28 June 2002: In Euro NCAP’s most recent round of crash tests, the Opel Vectra achieved 30 points – the best result of the 'normal' family cars tested when the 5-star winner Mercedes C-Class (33 pts) luxury car is excluded. It was also significantly safer than the X-Type Jaguar (26pts) luxury car which was also included in the segment. The other composite scores were 28 pts for the Ford Mondeo and 26 pts for the Peugeot 607.

28 June 2002: Land Rover has launched its first public Adventure Zone at Bluewater in Kent, Europe’s largest retail and leisure destination. The attraction opened to the public yesterday.

28 June 2002: Fiat Auto Ireland has announced a number of new appointments as part of its reorganisation programme.

28 June 2002: To celebrate the launch of their latest addition to the range, the new C3, Citroën have teamed up with the Anglo Irish Bank Garden Heaven Show at the RDS to create a centrepiece Citroën garden titled "La vie est belle" - Life is beautiful. This year the show will take place on the 11th – 14th July.

28 June 2002: Young environmentalists from Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast have been selected by Volvo to represent the UK at the Volvo Young Environmentalist Youth Conference taking place in Sweden this September.

28 June 2002: The world’s most luxurious new car – the Maybach 62 – this week made its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on board the legendary ocean liner, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth II.

27 June 2002: Peugeot’s new 206 Sports Wagon goes on sale at Peugeot Dealerships nationwide this July. The new member of the 206 family has been designed to combine the practicality of an estate with the appeal and style of a sports hatchback.

27 June 2002: The Volkswagen Golf has surpassed the Beetle as the most produced car in Volkswagen history.

27 June 2002: The US-based parent company of Donnelly Mirrors in Naas has been acquired by automotive systems developer and manufacturer Magna International Inc of Aurora, Ontario, Canada.

27 June 2002: Former world rally champion Colin McRae and the Ford World Rally team have confirmed they will attend the World Rally Experience at Punchestown Racecourse on July 21.

26 June 2002: Nissan has won the ‘Red Dot’ award for high design quality by the Design Zentrum Nordhein-Westfalen in Germany. It’s the fourth time the company has won the award in the past ten years, this time for the new Primera.

26 June 2002: The cost of running a family car has risen by 10% in a year, according the the latest survey by the AA.

26 June 2002: The new Citroën Relay Van range is now available on the Irish Market. Priced from 20,500 euros inclusive of VAT, the range includes three advanced, common rail HDi diesel engines (2.0, 2.2 and 2.8). A range of 5 models is being launched in Ireland and a new crew-cab version will be launched in July, along with a mini-bus version.

26 June 2002: The fourth round of the 2002 Ford Ireland KA Rally Championship, the Ravens Rock Rally based in Waterford City, will get under way next Sunday, with 14 Pirelli-shod Ford KAs battling for overall honours on this traditionally fast event.

Dwyer and Donnelly take Mondello Ford honours

25 June 2002: The latest generation Mercedes C-class has become only the second car to achieve 5-star rating in Europe’s leading independent crash tests, Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) has confirmed. The new Renault Laguna achieved 5-Stars when tested last year.

25 June 2002: The new Terrano has been changed both externally and internally. All models feature a new look and styling, a host of minor improvements and are powered by a 2.7-litre diesel engine.

25 June 2002: Move over Ferrari and McLaren – there’s a new and unlikely name in the world of motorsport. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has created an extreme version of the popular Caddy TDI, which is soon to be put through its paces at race tracks around the country.

24 June 2002: Volvo’s next-generation SUV, the XC90, will be launched in the autumn with D5 diesel and 272bhp T6 petrol engine options.

24 June 2002: Motorists arriving by car ferry from Britain next year could find themselves sharing space on board with convoys of equipment bound for the biggest sporting event to take place in the world in 2003 - the 11th Special Olympics World Summer Games which will be held in Ireland beginning next June. Irish Ferries have promised a 300,000 euros support package.

24 June 2002: The transmission of the Audi LMP900 sports car which won the recent Le Mans and gave the team a hat-trick as winners over the last three years is being credited with playing a large part in the success.

24 June 2002: Mitsubishi Motors plans to launch 12 new models in the next four years as part of a programme to rebuilt its presence in Europe.

24 June 2002: The Ray O’ Brien motor group in Co Kildare has signed up as a Mitsubishi dealership. The group already holds dealerships for Mazda cars and commercials, Opel cars and light vans and Mercedes commercials.

24 June 2002: The insurance lobby group for young drivers, MIJAG, has warned that it may again support candidates in elections if the issue of high insurnace premiums is not resolved.

24 June 2002: Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher (pictured above left) will reveal the second car to achieve a Euro NCAP crash testing 5-star rating at a ceremony in Cologne tomorrow.

