Car10

VW's ID.4 top of the league ... just. With 8,261 electric cars sold year to date in Ireland at the end of May, EV sales are almost equal their full year sales for 2021, writes Brian Byrne . The biggest selling model was Volkswagen's ID.4 with 1,132 units, with Hyundai's Ioniq 5 snapping at its heels literally on 1,127 units. Kia's EV6 is next with 740 cars delivered. Nissan's Leaf with 660 cars and Tesla's Model 3, with 500 units rolled out, fill out the top five places in total representing a tad over half of all EVs sold in this country this year. Kia's Niro, Hyundai's Kona, VW's ID.3, Peugeot's 2008 and Renault's Zoe make up the rest of the top ten models, between them with a combined market share of 18.5pc. In all, there are 59 models competing in Ireland in the battery electric space.

The Harris Maxus group has launched a fully-electric 7-seat MPV to the British and Irish markets, writes Brian Byrne . The Maxus Mifa 9 will be available to order from August for deliveries in Q1 2023. It was introduced to UK and Irish markets at the recent CV Show in Birmingham. With a claimed range of up to 520km, the Mifa 9 price and specifications will be released later in the summer. 

Seamus Morgan and Jeanne McGann of Nissan Ireland with the new Ayria. Nissan claim their new Ariya electric car is ‘another game changer’ for the brand, writes Trish Whelan . Ariya is a fully electric sporty crossover that drives like a performance car. At last evening's launch, Seamus Morgan, Managing Director Nissan Ireland, said the brand is moving towards full electrification of their range, starting with Ariya which is the result of a combination of Nissan’s great success stories, Leaf EV, Qashqai Crossover and the performance expertise of the GTR. The front wheel drive version offers EV crossover style to appeal to high grade mainstream customers while the Ariya e-4ORCE gets dual motor all-wheel drive technology to offer increased balance, handling, comfort and performance. Ariya will be available with two batteries. The 218hp, 63kWh battery will have a range of 402kms while the 242hp 87kWh version will have a range of 529kms. Both get 300 Nm torque. The very powerful e4ORCE...

A Mercedes-Benz electric large SUV will arrive in Ireland early next year with a rated range of up to 660kms, writes Brian Byrne . The EQS SUV will be in the same space as the EQS and S-Class saloons at the top of the brand's models hierarchy. The car will be available in RWD and AWD formats. A version with ultra-fast charging capability will be able to build a 250km range in 15 minutes. Prices and specifications for Ireland closer to launch. 

BMW Ireland has released prices for the new 7 Series, from €132,210, writes Brian Byrne. The first Irish deliveries are expected to commence from December of this year. The car will launch in fully-electric form as the i7 xDrive60, with ICE and and PHEV versions following next year.  New styling in line with the latest BMW design language will set the car from its predecessors. There is also a new interior. 

Kia Ireland hit a 7.75pc market share in the first quarter of 2022, the highest it has ever been, writes Brian Byrne. Sales are up by more than a third compared to the same quarter last year. The boost is underpinned by strong interest in the EV6 flagship electric car, and the new generation Sportage.

This is a Smart car like we've never seen … a new generation of the diminutive brand owned by Mercedes-Benz and Chinese company Geely, writes Brian Byrne . Instead of being a little oddball, Smart is growing up. The model pictured here was revealed in Berlin and is a sleek crossover based on a concept shown at last September's Munich Auto Show. The model's name is oddball, though - #1. Still, the underpinnings are all solid. A 268hp electric motor and a battery with a 400km range. A capability of accepting an 80pc charge in 15 minutes. And, space for five.  It's the first of a line of models. Which will be targeted directly at BMW's Mini range.

The new generation Kia Niro will arrive in Ireland in time for the 222 registration period in plug-in hybrid form, writes Brian Byrne . A battery EV version will come later in the summer, and Irish prices will be revealed closer to launch. The 141hp PHEV version will be powered with a 1.6 DGI petrol engine as primary power, with up to 65km range on the battery. The BEV will have a rated 463km range. This is the second generation of the Niro and will come with a full range of driver assistance options, including a remote parking system that allows the driver to complete parking in tight spaces from outside the car.  

The Polestar 2 electric car is now available to order in Ireland at a starting price of €54,500, writes Brian Byrne . With three drivetrain configurations, the offering from the Swedish performance brand has rated ranges of between 474km-542km depending on battery and motors chosen. The Polestar 2 is purchased online , but there will be a Polestar Destination retail location in Dublin from later this year, where prospective customers can explore the car physically and talk with experts. A Roadshow taking in Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork and Galway from 9 May will give consumers the chance to experience the car. Polestar was established as a standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer in 2017, by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding. The Polestar 2 was launched in 2020.  

Volkswagen will show a concept at next month's Beijing Auto Show which will preview electric successors to the company's Passat saloon and estate for many markets, writes Brian Byrne . The Aero B will build on the ID.Vizzion concept shown in 2018 (pictured above), and show much of what a model called the ID.6 will look like. An ID.7 is expected to designate a wagon version of the car, although the company is still developing an estate-only version of a new ICE Passat.  

Toyota Ireland has announced that online reservations for its new bZ4X electric car have now closed, and further enquiries should be made through Toyota dealers, writes Brian Byrne . It is the first of a new family of electric cars which will all have the bZ designation, representing Beyond Zero. The bZ4X is arriving in Ireland in June and prices start from €43,402. The company says there were more than 2,000 expressions of interest when online reservations opened. Dealers are now taking orders for the remaining allocations of the model to Ireland for this year.  

Volkswagen has finally unveiled the production version of the ID Buzz, which will be available in passenger and cargo versions, writes Brian Byrne . A completely modern electric take on the iconic Bulli which was the forerunner of the Transporter range, the ID Buzz will launch in Ireland in the autumn. Initially it will be available as a 5-seat MPV and Cargo van, with long-wheelbase 6- and 7-seat versions coming later. Pricing and other details available closer to launch.  

Toyota Ireland has opened online reservations for the brand's first all-electric car, the b74X, writes Brian Byrne . With prices starting from €43,402, the awkwardly-named car will be available in three grades — Advance, Sport and Premiere Edition — and a rated battery range of 450km-plus. The first allocations have been fully-booked by those who registered early interest. The car will arrive in June of this year. Online reservations can be made here .   

One in ten new cars registered in Europe in 2021 were battery-electric vehicles, writes Brian Byrne . The Tesla Model 3 was the biggest selling individual model, according to analysts JATO Dynamics, ahead of the Renault Zoe and the Volkswagen ID.3. Volkswagen topped the BEV rankings by group. More than 1,2 million pure electric care were registered in 2021, 63pc more than the number registered in 2020 and 3.4 times higher than the 2019 total. In addition, more than a million plug-in hybrid cars were registered. Europe is now the second-biggest market for BEVs in both volume and market share, behind China. In Europe, Tesla's market share has dropped to 13.9pc of BEVs registered, compared to 31pc two years ago, due to increased BEV entrants to the market over that period.  

The new electric Fiat 500 is now available to order with a range of 320km, and a starting price of €24,995, writes Brian Byrne . There are two styles and three grades, Action, Icon and La Prima in hatchback and the Fiat 500c (Cabrio) in Icon and La Prima. The car is the first fully electric vehicle from the FCA division of the Stellantis group. Fiat Ireland MD John Saunders says the car has received an 'overwhelming' response in Europe, and he expects a similar reaction here.