Motoring

CAR sales so far this year have seen a huge jump towards electrified and full EV vehicles, with Toyota, one of the biggest proponents of hybrid seeing 98% of their sales in January being hybrid. For the first time in the overall market, hybrid sales overtook those of diesel, marking a sea change, particularly in Ireland. For many, hybrids are seen as a stepping stone to fully electric cars and while Toyota have yet to release a full on EV, their first production car will be here in May. The bZ4X is the first of many Toyota EVs to be launched in Europe and it represents the first fruit of Toyota’s new sub-brand bZ, which stands for beyond Zero. The 4X is a mid-size SUV, which comes with all wheel drive and a claim to excellent off-road capabilities. Although based on the existing TNGA chassis, the new eTNGA is the marque’s first purpose built EV chassis and treats the battery …

THE Kia EV6 has been named as the Continental Tyres Irish Car of the Year for 2022 at an awards ceremony in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Motoring journalists from print, online and broadcasting hosted the Covid-19 guideline compliant event, which was attended by Ireland’s leading car brands, importers and distributors. Kia took the top award with its latest EV6 model which also won the Continental Tyres Irish Large Car of the Year category award at the ceremony. It is the second time that an electric vehicle has taken the award as Kia also won the 2020 Irish Car of the Year title with the all-electric Kia e-Soul. Joint-Chairman of the Irish Car of the Year Committee, Anthony Conlon said: “The Kia EV6 is a great car and as the second electric vehicle to win the title, it is proof, if any proof was needed, that the era of electric motoring is already well and truly here in Ireland. Just look …

A ROAD worker has been injured after he was struck by a car at a work site on a busy road in Co Clare this afternoon. The collision occurred shortly after 3.00pm at roadworks on the R352 main Ennis to Tulla Road in Clooney Village. The man was struck by the car which then collided with a mini-digger. National Ambulance Service paramedics and Clare County Fire and Rescue Service crews from Ennis station responded to the incident along with Gardaí. It’s not known whether there was anyone in the mini-digger at the time of the collision but the driver was out of the vehicle when emergency services arrived. The injured worker was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. It’s understood that the worker suffered multiple fractures while the driver of the car escaped injury. Fire crews made the crashed car safe and set up an emergency traffic management system …

A CLARE-BASED driver education programme has launched Ireland’s very first e-scooter safety course which is set to be rolled out in schools across the country. The Irish School of Excellence, founded by Clare native Kieran O’Brien, has joined forces with Bird, a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation, to launch the course. The announcement of the new programme comes just weeks after the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind highlighted the hazards caused by e-scooters, calling for a ban on their use on footpaths and a reduced speed limit of 12km/h among other proposals. Mr O’Brien, CEO and founder of ISOE, explained that when it came to setting up the new course he was moved by the organisations’ statements to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport highlighting their concerns about e-scooters. “We were going to add e-scooter training as part of our overall driver education programme in schools, Mr O’Brien …

SOME 2,115 new cars were registered in Clare in 2021, an increase of almost 7% on the same figure for 2020. The figure represents 2.02% of new car registrations nationwide last year when 104,932 new vehicles were bought an increase of 19.1% on 2020’s figure of 88,325. While this represented good business for the motoring industry, figures were down 10.4% on 2019 registrations when the economy was still functioning normally. One area where 2021 comprehensively outstripped both 2020 and 2019 was the sale of electric car. The surge in sales of electric vehicles continued with 8,646 registered in 2021 compared to 4,013 on the same period 2020 (+115.4%) and 3,444 in 2019 (+151.0%). Moving in the opposite direction however was registrations of imported used cars, of which there were 63,617, a decrease of 20.4% on 2020 (79,969) and a decrease of 44.2% on 2019 (113,926). New Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) registrations in 2021 saw an increase of 32.3% (28,741) compared …

COVID-19 related absences are causing disruption to Bus Éireann services, the transport company has revealed. It is advising customers to take some time to plan their journeys and to check the Bus Eireann website where a list of service disruptions is available; information is also available via its Twitter feed. A spokesperson said, “Currently Bus Éireann is experiencing minor disruption as a result of Covid-related absences across its 17 depots, with the vast majority of services being delivered as planned at present. “Bus Éireann’s team is working on a daily basis to manage absences and to prioritise delivery of services which minimise customer disruption.” Covid-19 mitigation measures remain in place, including having hand sanitising units available on-board and in stations, having touchpoint cleaning during the day and deep cleaning of buses overnight, as well as reminders to leave windows open. We also remind passengers to wear masks throughout their journey and in bus stations. Customers can contact the Bus Éireann …

TWO people have been taken to hospital following a multi-vehicle collision in Clare in which one of the cars is believed to have become airborne. The incident occurred at around 6.30pm on Tuesday evening on the main N67 Kilrush to Kilkee road in the west of the county. It’s understood that five vehicles in total were involved in the collision which happened between Leadmore and Carnanes. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Kilrush and Kilkee stations responded to the scene along with Gardai and several National Ambulance Service resources. It’s believed that one car became airborne in the incident and landed on its roof. The occupants of the all the vehicles were assessed at the scene by ambulance paramedics while two people were later transported to University Hospital Limerick for further treatment. Neither is said to have been seriously injured. Gardaí from Kilrush are investigating the circumstances of the incident. Meanwhile, a woman had a lucky escape …

A MAJOR operation by the Clare Roads policing Unit took place in Ennis recently targeting defective and dangerously modified vehicles. Almost 20 vehicles were stopped and examined, one of which was found to be dangerously defective having failed its NCT recently. Three others were stopped due to major defects and over 40 other defects were detected on other vehicles in the course of the operation. Two motorists were arrested on suspicion of drink driving and two others are set to face prosecution for dangerous driving. Drivers found to have minor defects were advised and cautioned to fix the defects.