6 percent.

Meanwhile, the delivery statistics for the A3 show an increase of 29.7 per cent to 89,213 units.

read more: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/motoring-news/236471/audi-sales-soar-worldwide.html

New 5 estate arrives this summer, with prices from \u20AC56,590.

A study of 300 women aged 17 to 34, undertaken by the Road Safety Authority, found that they wore their seatbelts under their arm.

The RSA says this can cause horrific injuries in the event of a collision.

The figure rises to 35% in the case of younger women.

53% of those interviewed said that their friends wore the seatbelt under the arm

The main reasons cited for wearing the seatbelt incorrectly were to relieve neck tension (49%) and for general comfort (47%).

9% said it was to protect their tan, and 7% said it was to protect their clothing.

While seatbelt compliance is consistently very strong among young females, it is not universal: e.g. 23% do not always wear a seat belt as a rear passenger.

The Chief Executive of the RSA Ms. Moyagh Murdock, ntoed that “worryingly, whether for comfort or vanity, many women choose to wear their seatbelts under the arm, instead of over the shoulder, which exposes them to terrible injuries and even death in the event of a crash. Placing the shoulder strap of the seatbelt under their arm leaves your upper torso — including your neck, face and head — completely unrestrained during a collision.

“My message to anyone who wears their seatbelt under their arm is simple – wear your seatbelt correctly. The belt should be worn diagonally across the wearer’s chest on their shoulder and never under the arm. If it feels uncomfortable, adjust the height of the belt on the anchor point on the door frame or adjust the seat position and height.

Read more: http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/motoring-news/236362/one-in-four-women-don-t-use-a-seatbelt.html

Part-battery sales up by 128 per cent.

“If implemented without delay I believe the report can halt the trend of rapidly rising motor insurance premiums. While the Government cannot directly control motor insurance premiums, we have always argued it can influence the factors that determine the premium.

“Last June, we called for the establishment of a national claims register and a motor insurance database to record data across the sector. In that regard, I welcome the report’s recommendation that a national claims information database be set up.

“However, I am deeply disappointed that the target is to have this done by the middle of 2018,” said Mr Collins.

The insurance industry has consistently claimed that the cost of awards is the decisive factor in spiralling motor insurance premiums, he said.

“In that respect, the establishment of a Personal Injuries Commission is a step forward but it must act swiftly to address awards that are out of line with international practice.

“I welcome the fact that the Commission will examine the various ‘care not cash’ models of compensation used elsewhere. In addition, the Injuries Assessment Board has to be given stronger powers to be the final decision maker in respect of more claims.

“There has to be a serious clampdown on the issue of false and exaggerated claims as this practice is undoubtedly contributing to sky high premium increases. We are not seeing enough of these cases brought to Court for prosecution.

“The key issue now is implementation. With each passing day, more and more motorists are receiving their renewal notices in the letter-box with massive hikes in their premium.

“Recently, a constituent called into my office and showed me his renewal notice which had doubled from just over €500 last year to over €1,000 this year. Motorists will ultimately judge the effectiveness of this report by the impact it has on their premiums,” said Mr Collins.

Read more: http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/motoring-news/233619/insurance-cost-doubled.html

Ford has launched an extensive and impactful new marketing campaign based around the company’s Irish centenary. Irish-American actor Aidan Quinn features in a campaign which is already becoming familiar to Irish motorists.

Continue reading below…

There are many activities, promotions and events planned throughout the year, with one of the highlights being a Gala Dinner Event at City Hall on April 21 to mark the actual centenary.

Commenting on the centenary, Ciarán McMahon, Chairman and Managing Director of Ford Ireland, said: “Ford has a unique heritage in Ireland, not only through the company’s close family links with Cork but also through the Cork Ford factory and of course many decades of much-loved Ford cars and vans on Irish roads. And we are still to the forefront in the automotive sector in Ireland with the widest network of dealers, providing employment, directly and indirectly, to some 1,000 people across the country”.

