27 September 2002: PARIS MOTOR SHOW. There's a strong contingent of Irish motor people at this year's Paris Motor Show. Apart from those mentioned in yesterday's stories - Ford's Eddie Murphy, Daewoo's Tom McQueirns, Honda's Frank Kennedy - we also met up with quite a few others since.

27 September 2002: PARIS MOTOR SHOW. While the Citroen Pluriel (above) was the star of the the brand's stand at the show yesterday, there was also a lot of attention to be paid to the various versions of the C8 large MPV, which would push a strong wedge into the market of that particular segment.

27 September 2002: Following its world crowns in 2000 and 2001, Peugeot Sport is this year enjoying another tremendous run and the Sanremo Rally, eleventh of the 2002 calendar's fourteen rounds, provided the team with its seventh WRC one-two finish of the season. This result gives it a 45-point lead over Ford in the manufacturers' championship while its drivers are also flying the flag high in the Drivers' series.

27 September 2002: Guy Fréquelin, Head of Citroën Sport has asked Colin McRae to join the Citroën team for the 14 rallies of the 2003 World Rally Championship.

26 September 2002: PARIS MOTOR SHOW. A number of Ford products to be introduced to Ireland in the next 12 months will strongy enhance the image and sales of the brand, MD of Ford Ireland Eddie Murphy said at the Paris Motor Show today.

26 September 2002: PARIS MOTOR SHOW. The arrival of Honda's new Accord to Ireland in the spring of next year will mean a 'big move upwards' for the model.

26 September 2002: PARIS MOTOR SHOW. Daewoo Ireland is going to have a very busy year ahead of them with the arrival of no less than four new cars planned which will freshen the brand enormously and make the newly-revitalised company a much more serious contender in the market.

25 September 2002: Though French carmakers are naturally the headliners at the biennial Paris Motor Show, it is also a magnet for practically every other maker to show off their latest stuff. IrishCar.Com will be reporting directly from the press days between now and the weekend.

25 September 2002: Nissan Ireland’s website has won the Golden Spider Award for Marketing Excellence.

25 September 2002: A road safety promotion for the October Bank Holiday weekend will try to involve companies throughout Ireland, asking them to highlight a ‘Vulnerable Road Users’ message to their staff.

25 September 2002: Traffic accidents are more frequent on motorways when traffic flows are lighter, under 400 vehicles per hour, according to research carried out on French autoroutes over a two-year period. They also tend to be more severe.

25 September 2002: Audi may bring the next-generation A3 to the US as an entry-level car, according to company CEO Martin Winterkorn.

24 September 2002: The new Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon will have all the qualities needed to successfully compete with any other car in the compact premium saloon segment, according to Saab Ireland’s Doug McCoy, at yesterday’s press launch in the Merriott Hotel, Druid’s Glen, Co Wicklow.

24 September 2002: The five-millionth Ford Explorer produced has rolled off the assembly line in the US - driven by Ford Motor Company Chief Operating Officer and President Nick Scheele (above).

24 September 2002: Fiat has just been awarded the prestigious Economist Innovation Award, (Energy and Environment category), for its ground-breaking work in developing the Common Rail diesel technology that is now used by every major European car maker, and which has revolutionised diesel engines, enabling them to set new standards for economy, performance and low emissions.

24 September 2002: Shocking survey results, released at the start of Road Safety Week in Britain, reveal that children who are most likely to be killed on roads (11-14 year olds) are taking enormous risks, such as crossing roads when texting on a mobile.

24 September 2002: Our Lady’s Secondary School, Monaghan is the winner of the 2002 Volvo Practical Environmental Projects for Schools (PEPS) Awards. An exciting trip to Sweden for the winning team is the major part of their prize.

23 September 2002: Colm Murphy from Athea, Co. Limerick scored his maiden victory on the third round of Irelands premier one make rally championship, the 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship, at the Clare Stages Rally.

23 September 2002: Peugeot 206 WRCs have claimed first and second places on the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Sanremo Rally in northern Italy. Gilles Panizzi and his navigator, brother Herve, secured their third successive win on the asphalt event, while Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen extended their lead in the world championship by finishing second. Another 206 WRC crew, Richard Burns and Robert Reid, secured fourth.

