Forbes reports the average age of a car in the United States now stands at almost 11 years – a record high. The article comments: “in a way, the auto industry is a victim of its own success: cars just don’t break down as often or wear out as fast as they used to. People […]
Skoda Ireland is in the process of rolling out a new look across its dealer network in the Republic of Ireland. The move coincides with reports by Motortrader in the UK that Skoda has started transitioning to the new corporate look across its network in the United Kingdom as the brand targets another record year […]
One of the big stories to watch in the automotive industry is the rise of aluminium in the manufacturing process. Traditionally, modern cars are made from steel with up to 60% of a vehicle made from that metal. Steel has been favoured for decades although the steel itself has become lighter: modern steel is a […]
It’s interesting the debate over diesel engines. We all know the story: European regulators signposted emissions targets for vehicle manufacturers, and, combined with domestic motor taxation policies which benefited lower emission vehicles the public switched their allegiances – from petrol to diesel. Now, the tide is moving the other way. In the last few days […]
Jaguar Landrover Showcase Technologies UK car publication Evo were recently invited to a technical showcase at Jaguar Land Rover Group (JLR) and they report on the event in their most recent edition (Evo 203). The technologies outlined are cutting edge technologies which are expected to appear shortly in models produced by JLR and offer a fascinating […]
Cartell looked at the issue of unrealistic fuel economy figures earlier in the year when RTÉ reported on findings by UK Car magazine What Car? That publication reported that after testing almost 400 cars in real-world conditions, using cutting-edge test equipment, it achieved economy figures that were on average 19% lower than the government figures in […]
Cars to make decisions like Humans? It would be impossible to ignore the buzz surrounding the Web Summit this week in the RDS, Dublin. One interesting piece of coverage for us was an article that appeared on US Tech channel CNET. The article concerns the development of the self-driving car and it considers the insights […]
NRA says re-engineering needed on some routes In a move that could be copied successfully in Ireland, news filtered through this week that Britain may embark on a plan to apply “safety star” ratings to its roads. The idea behind the proposal, reported by Nick Collins, is that it will help drivers to avoid the […]
Alarming new insights into driver fatigue have been released. Research by Liberty insurance, in conjunction with Millward Brown, looked at the driving habits of GAA fans as part of their ongoing #DriveSafer campaign. The results found that 39% of GAA fans admitted to driving after less than 5 hours sleep and 53% experienced “an incident” such as nodding off […]
Continuing our popular series – Used Car Advice – we’re going to address an issue we get from time-to-time: Hey Cartell, I am (hopefully!) going to pass my driving test next month!! Wondering what car you think would be good for a novice driver? My budget is €7,000 – maybe could stretch this to €7,500 – […]
Car Magazine points to Petrol Advance from Korea The September edition of Car Magazine points to the introduction by Hyundai of a new 37% more efficient petrol engine which will match a diesel’s torque commenting that the new engine may “offer the best of both world’s”. The Korean company are about to start road testing […]
Minister for Agriculture, Food, the Marine and Defence Simon Coveney is trialling a 100% electric car reports RTÉ. He will be driving the 100% electric Nissan LEAF over the coming weeks. During this time, the Minister will be able to charge the electric car using his home charge point, at any of the three European […]
Cartell.ie and Zurich Insurance give some useful advice to used vehicle purchasers: Used Car Popularity Car value depreciates so quickly that it can easily make economic sense for people to purchase cars that are second hand or used. According to statistics from AA Ireland, for every new car bought in Ireland almost 2.5 second-hand vehicles are also […]
Automechanika, known as the meeting place for the automotive industry, offers a unique spectrum of products from the fields of automotive parts, car washing, workshop and filling-station equipment, IT products and services, accessories and tuning. Robert Bosch has won the overall award for future-oriented technology in the field of electronics remanufacturing. The award was won […]
ONE in every four drivers under the age of 25 has taken a ‘selfie’ while driving, according to a new survey. Recently Cartell has blogged about other hazardous behind-the-wheel activities including driving with a cold and other distractions like changing radio station. This latest survey, reported in the Irish Independent, carried out on young drivers […]
In Ireland at the moment there are 9,880 electric vehicles in the Irish fleet including electric hybrids. The most common model is the Toyota Prius which employs an electric element to the drive process which works harmoniously with a petrol engine. Still, the Prius, at least in its original form, is not considered a full electric […]
Cartell featured in the media during the week warning consumers about the latest tactics used by unscrupulous individuals to con unsuspecting buyers and sellers of vehicles. The news comes on the back of a Garda warning, issued to the Irish Independent, which states that a sophisticated scheme involving fake bank drafts had already conned 79 individuals […]
