You ain’t seen nothing yet; hyper cars; 600bhp M5; Amalfi dreaming; backing the Dubs
FUEL prices have been steadily creeping upwards. We’ve been lulled into a false sense of security with them for a long time but MPG is back on the agenda. Notice how €50 doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to?
***** As I reported last week, the Geneva Motor Show was a bit flat and unexciting. But don’t take that as a sign of an industry flagging under the burden of expectation.
I think it might very well have been one of those shows where companies took stock rather than chances.
Some people asked if it was down to the physical reality that they can’t really make that many more shapes any more. Absolutely not, retorted more than one observer. One in particular insisted: “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Roll on Frankfurt.
***** Electric is never far from the conversation these days. I see that Porsche’s Mission E electric car will have a big number of different versions following its production in 2019.
***** Lot of talk too about hyper cars. There are reports that next year’s Mercedes-AMG Project One version will cost €2.8m.
The 1,000bhp four-wheeldrive super-duper motor will be sold out ahead of being shown at Frankfurt, it seems.
Not to be outdone, Audi is considering an electric hypercar too to rival Aston Martin’s Valkyrie, for one, and of course, the Mercedes Project One.
***** The joint venture between Skoda and Tata Motors India will show fruit by 2019.
The alliance is good for Skoda (and the Volkswagen Group) because they will make a bigger impact in the Indian market, while Tata will save a lot of money in developing a new platform. Win, win.
***** BMW’s powerhouse new M5 will wind up an enormous 600bhp and have four-wheel drive when it makes it to the tarmac later this year. Now there’s a car.
***** Italy’s Amalfi coast is one beautiful place to be. I’ve been lucky to have had a day or two there a couple of times.
I see where a Texaco/ Valero Energy (Ireland) promotion could have you there in next to no time. The ‘Roads to Adventure’ promo has eight holidays, worth €3,000, for Amalfi.
It runs ‘til early May and so long as you buy just €30 worth of fuel at a time there’s no limit to the number of entries you can make.
Entries can also be made by smartphone using Image Recognition Technology. Which means you can register online at www. texacoroadstoadventure.ie without having to post or fill in forms.
***** Good to see that Subaru Ireland is now the official car partner to Dublin GAA. The company will provide vehicles to the players and management of the senior football and hurling teams.
The car models being provided include the Impreza, XV crossover, Forester and Outback.
And teams will benefit from a Forester van to transport their kit as they compete in the national leagues and All-Ireland championships.
***** Considering that Ford is celebrating 100 years in Ireland this year, it’s timely that Friday’s St Patrick’s Day parade in the city will be led by a range of models that reflect decades of production at its famous plant there.