24 June 2002: Ford has opened an innovative new design and creativity centre in London which will develop everything from cars and lifestyle merchandise for the company’s eight brands to non-automotive consumer products running the gamut from sunglasses to furniture.

20 June 2002: Shelbourne Motors in Northern Ireland have been appointed as Hymer dealer for All Ireland - a family owned business with more than 30 years experience in the motor trade.

19 June 2002: More than two-thirds of Fiat Stilo buyers have opted for the 5-door version of the middle segment car, switching the mix from the predecessor Bravo/Brava cars which favoured the 3-door cars.

19 June 2002: Ford Dealers of Ireland have launched a campaign to find the oldest existing model of Ireland’s best selling car. All Fiesta owners in each county are being invited to help in the search by filling out an entry form at their local dealer. Those participating, regardless of the age of their Fiesta, will be placed in a draw to win a weekend away in a choice of Irish destinations.

19 June 2002: Two MG ZS cars will be among the competitors competing in the round of the British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Mondello. Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes have competed in the 24 Heures Du Mans endurance race this weekend.

18 June 2002: The millionth Ford Ka to be produced in Europe has rolled off the assembly line at the Valencia assembly plant in Spain. The model was first launched at the Paris Motor Show six years ago.

18 June 2002: Jaguar sales volumes continue to grow, spearheaded by the X-TYPE, which accounted for more than half of the new Jaguars sold in May. Sales soared globally by 50 per cent compared to last year. In the first five months of 2002, Jaguar sales totalled 56,994 cars – almost 70 per cent up on the equivalent period in 2001.

18 June 2002: The National Safety Council is to sponsor a series of TV film spots on basic rules of the road, which will be shown on prime time TV.

18 June 2002: Transport minister Seamus Brennan has ordered a speeding up of the implementation of the penalty points system for bad driving.

18 June 2002: Austin McHale (Rathcoole) is looking forward to returning to the tarmac in Ireland for next weekend's Shell Donegal International Rally following the two gravel events in the UK in which his Toyota Ireland Corolla WRC was dogged with punctures.

18 June 2002: Fiat has introduced a new promotion on its best-selling Punto, offering zero-interest finance on 50% of the purchase price of the car, repayable over three years.

17 June 2002: In claiming 7.7% of the entire car market last month, the Ford Focus strengthened its position as Ireland’s best-selling car. The Focus performance in May was the strongest of any nameplate in Ireland so far this millennium.

17 June 2002: A second car has received the Euro NCAP five-star rating and its name will be revealed next week with the announcement of the results of the latest series of tests.

17 June 2002: Audi has secured a special place in Le Mans 24 Hour race history thanks to their impressive first, second, third place victory in this year’s event.

17 June 2002: Ford took 1st and 3rd spots at the weekend Acropolis Rally, and Peugeot took second and fourth places with their 206 WRC cars.

17 June 2002: Ford Ireland has taken the difficult decision to postpone the opening round of the 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship.

17 June 2002: A full takeover of Fiat Auto by General Motors may happen sooner rather than later following continuing losses in the division and a wish by GM to incorporate any Fiat ownership into its European restructuring of Opel, Daewoo and Saab.

14 June 2002: The new hottest version of the Alfa Romeo 156 series, the GTA, is now available in Ireland in manual and selespeed forms, and in saloon or sportwagon versions.

13 June 2002: Many commercial users find neither a van nor bus is quite right for their transport needs. Ford Dealers of Ireland say they are promising the best of both worlds with the special post-registration converted Transit Crew Van, which allows seating for up to five passengers to be combined with a large load area.

13 June 2002: The biggest ever assembly of Ferraris and Maseratis will take place at Brand’s Hatch in England on the weekend August 3/4. The event follows last year’s Ferrari Festival which brought more than 200 race cars to the track and attracted 30,000 fans.

13 June 2002: The AA has welcomed the Government’s commitments on the related issues of road safety and motor insurance costs and, in particular, its commitment to the establishment of a Garda traffic corps.

13 June 2002: The Porsche Boxster and Boxster S have evolved for the 2003 model year. Porsche engineers at the Weissach Research and Development facilitites have again revisited the Boxter to further revise the performance and discreetly refine the styling of both the Boxster and Boxster S.

13 June 2002: Beijing Jeep Corporation (BJC) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) have announced the signing of a technical licensing agreement for the manufacture of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport at the BJC facility in Beijing. Production of the sport-utility vehicle is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2003.

12 June 2002: MG returns to Le Mans this weekend to challenge in the 24-Heures du Mans endurance race. Following an encouraging period of development and spurred on by results at the official test last month the team are looking to put in a positive performance.