“Ford vehicles were and still are an ubiquitous sight on the streets and roads of Ireland all through the 20th century and right up to the present day,” Mr. McMahon went on. “The brand’s constant popularity meant that almost every Irish person grew up with a Ford car in the family or had aunts, uncles and neighbours who drove a Ford.”

“The factory is sadly no more, but Ford remains one of the best-selling brands in both the car and van market in Ireland,” he added. “Several of our models including the Fiesta, Focus and Transit are segment leaders while the all new Mustang is in a class of its own.

“The company is also looking to the future as we plan for the next century of business in Ireland,” said the Ford Ireland chief. “Ford is the company with the largest test fleet of autonomous driving vehicles in the world, and in 2017 we will start testing autonomous vehicles across Europe. The company is moving from traditional vehicle manufacture to being a smart mobility solutions provider as we tackle the global mobility challenges of the 21st century.”

Ford Family Roots in Cork

The Ford Motor Company was set up in Michigan by Henry Ford in 1903. True to his roots, just 14 years later Henry opened the first purpose-built Ford factory to be located outside of North America at the Marina in Cork.

Henry’s father, William Ford, emigrated from Ballinascarty in Co. Cork (50km from Cork City) with his parents and siblings in 1847 during the Famine; Henry was born in Michigan in 1863. Growing up on the family farm, Henry developed a strong interest in mechanics. At first, he concentrated his efforts on making work easier for farmers but he soon came to realise the potential of the motor car as a force for good for the development of societies across the globe. Although he cannot be credited with inventing the motor car, Henry Ford was the man who brought motoring to the masses: the affordable yet rugged vehicles he was producing through his newly invented production-line manufacturing technique – which has since been copied by practically every vehicle and machinery manufacturer across the globe.

‘Bringing it all back home’ – Ford factory established in Cork 1917

When it came time to expand the business to Europe, there is no doubt that Henry’s Cork roots played an important part in his decision to open a plant in Cork. In his own words, he hoped that the new Ford plant ‘would start Ireland along the road to industry’. The setting up of the Ford plant in Cork was the first example of foreign direct investment in Ireland, many decades before the term was even coined.

The company that he legally established was entitled Henry Ford & Son Ltd. and that continues to be the legal name of Ford in Ireland to this day – the only Ford entity in the world to include the full name of the company’s founder in its title.

When the Cork Ford plant became fully operational, Europe was just emerging from a catastrophic World War and Communist Russia was in the midst of a huge modernisation programme so tractors were the vehicles that were most urgently needed. The Fordson tractor was the main product produced by the Cork plant, which in 1929 became the largest tractor factory in the world. However, the factory also produced passenger models, including the iconic Model T. Indeed, the last Model T ever produced by Ford anywhere in the world rolled off the Cork factory production line in December 1928.

In addition to the Model T, the Cork factory also produced all the other main Ford vehicles that were sold in Europe from the 30s right up to the 70s and 80s including the Model A, Model BF and Model Y; Prefect; Anglia; Escort; Cortina; and Sierra.

With Ireland’s accession to the EEC in 1973, Ireland had to comply with new rules that lifted the previous restrictions on imports of fully built motor vehicles into the country; this, combined with a depressed car market in the late 1970s and early 1980s meant that the plant became no longer viable and, regrettably, it closed its doors in 1984.

In the intervening years, Ford has continued to be a strong player on the automotive scene in Ireland and the company has the widest network of dealers in the country with 52 dealerships.

Read more: http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/motoring-news/234386/1917-2017-ford-celebrates-100-years-in-ireland.html

Fitzpatrick’s Garage Accident Repair Centre on the town’s Dublin Road, won the ‘Bodyshop of the Year’ title at last night’s SIMI Irish Motor Industry Awards, which were held at the Clayton Hotel.

It is the seventh year of the awards, which were emceed by popular RTÉ sports presenter Marty Morrissey.

Some 700 people attended the awards night, which is open to all sectors of the Irish Motor Industry. Fitzpatrick’s were the only Kildare winners among eight prizes awarded.

Read more: http://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/motoring-news/235905/kildare-town-s-fitzpatrick-s-win-top-motoring-industry-award.html