23 September 2002: Irish Ferries are wooing the over-55s with across-the-board reductions on motorist fares, holidays and travel insurance.

23 September 2002: The latest generation of the Audi S4 Quattro will be high on the list of Audi performance fans at thios week’s Paris Motor Show.

23 September 2002: If you're of the impression that Honda merely make dull-looking but good cars, then take a look at this one, not for Europe but aimed at Yankland, and showing that the company can turn a concept into a roadgoer in short order. The Element will drive into new territory with a multi-functional cargo area, innovative and versatile seating, durable interior, and energetic performance when it goes on sale in December.

23 September 2002: The AA is to phase out most of its 522 roadside phones in the UK because of lack of use. Only a handful of calls - less than 6,000 a year out of nearly 5,500,000 - are made from roadside phones, with most people today favouring a mobile phone.

20 September 2002: If you’re the kind of person who just can’t do without your personal digital assistant, then the makers of the new MINI have good news for you. From next year, you’ll be able to park a special PDA, the iPAQ, right in front of your eyes in your car which will provide information on navigation, traffic news, text messages, e-mail, an address book, news, entertainment information, and links to the emergency services.

20 September 2002: If your car has done over 18,000 miles, it could be costing you as much as 15 percent extra fuel consumption unnecessarily.

Training drivers saves fuel

18 September 2002: Fiat will be launching its new 1.3-litre JTD turbodiesel in 2003, playing its own part in a definite trend making towards small-capacity oil-burning engines acceptable to buyers.

19 September 2002: The first European view of the new Honda Civic hybrid car will take place at Paris next week, and will show a car that simply doesn’t look like anything else than the Civic it is.

19 September 2002: BMW’s new Z4 sports car will be launched in Europe with a brace of 2.5- and 3-litre engines, outputting 192bhp and 231bhp. Their acceleration potential is 7sec and 5.9sec respectively.

19 September 2002: Despite the rain in this part of the world, the UK and Germany are Europe’s biggest convertible markets. And the 2003 Saab 9-3 Convertible has been upgraded to make sure the car retains its key place in that market.

18 September 2002: Volkswagen’s first compact MPV, the Touran, will be available in three equipment and trim versions early next year, with a choice of three FSI and TDI engines with power output in the range 100-136 bhp all with standard six-speed gearbox.

18 September 2002: Audi Ireland have confirmed today - as first reported on IrishCar.Com in early July - that the next generation Audi A8 will be launched in Ireland in January.

18 September 2002: An Opel Speedster powered by a diesel engine seems to be a contradiction in terms, but that’s just what people attending the Paris Motor Show next week will see in a place of pride on the Opel stand.

18 September 2002: You’ve not seen a fire engine like this before, but this concept Peugeot - the H20 - uses fuel cell technology for its power, and can be used for reconnaissance and early response in areas within towns and cities which are difficult for large vehicles to access.

18 September 2002: Some 2,000 Transition Year students atttended a hard-hitting road safety ‘roadshow’ in the National Concert Hall in Dublin yesterday. The event was first held in Northern Ireland and was brought to Dublin with the support of the National safety Council and AXA Insurance.

18 September 2002: After being delayed because of the recent GM takeover of Daewoo, the arrival of the Kalos supermini on European markets before the end of this year has now been confirmed.

17 September 2002: Drogheda's Paul Dagg recorded his second Ford of Ireland Formula Ford title - last won in 1999 - at Mondello Park last Saturday with a fine performance, which netted him his third win of the season. In the 10th and final round on Sunday, Glanmire's Alan Dwyer took his fifth victory of the year to finish runner-up in the series.

17 September 2002: Once again the Dunlop RT2000 Championship race at Mondello Park turned out to be one of the highlights of last weekend, the final championship round of the year being run over 18 fast and furious laps with former champion, Johnny Whelan (Naas) claiming the final honours of the year to consolidate second in the series.

17 September 2002: Peugeot’s latest 206 GTi with a 180bhp engine will be premiered at the Paris Motor Show and has been inspired by the success of the 206 WRC which is dominating this year’s Championship series, and which has secured the manufacturers’ title for Peugeot for the last two seasons.