12 June 2002: A new Daihatsu five-door Sirion will enter dealer showrooms in the UK this month. According to Irish sources, it may arrive here before the end of the year. However, no firm decision has yet been taken on this.

12 June 2002: Irish people visiting the Mobility Roadshow 2002 in the UK’s Donington Park will have a chance to meet Falklands war veteran Simon Weston OBE who joins Toyota at the Motability Roadshow on Thursday 20 June to launch the extended Toyota Mobility range for 2002.

11 June 2002: Volkswagen AG has decided to manufacture its new retro-style Microbus minivan at its existing factory in Hannover, Germany, creating 1,500 jobs.

11 June 2002: Fiat say its New Ducato range is bigger, better and smarter by design. The Ducato Light Commercial Vehicle range has been the backbone of the Fiat LCV range for over twenty years with over 1.2m units sold to date. The latest evolution of the Ducato range, launched internationally a few months ago, goes on sale here this month. Pictured at yesterday's press preview were Michael Howe, Managing Director Fiat Auto Ireland and the company's PR Manager Joe Gantly.

11 June 2002: The RAC has joined with The Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland to develop a guide to help ensure maintenance, monitoring and repair of company vehicles, entitled 'Fair Wear and Tear Guide' The guide will be distributed to members of the Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland, fleet customers and all fleet operators.

10 June 2002: The new - or rather greatly revitalised - Mitsubishi Space Star set to arrive here in October, points to a new horizon for the Japanese company. Irish customers will have a choice of three engine options.

10 June 2002: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation ( "MMC" ) has been invited at the prestigious "Louis Vuitton Classic" Concours d’Elegance in Paris. Mitsubishi's open four-door SUP Cabriolet concept car (above) will be on show.

10 June 2002: MG Rover and the Government of Poland are involved in discussions relating to the potential continuing operations of the Daewoo FSO plant in Warsaw and Daewoo FSO’s distribution operations in Poland.

10 June 2002: The next stop for the Manufacturers' World Championship leaders Peugeot is the forthcoming Acropolis Rally. Leg One is this Friday 14 June. Leg 2 the 15th and Leg 3 the 16th.

7 June 2002: Some 151 vintage cars from Ireland and the UK, some dating back as far as 1899, took part in the first stage of the 2002 Mercedes-Benz International Gordon Bennett Rally this afternoon.

7 June 2002: The Skoda Fabia Group N rally car turned in another class-winning run on the latest round of the Kumho National Rally Championship, the Mutiny Rally held on 1 June.

7 June 2002: Toyota has announced an innovation to make future diesel powered cars cleaner.

7 June 2002: Motorists will have a rare opportunity to see veteran and vintage cars dating back as far as 1889 over this weekend with the return of the Mercedes-Benz International Gordon Bennett Rally.

5 June 2002: The most important Primera of all, the five-door, goes on sale 17 June in the UK.

6 June 2002: Around 12,000 cars in this country are involved in the recall of certain Volkswagon cars. A limited number of Seat Leons have also been recalled.

5 June 2002: Toyota Motor Europe Marketing & Engineering (TMME) has appointed Andrea Formica as Vice President Sales and Marketing Toyota Brand.

5 June 2002: The jewel in the MINI crown, the all-new super charged Mini Cooper 'S' was unveiled to the Irish motoring press yesterday. The car, the most powerful in the Mini range, will be launched to the six Mini dealers around the country from June 8. After that it will be officially launched on the Mini website, www.mini.ie

5 June 2002: Yesterday saw the introduction of a dedicated Eazy Pass lane at the West-Link Toll Bridge. The dedicated lane is for the exclusive use of Eazy Pass car and van customers and will be available during peak hours Monday to Friday.

5 June 2002: Audi’s latest racing car roars on to the track later this month (15-16 June) when the German prestige car manufacturer bids to win the gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours for a third consecutive year.

5 June 2002: Volkswagen is reinforcing its commitment to offer ‘Safety as Standard’ on all models by fitting ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) as standard equipment on every Golf Hatch and Estate and Bora model (above) with immediate effect. Volkswagen is the first volume manufacturer to provide this feature as standard in any of the three market segments in which these models sit.

3 June 2002: Mazda has announced details of an upgraded Premacy which will be launched in Europe in the last quarter of the year.

Ford dealers to sponsor All-Blacks coverage

3 June 2002: Ford Dealers of Ireland are to sponsor RTE’s radio coverage of the Irish Rugby Tour of New Zealand, commencing on June 8 and continuing until June 22. The coverage will include live broadcasts of the two test matches against the All Blacks as well as updates and reports on the warm up game on 8th June.

3 June 2002: Daewoo Ireland is giving anyone who test-drives any passenger model within the Daewoo range a voucher for 130 euros off their next holiday.