31 May 2002: The 100,000th MINI came off the production line at the BMW Group Oxford Plant yesterday (30 May) just 13 months after the car went into volume production.

31 May 2002: The new Mazda MPV has a number of significant changes to the previous model introduced in 1999, mostly under the skin, the most significant being the introduction of a new MZR-CD (Mazda Responsive Engine) 136 PS common rail diesel engine.

31 May 2002: The new Land Rover Discovery which goes on sale in UK Land Rover dealerships from 1 June, features a new look, revised interiors and a number of significant technical enhancements designed to improve both its on- and off-road ability.

31 May 2002: Volvo Car Ireland Ltd has received over 50 orders for its new all-wheel XC90 based solely on photos and preliminary information issued after its world debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

30 May 2002: Ford’s new Fiesta goes on view at dealerships from next week. The seven-model line-up, which includes the 1.4 litre TDCi diesel engine, is available in limited quantities for the coming months, with full supply from autumn. Prices start from 14,395 euros.

Ford Thunderbirds exhibition in London

30 May 2002: The 2002 Ford Thunderbird, Ford’s "Living Legend" recreation of the 1950s T-Bird roadster – will be on show at the Design Museum in London this summer, together with a classic 1950s model in "Ford Thunderbirds", on exhibit from 5 July to 8 September in the Contemporary Design Gallery.

30 May 2002: A long-term commitment and proactive approach to safety and environmental care won Volvo the title of ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at Green Fleet magazine’s annual awards ceremony in London on 23 May.

30 May 2002: Aston Villa Football Club and MG Rover Group have announced a shirt sponsorship deal encompassing the next two seasons.

29 May 2002: The new Toyota Camry (above) and the Lexus IS300 both received the top crash rating of 'good' in a recent series of tests carried out by the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And along with the Saab 9-5 they also earned a 'best pick' designation. The Jaguar X-Type also rated at the top.

29 May 2002: Ferrari enthusiasts can now buy a whole range of replica and vintage racing and Formula One clothing on the internet.

29 May 2002: Two rallying amateurs will enter the motor sport record books in June as the crew of the world's first petrol/electric hybrid rally car. Londoners, Nik Berg (32) and Tim Bampton (33) will compete in a Toyota Prius, the world's first mass production petrol/electric hybrid car, on a three week, 5,000 mile marathon rally from the north of Sweden to the shores of the Red Sea in Jordan.

29 May 2002: The first drawings of the new Maserati Quattroporte (four-door) have been unveiled to the public.

The drawings, along with the first clay model of the vehicle, were revealed in an exhibition at the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated to Maserati and sister company Ferrari.

28 May 2002: On Sunday September 9 2001, MG made its British Touring Car Championship debut with the all-new MG ZS racing saloons at Silverstone. This weekend, some nine months later, drivers Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes return to the Northamptonshire circuit to contest rounds seven and eight of the 2002 season.

28 May 2002: England striker Michael Owen and Jaguar Cars have donated a very special car to Sport Relief, a new fundraising campaign from Comic Relief and BBC Sport, which aims to raise many thousands of pounds for disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.

28 May 2002: Below 10mph the Toyota Prius is soundless – which makes this environmentally friendly car the ideal choice for Westminster City Council's Charter Mark award-winning 24 Hour Noise Team.

24 May 2002: The Peugeot Boxer has now received a complete makeover with changes that include an improvement in quality, a more functional and comfortable interior, new equipment, and powered by Peugeot’s 2.0, 2.2 and 2.8 HDi engines.

24 May 2002: The Alfa Romeo J24 European Sailing Championships 2002 will be staged in Dublin Bay, from August 26th to 30th. It will be hosted and organised by the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire and sponsored by Alfa Romeo. Up to 50 crews from all over Europe will compete.