17 September 2002: An amazing 112.71mpg was achieved in a special charity economy run in Honda Jazz cars yesterday by a duo of Irish motoring journalists - Brian and Mary Foley. The IrishCar.Com team of Brian Byrne and Trish Whelan achieved 72.2mpg, coming in third behind Karl Tsigdinos and Honda Ireland's Chris Dobson with their 104.91. The official combined consumption of the Jazz is 49.6mpg.

17 September 2002: Well, we showed you the first hints from last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and now the European version of the new Nissan Micra is to be officially launched at next week’s Paris Show. But alongside the bread-and-butter new contender in the Fiesta/Corsa class will be a sweet C+C derivative concept aimed at the niche garnered by the Peugeot 206cc coupe-cabriolet.

17 September 2002: Audi is to launch the world’s most rapid production saloon as well as a unique estate model this month - the Audi RS 6 quattro and RS 6 Avant quattro, powered by 450bhp 2.7-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 engines, a six-speed manual gearbox, and the company’s quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system.

17 September 2002: The age profile of drivers in the developed world is getting older, and a California task force has issued a set of recommendations about how to deal with increased accident risks because of this.

16 September 2002: Fiat's new Stilo wagon will be available in Ireland in the early part of next year, according to Fiat Auto Ireland. The vehicle's pre-production cars are currently under final testing (above).

16 September 2002: Jaguar will officially launch its latest XJ at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, 34 years to the day after the launch of the original XJ6. The car will go on sale in Ireland sometime in the spring.

13 September 2002: The new Beetle Cabrio 4-seater will go on sale in Ireland next April. The car will make its international debut at next January’s Detroit Motor Show and will arrive on European markets in the first quarter of 2003.

13 September 2002: The European Commission’s call this week for the phasing out of car registration taxes has been welcomed by the boss of Ford in Ireland, Eddie Murphy. But he is gloomy about the chance of a quick change to the inequitable situation in this country.

ADHD sufferers more likely to be in crashes

11 September 2002: Donegal brothers, Daniel and Michael Doherty (Carndonagh), claimed as exhilarating third place overall behind Tarmac Champion, Andrew Nesbitt and top Pirelli British series runner, Jonny Milner, on last weekend's Stena Line Ulster Rally to take their highest placing in an international event.

11 September 2002: Skoda has extended their Fabia range with the introduction of a 55bhp 3-cylinder 1.2 litre HTP petrol engine. This brings the range into line with its sister-car VW Polo.

11 September 2002: A 2+2 coupe concept that combines stunning sports styling with a light, bright and spacious interior will be a highlight on the Citroen stand at the upcoming Paris Motor Show.

11 September 2002: Current Semperit Irish Van of the Year and International Van of the Year, Opel's Vivaro and the Renault Trafic have been triple-honoured scooping the 'Best Overall Van' title in the annual Irish Van & Truck Magazine awards. Doing doubly well, Peugeot and Mitsubishi picked up two gongs apiece while commercial kingpins, Ford garnered the largest harvest of titles with three golds, two for the ubiquitous Transit and one for the Ford Focus newcomer.

11 September 2002: Ford in the US has upped its drivetrain warranty on its Focus from 3-year/36,000 miles to 5-year/100,000 miles in a bid to counter a public perception that the car has build and reliability problems.

10 September 2002: Hyundai is to compensate some 400,000 owners of its cars in the US after revelations that it had misstated the horsepower ratings on 1.3 million cars and trucks sold in North America over the last 10 years.

10 September 2002: Cathal O'Reilly from Cavan has won the second round of the 2002 Ford Ireland Focus Rally Championship, the Ulster Rally based in Belfast.

10 September 2002: Full details of the next-generation Honda Accord for Europe have been released and among the car’s attributes is a very high aerodynamic efficiency of 0.26 Cd.

Castrol Magnatec now available in service centres

Britain from end to end on half a tank

Communications increasing crashes?

9 September 2002: The fastest way to deal with the problem of high motor insurance premiums in Ireland would be to get large numbers of people to refuse to pay them, the motor insurance justice action group (MIJAG) says.

9 September 2002: A number of UK motorists have been able to have fines quashed by sending reports from their cars’ telematics systems to court. And the matter has also raised a question over the accuracy of speed cameras.