The CSO published new car sales figures for the year to date. The headline figure says things are getting better: private new car sales are up 9.5 per cent over May last year and they are up 27.4 per cent overall in the year-to-date. Things on the commercial front are improving also with new goods […]
RTÉ motoring report on research carried out by UK consumer magazine What Car? which concluded that official manufacturers’ MPG figures are unrealistic. Based on the research new car buyers in the UK who trust official, government-sanctioned fuel economy figures will pay an average of £1,000 (€1,216) more than they expect on fuel over a three-year […]
Continuing our popular series – Used Car Advice – we want to hit an issue in 2014 which is impacting on several car buyers: Paul sent us an email: Hi there! I know ye guys can give advice on buying cars. Can you help us! We are currently driving a Ford Mondeo and while it’s still […]
New Irish motor site motorhub.ie reports on the recent release of the new study by Ford Motor Company entitled Ford Car Buying Trends 2014 where they have highlighted “national differences” when it comes to buying a vehicle from Ford. The study, which is based on analysis of more than 500,000 Ford vehicle purchases in Europe in 2013, […]
Speeding, eating in the car, texting at the wheel… we can all spot other people’s bad driving behaviour a mile away. But what about turning the mirror on ourselves? Research by Liberty Insurance, in conjunction with Millward Brown, found that while people were quick to point out bad behaviour by others, most failed to recognise their […]
Edit: The clocking provision has now been enacted into Irish law and a commencement order has been signed: Road Traffic Act 2014 (Certain Provisions) Commencement Order 2014 While all the various political twists and turns develop in the Oireachtas, Cartell was delighted to learn that the Road Traffic Act 2014 has been enacted and it contains […]
Cartell was delighted to provide some assistance to Carzone.ie for the recent publication of their Motoring Report. This is the third such report and we have collaborated on each occasion alongside Completecar.ie. Aside from the headline figure across a lot of coverage of the report – 474,418 vehicles changed hands in the last six months of 2013 – […]
An article published in the Irish Independent points to useful research conducted by Cardiff University’s ‘Common Cold Centre’. According to a team at that university, driving with a bad cold or flu places you at higher risk. Our concentration levels actually fall by 50pc when we have a cold. This is the equivalent of downing more […]
This is the third year Cartell has been giving customers our unique perspective live from the Geneva Motor Show – the premiere event on the annual calendar for developments in the automotive world – and described as “the most eclectic auto show on the planet“. This year is the 84th edition of the show and you […]
The Peugeot 308 has been announced as the resounding winner of the Car of the Year Award. The winner was named last night in Geneva. The Peugeot won resoundingly over its nearest rival the BMW i3. This is the fourth time a Peugeot model has won the coveted award – the last time was in […]
For the third year in a row Cartell will report live from the Geneva Motor Show. The event, which opens to the public on the 6th March, is considered the premier show-piece for the automotive sector where manufacturers go all out to attract column inches with extravagant displays and announcements of new cutting-edge developments. Already, […]
The Irish Times reports today that Local authorities in Dublin have removed about 5,000 unauthorised ‘Cash for Cars’ signs over the past year and a half. In an article written by Dan Griffin it is disclosed that thousands of signs advertising ‘Cash for Cars’ and waste collection services which have been placed on traffic signals, […]
Regular readers of our blog will know we enjoy covering the latest arrivals at the international motor shows. We’ve covered the last two Geneva Motor Shows from Switzerland. The first big event of the year is the show in Detroit and after a hectic week last week – when we saw the Irish Government act […]
Our collaborating partners completecar.ie report on the first results of a technical partnership between Toyota and BMW. The 2014 Toyota Verso 1.6 D-4D compact MPV will become the first Toyota to benefit from the partnership. This vehicle will be the first Toyota ever to have a BMW engine under the bonnet. Using the same unit […]
Vehicle History Check expert, Cartell.ie, notes the Irish Independent published an interesting proposal to curb the practice of vehicle clocking. It calls for the mandatory declaration of mileage at motor taxation renewal time every year. The proposal, published by Eddie Cunningham in the motoring section of yesterday’s paper, reads as follows: “There is a simple […]
Earlier in the year Vehicle History Check expert Cartell.ie published news that the most popular day of the week to conclude a sale of a vehicle is Tuesday. Now, on a different note entirely, a national newspaper reports today that another day of the week – Friday – is the most dangerous day to be […]
Vehicle History Check expert Cartell.ie reports on the continuing gulf between Ireland and our counterparts in the UK over our attitudes to vehicle clocking. This week a car dealer in the UK has been sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for clocking a large number of vehicles. In Ireland the clocking of a vehicle is not […]