24 May 2002: The carmakers seem to be doing their their fair share against global warming, according to a new report from the UK. The SMMT (equivalent to our Society of the Irish Motor Industry) says that average CO2 emissions from new cars have dropped some 6.7% since 1997. CO2 is the key global warming emissions.

24 May 2002: The Circuit of Munster Rally on the 2nd of June, will be the next round of the highly competitive 2002 Ford Ireland KA Rally Championship, with all fourteen Pirelli shod, Ford rockets, battling for the overall honours.

23 May 2002: Ford Ireland is introducing a limited edition Ka model in anticipation of summer sunny days and outdoor pursuits.

23 May 2002: Toyota has introduced D-CAT or Diesel Clean Advanced Technologies, its new comprehensive clean diesel concept, at the 1st Toyota European Environmental Seminar and Test Drive held at the CERAM proving ground in Mortefontaine near Paris.

23 May 2002: Opel's Agila (in its Vauxhall badging) has been named as the greenest MPV on the road by the UK-based Environmental Transport Association.

23 May 2002: A soft-top Beetle is to be introduced to the US market later this year. The cloth cabriolet roof will be similar to the one currently available with the Golf, and has been developed by Karmann.

22 May 2002: Chrysler’s new Jeep Cherokee has been launched in Ireland in four versions - the new Commerical 2.5-litre CRD 16V 5-door 141 bhp, 34,546 euros; the 2.5 CRD Sport Passenger, 44,855 euros; and 2.5-litre CRD Passenger Limited, 51,937 euros; and the 3.7 V6 Passenger Limited, 53,220 euros.

22 May 2002: In a competition organised by the MG Car Club/Irish Shell to find the most economical car on our roads, a Fiat van has proven itself better than most of them. A Fiat Doblo 1.9 JTD Cargo covered this year’s course - 168.5 miles - on just 11.16 litres (2.45 gallons) of fuel. That was an actual 68.63 miles per gallon, the third best result on the day and an achievement well ahead of most of the cars that entered.

22 May 2002: The cost of not being in the eurozone is resulting in Britain's 19bn-euro car components industry facing collapse.

22 May 2002: MPV ownership in Ireland has increased from 4.6 percent of the market in 1996 to 7.8 percent last year. The change has been mainly at the expense of 4-door saloons and 3-door hatchbacks.

21 May 2002: Honda is helping to develop home-based generators which produce hydrogen fuel so drivers don't have to fill up at stations. The move is aimed to encourage would-be buyers of hydrogen vehicles who worry about the limited number of places to refuel.

21 May 2002: Gallic Distributors, the Citroen franchisees in Ireland, expect to sell 3,000 units of the new C3 in a full year, according to James Wyse, the company’s managing director.

20 May 2002: Skoda’s new flagship Superb is expected to arrive here at the end of June.

20 May 2002: The AUTOnomy fuel cell concept car from General Motors (pictured above with GM vice president for research Dr Larry Burns) has been voted ‘Engine of the Year – Best Concept’ in the Engine Technology International Awards, by an international jury of 41 motoring writers.

20 May 2002: Market research company Mintel forecasts real growth in new car sales to be 19% in in the Republic between 2001 and 2006. In Northern Ireland, the market is forecast to settle into a cyclical pattern of variable growth and decline. The year 2002 is forecast to be better than 2001 by 9% while 2003 is forecast to be 2% lower than 2001.

17 May 2002: The days when a good mechanic and a car salesman could get together on a shoestring to launch their own motor business are long gone, according to the man who is arguably Ireland's best-known motor business success story.

17 May 2002: BMW has confirmed that a diesel MINI will be available in 2003. A 1.4-litre diesel engine has been sourced from Toyota, where it has been introduced into the Toyota Yaris line-up.

16 May 2002: Toyota has won the 1.4-1.8-litre category at this year’s International Engine of The Year Awards ceremony in Stuttgart. The awards are organised and published by Engine Technology International magazine.