7 September 2002: The Ford Focus, Honda Accord and Toyota Yaris have been named as 'Best Buys' in the latest survey by the UK-based consumer magazine 'Which?'.

7 September 2002: The European Commission says it wants member states to phase out vehicle registration taxes in the interest of consumers. The commission says the imposition of such taxes causes distortions and double taxation.

6 September 2002: Visitors to this year's Paris Motor Show will see an upgraded Toyota Celica with enhanced new qualities in other areas, like safety and perceived quality.

6 September 2002: Fiat Auto Ireland has become the official vehicle sponsor of the Football Association of Ireland and will supply Doblo Cargo vans for the Association’s Regional Development Officers and Alfa Romeos for key personnel. Mick McCarthy (pictured above with Fiat Ireland MD Michael Howe), Irish team manager, will drive an Alfa Romeo 166

6 September 2002: Mercedes-Benz has created a new production record with the building of the 100,000th Series W 211 Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicle just six months after rolling out job Number One.

6 September 2002: Older drivers with cataracts are twice as likely to have crashes than their peers who elect to have surgery to deal with cataracts, according to research conducted at the University of Alabama in the US.

6 September 2002: A lawsuit against Ford in Kentucky says the company should have included adjustable pedals as standard in a 1997 car, to avoid shorter people being damaged by airbags.

5 September 2002: Citroen will debut the C3 Pluriel at the 2002 Paris Motor Show at the end of this month, a car which can morph from a four-seater saloon into several other configurations. The car will go on sale in Ireland in 2003.

5 September 2002: America may yet come to love the diesel car, if a Michigan politician has his way. Hohn Dingell, a member of the US House of Representatives, plans to introduce a bill that would encourage the sale of oil-burner cars in America.

4 September 2002: Ford’s long-promised Streetka roadster is to go on sale next spring. The car, which was a hit in concept form at the 2000 Turin Motor Show, is a modern intepretation of traditional 2-seater classics like the MG Midget.

4 September 2002: The Mercedes-Benz GST which was first shown as a concept car in Detroit last January will become a reality in 2004, and will be built in the USA.

4 September 2002: Ford bosses are believed to be deciding this week whether they’ll continue to support their Jaguar team in F1. The team has failed in three years to make a serious impression in the competition.

3 September 2002: This is the first public pictures of the new SEAT Cordoba, which will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. It follws the same excellent styling themes of the latest Ibiza, and will go on sale next year.

3 September 2002: The Irish franchisees for Mazda expect to sell up to 3,000 units of their new 6 series car in a full year, depending on how the overall Irish car market performs next year.

3 September 2002: Opel has introduced extra shifts to cut waiting times for its new Vectra, due to strong demand for the car.

3 September 2002: The introduction of the catalytic convertor to reduce polluting emissions from cars has also had a startling and positive effect on the number of deaths of US motorists from carbon monoxide poisoning.

3 September 2002: The last ever Crewe-built Rolls-Royce has now rolled off the production line at the Crewe factory that has been the home to Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars since 1946. Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars has confirmed that this historically significant car will remain the property of the Crewe factory.

3 September 2002: Despite the so-called 'single market' Irish motorists are being robbed blind by Irish finance houses when it comes to loans for cars, compared to their European cousins.

2 September 2002: Toyota and Nissan have concluded an agreement on cooperation in the development of hybrid systems. The agreement has a term of 10 years and perhaps longer.

2 September 2002: The National Safety Council is appealing to motorists this week to 'expect the unexpected' as over 800,000 children return to school after the summer break.

2 September 2002: Renault's latest concept car, Ellypse, showcases a number of proposals to make the company’s cars more environmentally friendly, easier to use, and also has a subtle aim of reducing road rage.

2 September 2002: DaimlerChrysler has released details of the Smart Roadster which it will launch next April. It will change the whole public perception of the Smart car range.

2 September 2002: Ford is to drop its Think electric vehicle division and concentrate instead on developing fuel cell and hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles to meet environmental regulations for cars and trucks. The decision is due to poor customer demand and lack of government support for the environmentally friendly cars.

2 September 2002: A study of almost 4,000 adolescents and young adults in Norway is providing sociologists concerned about the problem of young drivers being involved in more accidents with a new ‘tool’ to measure risk-taking attitudes amongst the age group.