Vehicle History Check Expert Cartell.ie reports on the increase in tyre blow-outs nationwide, according to an article in the Irish Independent. It appears there are two leading factors for this concerning rise: 1/ the conditions of Irish roads are deteriorating, and 2/ vehicle owners are spending less on maintenance as the prevailing economic climate continues […]
Car History Check expert Cartell.ie proudly supports rallying in Ireland. This blog is reproduced from rallying blog ditchslapped. In any other sport, an Irish person who has won consecutive world titles would be an instant sporting hero. They would be in all the papers, they would be on all the billboards, they would be shaking […]
Car History Check expert Cartell.ie report there were significant last-minute queues outside motor-tax offices to comply with the new system of declaring vehicles “off the road” according to the Irish Independent this morning. The rush is expected to add an additional €2m to local authority coffers. A three-month transitional period for declaring vehicles off the […]
Car History Check expert Cartell.ie reports on official figures released via Bloomberg which says European car sales fell in August, bringing deliveries this year to the lowest since records began in 1990. The news comes as some industry analysts predicted the industry was turning a corner at the recent Frankfurt Show as mentioned earlier in […]
We consulted our database to see what MPVs are the most popular in Ireland. The results, based on all MPVs currently live in the Irish fleet, show that the Opel Zafira is Ireland’s favourite MPV. Standing for Multi Purpose Van the MPV has dramatically altered over the course of the past two decades to become […]
The Road Safety Authority of Ireland have launched a public consultation with Group 2 licensed category drivers – bus and truck drivers – along with their representative associations. Group 2 category drivers are required to prove their fitness to drive at application or renewal or during their licence period, should their health deteriorate or change […]
Results of an important survey by UK-based company Warranty Direct show more and more cars are breaking down around the 100,000 kms mark. This is the point when many manufacturer warranties expire – often manufacturers sell new vehicles with 3 year or 100,000 km warranties. Now, this new research, shows why motor-vehicle-makers are opting for […]
Car Mileage Declining Everywhere Recently we were considering some international trends covered by The Economist where it looks at the average mileage in various countries. Several different aspects are considered including the number of trips taken, the volume of traffic on the roads, and the total distance traveled as a country as a whole, and […]
Cartell statistics quoted on RTÉ Drivetime Earlier this week Used Car History Check experts Cartell issued a blog about the issue of clocking, its impact across Europe, and our work to assist alleviate the issue in Ireland. Our report, from January 2013, stated that the rate of clocking of a motor vehicle in Ireland has climbed […]
Cartell statistics quoted on RTÉ Drivetime Earlier this week Used Car History Check experts Cartell issued a blog about the issue of clocking, its impact across Europe, and our work to assist alleviating the issue. Our statistics, from January 2013, stated that the rate of clocking of a motor vehicle in Ireland has climbed as […]
PRESS RELEASE CONSUMER NOT FULLY PROTECTED BY GARDAI Up to 2k stolen vehicles on the market in Ireland Used Car History Check expert Cartell today (July 16) is calling for the release of stolen motor vehicle data to the consumer. At present the Irish consumer has no simple way of knowing if a vehicle they […]
New Registrations and New “Off the Road” scheme Today, 1st July 2013, is a big-ish day for the motor industry with two important developments taking place. It’s the first time that our new registration system – scheduled every 6 months – comes into play with the introduction of the 132 registration plate. All new cars […]
Petrol positioned for a comeback – coverage Regular readers will be aware of the significant publicity generated by our earlier story this week. In conjunction with completecar.ie we conducted an analysis of the new car market and observed that petrol engines are positioned for a comeback. This is based on a combination of factors, including, […]
Petrol Cars in position for comeback Used Car History Check experts Cartell.ie report today (17 June 2013) that Irish new car buyers may, contrary to popular belief, be financially better off opting for a petrol-powered car in preference to a diesel one. The savings could be in the thousands depending on a number of factors. […]
A quick overview of ambulances in Ireland As you know at Cartell.ie we like to discuss aspects of different vehicle types because we know a growing number of our regular readers are interested in off-centre material. For that reason we did a post on police cars for instance, and various features on future concept vehicles. […]
Cartell.ie Rally of the Lakes 2013 – Event Video We are delighted to recommend the video coverage for this year’s Cartell.ie International Rally of the Lakes – an officially sanctioned FIA Event which took place over the May Bank Holiday. For anyone that missed the event live – and there’s really no excuses! – this […]