16 May 2002: A Corsa or Agila-based roadster is being developed by Opel to pick up on the trend for small affordable roadsters, such as the upcoming Ford Streetka.

16 May 2002: Jaguar is to launch an all-aluminium XJ saloon early next year. The new top of the range model will be longer than the current model, but will be considerably lighter.

16 May 2002: Suzuki has launched its new four-door Liana in Ireland, replacing the Baleno.

14 May 2002: The all-new Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon, which will come to Ireland in October, is the first step in the biggest product development programme in Saab’s automotive history. It spearheads the arrival of an entirely new family of cars, each focused on meeting the particular requirements of a different niche in the market.

14 May 2002: Gerry Keyes from Crecora, Co Limerick took a narrow victory on the second round of the 2002 Ford Ireland KA Rally Championship, the Carlow Stages Rally based in Carlow town.

14 May 2002: The 4.4 litre VALVETRONIC engine that powers the recently launched new BMW 745i has been named International Engine of the Year 2002 by Engine Technology International magazine.

14 May 2002: Hyundai Motor company has reported record first-quarter net profits, more than doubled to 519m euros in the first three months of the year.

13 May 2002: VW is getting into the luxury SUV business for the first time with this Touareg, which will be powered by either a 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine or the optional V10 5-litre turbodiesel.

13 May 2002: A dedicated garda traffic unit may be set up on a national basis to deal with motoring and traffic offences.

13 May 2002: The 90th anniversary rally to commemorate the Gordon Bennet Race will be based this year in Killashee House Hotel near Naas. The original race was in France in 1902, and was transferred to Ireland the following year.

10 May 2002: Visitors to the largest Motor Show ever held in the Mid-West of Ireland, which takes place this weekend in Roscommon Town, will get the first Irish viewing of the new Ford Fiesta.

9 May 2002: BMW could end up selling 25% more MINIs than they expected this, according to auto industry analysts, who predict a 125,000-unit outturn following the 27,691 cars sold in the first three months of the year.

Boring machine starts in Dublin Port Tunnel

6 May 2002: The new Citroen C3 range of cars will be available in Ireland powered by three petrol engines with two derivatives of the 1.1i engine, a manual and an automatic offering in the 1.4 and a 1.6 110bhp. In the autumn, the new high performance and economical 1.4 HDi engine will also be available.

6 May 2002: The largest Motor Show ever held in the Mid-West of Ireland takes place next weekend in Roscommon Town. It is expected to feature at least seven national launches of all-new cars.

6 May 2002: Suzuki Ireland have launched the all-new Alto 1.1-litre on the Irish market. Prices start at 11,225 euros ex works. The Suzuki Alto 4-seater was first seen at the Geneva Motor Show in March (above).

6 May 2002: General Motors has opened new 7,200 sq m facility to study the logistics and processes needed to manufacture fuel cells on a large scale, in place of the hand-built prototypes used today.

6 May 2002: Fiat is to seek 4.5bn euros in savings over the next three years after accelerating plans for restructuring and disposals. The move may involve moving some car assembly operations from Italy to Poland and Turkey

3 May 2002: Toyota's new Camry has won a most unusual award - it is America's 'Most Washable Car'. The award is given by the International Carwash Association and the Camry won because it slips easily through car wash machines.

3 May 2002: Figures released by the SIMI for March 2002 show the Nissan Primera and Almera are now officially Ireland’s top selling cars.

3 May 2002: New laws which come into force in Victoria, Australia, later this month will involve drunk driving offenders having alcohol sensors in their cars which will lock out the ignition if they try to drive.

3 May 2002: The Kells-based Irish Celtic Old Vehicles Owners Club is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. On Saturday members take to the road on the Norman Pratt Run in aid of the Meath Hospice Home Care Unit.

2 May 2002: General Motors (GM/Opel), the largest automotive company in the world, is to buy a 67% stake in Daewoo Motors in Korea in a deal valued at 1.4 billion euros.

Motor industry students visit German plants