A round-up of other motors news in brief
Ford Ireland adds two new dealers
FORD IRELAND has added two new dealers to its network this week: Appleyard Motors in Sandyford and Canavan Ford in East Wall.
Appleyard Motors, located in the Sandyford Business Park, is under the stewardship of dealer Colin Farrell, and has been in operation for over 20 years.
The dealership is taking over the Ford business of Esmonde Motors in Stillorgan. Appleyard previously held the franchise for Peugeot and Seat.
Part of the Ashley Motor Group, which includes Airside Ford in Swords, Canavan Ford will operate on the site of the previous Canavan Motors near the Port Tunnel, but is entirely independent of that entity.
“The blue oval was the most popular car brand in Dublin last year,” said Eddie Murphy, chairman and managing director, Ford Ireland, “and these developments will help it secure that position for this year.”
Honda Swindon plant open after four-month shutdown
HONDA HAS restarted production at its Swindon plant following a four-month closure.
The Japanese carmaker re-opened the plant with a reduced workforce of 3,400, with more than 1,300 staff having taken voluntary redundancy.
Honda said it used the closure to upgrade facilities. Production of the Civic and CR-V (pictured) will resume immediately and, from the autumn, a new line will start building the Jazz, previously only built in Japan and China.
“This all shows that we are totally committed to our base in Swindon,” said Dave Hodgetts, director of Honda UK Manufacturing. “We are doing everything we can to maintain our skilled and loyal workforce. The four months have been well used to update, streamline and modernise our capabilities.”
Citroën DS on the way
CITROËN HAS published the first official images of the interior of its DS Inside Concept.
Although the DS still only exists in concept form, the images clearly show an almost production-ready interior.
Prominent in the pictures is a stylish-looking two-tone dash that takes a marked step away from Citroën’s usual robust and practical interior designs. The design makes clear that the French carmaker is placing a great deal of importance on the premium quality of the DS.
There is black chrome detailing throughout and thick black carpeting on the floor, while a pair of smart leather sports seats features an unusual “watch bracelet”-style upholstery design.
The seats have also been located low down for a sport-ier driving position.
The car’s exterior will also feature a leather roof bearing the DS badge.
Citroën is hoping to secure a slice of the Mini market with the DS, which is based on the current C3, when the finished production car goes on sale in March 2010.