Last weekend at the RDS, Dublin had its first motor show in a decade. