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New MPvs from renault by Caroline Kidd operated from switches located in the boot or from the touchscreen infotainment system. Four trim levels are offered on both Scénic and Grand Scénic in Ireland: Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav and Signature Nav. Standard equipment includes alloys, cruise control and a 7” touchscreen with Bluetooth. The new Scénic range has a number of safety features including Automatic
Renault Scenic
new versions of the fiveseat renault scénic and seven-seat grand scénic have just gone on sale in ireland. the new scénic mPv starts at €26,000 for a petrol, and €27,000 for a diesel. the grand scénic mPv adds two extra seats and starts at €28,400 for a petrol, and from €29,400 for a diesel. The new Scénic has a boot capacity of 572 litres, and the Grand Scénic has 596 litres of load space with the five seats in place. Practical features in both include one-touch folding rear seats that can be
Electronic Braking System (AEBS) with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and automatic high/low beam. Engines for the new Scénic range include a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol with 115bhp, and 1.5-litre (110bhp) and 1.6litre (130bhp) diesels. Manual and automatic gearboxes are available. It’s in Renault dealers now.
Renault Grand Scenic
Skoda ireland – Motoring ahead ŠkoDa ireland recently announced a 20% volume growth in sales for 2016 versus 2015 in a record year which saw the brand deliver over 9,500 new vehicles. the growth has meant that ŠkoDa has retained its position as the sixth highest selling car brand in the country for the second year running, while they have increased their market share to 6.5%. New car turnover has increased by 29% from €115m to €148m and the turnover from sales of vehicle parts and accessories has increased 13% from €7.8 m to €8.8 m. A growing number of customers are also availing of the competitive ŠKODA finance offers and the company has announced that they have loaned over €105million to customers over the past twelve months, an increase of 48.9% on 2015. In addition to this record sales and finance performance, extensive building works have been rolled out over the last 12-18 months to completely transform the appearance of the ŠKODA dealer network at a cost of €12.5million. This comes on the back of ŠKODA producing their 19-millionth vehicle earlier this month at their factory
base in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic. In Ireland, the ŠKODA Octavia is the top performing model of the ŠKODA range with over 4,700 sales in 2016. The brand has also targeted a top five finish in 2017, a goal which will be boosted with the introduction of the brand’s first ever seven-seater SUV in March 2017, with the arrival of the all new ŠKODA KODIAQ. John Donegan, Brand Director at ŠKODA Ireland commented: “At ŠKODA we
are extremely optimistic for 2017. The new face of our dealer network will be the most modern of any car brand in Ireland and we will have some exciting new models for our customers to experience. It is a testament to the confidence of our Dealer Network also that they have such faith in the brand by investing €12.5million in their new showrooms.” In relation to the exceptional financial re s u l t s a n n o u n c e d , M r. Donegan also commented:
“Just under 50% of the cars sold by ŠKODA in Ireland are financed by ŠKODAFinance with two out of three ŠKODAs financed taking the PCP route. This year alone, ŠKODA Finance has financed 6,052 contracts and we’re looking forward to growing that number further in 2017.” For more information on the ŠKODA range or latest offers contact Donohoe Skoda at Quarrypark, Enniscorthy, 053 9242526, wwww.donohoeskoda.ie n
2016 – Sales Boom 2016 saw the biggest number of new car sales in ireland since the 2008 economic slump. in total there were 146,672 new cars registered in 2016, an almost 18% increase on 2015. The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) says the increase was in line with expectations, adding that the strong new car sales tapered off somewhat in the latter half of last year. Imported used cars also had a bumper 2016 with SIMI putting this down to a number of factors including a stronger euro relative to sterling giving Irish importers greater purchasing power. In terms of Ireland’s most popular new car makers, there were more 2016 Toyotas registered in Ireland last year t h a n a n y o t h e r m a k e r. Hyundai came in second followed by Volkswagen, Ford and then Nissan. Interestingly, and perhaps showing Toyota’s popularity across a wide range of its brands, none of its models were among the top five selling models last year. That top five was made up of: Hyundai Tucson Volkswagen Golf Ford Focus Skoda Octavia Nissan Qashqai While the increase in overall car sales is often used as a barometer of positive economic activity, SIMI’s director general Alan Nolan says sales of work vehicles is probably a more accurate measure.
Looking at these sales, he explains that it’s also good news: Commercial vehicle registrations, which perhaps best reflect the level of activity in the economy, were also significantly up on 2015, with light commercial vehicle registrations finishing 18.3% up and heavy commercial vehicle registrations 31.3% ahead of last year. “As we move into 2017 and the new 171 registration period, the industry is anticipating a continuation of the strong performance seen during 2016 and is projecting similar registration numbers to last year,” he adds. SIMI also provides a county-by-county breakdown of where the most cars were bought last year and which parts of the country saw the biggest increase in sales. Looking at those figures, Roscommon saw the biggest spike in new car sales with 31% more new cars registered last year compared to 2015. Meath saw the second largest increase with a 24% jump while Waterford and Cork increased by 23%. In terms of the share of new cars registered, Dublin dwarfs all other counties, accounting for 40% of all the new cars sold last year. n
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Wexford hurling manager, Davy Fitzgerald (third from left), picks up his new Skoda from Donohoe Skoda, Quarrypark, Enniscorthy, proud sponsors of Wexford GAA. Also in photo are members of the Donohoe Skoda sales team and Wexford GAA officials.
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