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Renault is offering 2% APR along with two years warranty and roadside assistance on its Selection used cars through September, writes Brian Byrne . The company will hold 'Selection' events on the weekend 27-29 September at participating dealerships. The scheme provides a full certified vehicle history check with every used car, and each car is ready to go to its new home the same day. Dealerships will exchange a vehicle purchased under the programme for one of a similar value (within 30 days or 1,000 kilometres from date of delivery) should an irreparable fault occur. 'Selection' used cars can also be searched for at renault.ie .

The market launch of Volkswagen's new small SUV, the T-Cross, will be in spring of next year, writes Brian Byrne . The vehicle will make its public debut later this autumn. Aimed largely at the urban buyer market, the T-Cross will use strong colour themes, including bi-colour options, to attract customers. Connectivity and media streaming will also be a strong feature to gather interest from the young demographic.

Kia will reveal its new generation ProCeed on 13 September and will give the car its public debut at the Parish Motor Show in October, writes Brian Byrne . The car follows design cues from the Proceed Concept shown in 2017, and it has been designed especially for Europe according to the company. The production car will be a 5-door offering the space of an estate.

Toyota is dropping the Auris nameplate which has been used in Europe for the hatchback variant of the Corolla since 2006, writes Brian Byrne . In 2019 the Corolla Hatchback will rejoin the sedan which has retained the name of the best-selling model name in the world. At the same time, a hybrid variant of the Corolla sedan will be introduced, using a 1.8 petrol engine with electric motor. While a 1.6 petrol version will be offered, Toyota says it expects 90pc of all Corolla sales next year to be hybrid. The new Corollas will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, and prices for the Irish market will be announced in mid-October.

A polar explorer has completed a 16,000km trip from Poland to Japan in a Nissan Leaf electric car, writes Brian Byrne . Marek Kaminski, who holds the record for trekking to both the North and South Poles in one year, took three months to do the Leaf trip, passing through eight countries. It took a month longer than planned, and he took in an extra country. And he's now planning to go back home on the reverse route. On the trip he had to make detours along dirt tracks in Mongolia, and was required to devise some inventive charging solutions in Russia. Over the journey he charged the car 53, getting an average range of 250 km per charge. The longest drive in one day was 493km.

Jaguar is to offer an electric drive E-Type, converted from bought-in existing original copies of its iconic sports car, writes Brian Byrne . The drive system will be based on I-Pace components, and will be in line with the E-Type Zero Concept shown a year ago and featuring in the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The 295hp electric motor and 40kW battery will give the cars a range of about 270km on a charge, according to the company. The conversions will be done by Jaguar Land Rover Classic. No prices are yet available.

This single-seat Vision EQ Silver Arrow show car revealed by Mercedes-Benz at the Monterey Car Week in California shows the style direction thoughts for the brand's electric car division, writes Brian Byrne. Drawing on the heritage of the Silver Arrows racing cars of more 80 years ago, when a coat of white paint on the cars was left off for weight saving reasons, this EQ Silver Arrow is made from carbon fibre but this time there are several layers of paint to provide a mirror-like finish. Style details include a continuous lighting strip at the front, a similar one along the side. The driver's cockpit features a curved panoramic screen on which 3D images of the car's surroundings can be projected, polished aluminium and brown leather. A touchscreen on the steering wheel provides management of driving characteristics and other elements. Though the driver can select 'engine' sounds like a Mercedes-AMG V8 engine, the powertrain of the EQ Silver Arrow is elec...

Audi has revealed an all-electric sports car concept at the Pebble Beach Automotive Week in Monterey, California, writes Brian Byrne . The PB18 e-tron concept is created in lightweight aluminium, carbon fibre, and multi-material composites, and with a lightweight solid state battery, a production version is expected to have a total weight of just over 1.5 tonnes. The normal maximum output from the three electric motors will be 680hp, but will have a short-term 'boost' option of up to 775hp. According to the designers, a high-speed charging system will allow a full charge to 500km in around 15 minutes.

Volkswagen's CEO has suggested that automotive suppliers to the European industry should consider taking on the business of making batteries for electric vehicles, writes Brian Byrne . Herbert Diess was speaking to the German business publication Handelsblatt , and he expressed worry that European carmakers would be too dependent on Asian battery production as EV sales grow. Noting that if individual carmakers took on the investment that it would be unlikely that competitor makers would buy from them, he said the automotive battery business would be worth up to €60bn a year by 2025, when electric vehicles are expected to represent 10pc of all car sales. Dr Diess recently congratulated the city of Wolfsburg on its 80th anniversary, presenting the city with 12 mobile charging stations. He is pictured above with Wolfsburg Lord Mayor Klaus Mohrs.

A new-generation BMW Z4 sports car revealed at Pebble Beach in California will be fully detailed on 19 September next, writes Brian Byrne . It is the third generation of a model, in a six-generation  'Z' series which was first introduced in 1989 as the Z1. The M40i First Edition shown has a six-cylinder inline 340hp engine, and a range of new technologies in its suspension, brakes and drivetrain. First deliveries for Ireland are expected in the spring of next year.

Skoda will reveal its Kodiaq RS SUV at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, powered by a 239hp 2.0 diesel, writes Brian Byrne . This teaser preview picture allows some visual detail to filter through, which will include red touches on the logo. But the key elements will be in the powertrain which will have the most powerful diesel ever used in a Skoda, and the AWD system which will help keep those horses under control. Skoda's first RS models were produced in 1974 for two rally prototypes.

Renault will unveil a new compact crossover at next week's Moscow Motor Show, writes Brian Byrne . The Arkana will be built in Russia for global sales. It will go on sale in Russia in 2019 before being released in other markets.

Opel has revealed details of its GT X Experimental, an all-electric compact SUV coupe, writes Brian Byrne . The vehicle shows style cues which will feature in future production cars of the brand, now owned by the Peugeot-Citroen PSA Group. Opel says the concept has Level 3 autonomous functions, which means it can handle all aspects of driving but the driver must be able to intervene if requested. Under current plans, all Opel models will offer an electrified version by 2024.

It's pretty unique, and perhaps not very practical, but should certainly catch the eyes of participants at the World Meeting of Families over the next few days, writes Brian Byre . The Skoda Karoq has been fitted with bespoke stained glass windows in a pattern that represents the diversity of families in Ireland. It is parked at the RDS in Dublin, the primary location for the WMF. The design was executed by the last fully trained traditional stained glass designer in Ireland, Evan Connan, who used more than 1,700 individual pieces of glass in the work. Skoda is the official car partner for the WMF, and two Skoda Rapids used by the pope and officials will be auctioned for charity at a later date.

The 290hp Golf GTI TCR Concept which was first shown at the annual gathering of GTI enthusiasts at Wörthersee, in May, will be one of the highlights at the GTI 'Coming Home' meet will take place in Wolfsburg on September 1, writes Brian Byrne . Another feature of the event will be a procession of GTIs driven by their owners which will take place through the plant at Wolfsburg. The first Golf GTI rolled off the line at Wolfsburg in 1976. The 680hp ID R Pikes Peak, Volkswagen’s first purely electric racing car, will also be showcased.

Before taking to European roads, the new Ford Ranger Raptor is the first ever vehicle revealed at Europe’s largest video gaming event, Gamescom, located at Cologne in Germany,  writes Trish Whelan . Ford also revealed Ranger Raptor will be added to the upcoming Xbox open-world racing game Forza Horizon 4, which will be released worldwide on 2 October. The high-performance pick-up, which tore up the track at Goodwood Festival of Speed, will soon offer gamers hours of dirt-churning excitement on virtual racetracks. Ford say the new Ranger Raptor, the toughest version of Europe’s best-selling pick-up, is the ultimate performance utility vehicle that offers the best of both worlds. The heavy-duty suspension tames rough tracks and also delivers a smooth ride in urban areas and on motorways. At Gamescom, Ford also announced its intention to work with the gaming community to engage in the design of future Ford Performance cars. The Project P1 Design Challenge will ...

British visitor Michael Lyons scored a double victory at Sunday’s 50th Anniversary race meeting at Mondello Park, with his five litre V8 engined Lola beating Ireland’s Tommy Byrne in both rounds of the Derek Bell Trophy Championship, after the Dundalk driver briefly led for the opening lap of race on, writes Richard Burke . Byrne, driving a Formula 1 Hesketh once raced by 1976 World Champion James Hunt, has been out of racing for decades, but has recently made a comeback and although hampered by a shortage of fresh tyres, managed to finish within six seconds of Lyons in the opening race, and ten seconds in the later outing. Meath driver Dan Daly was third in both races, despite his Ralt having an engine less than half the size of that fitted to Lyons’ car, with the V8 McLaren of Alain Girardet fourth each time. The biggest Mondello crowd for a long time cheered Ireland’s Ladies Hockey team member Nicci Daly on her way to seventh place in the Future Classics race, only her secon...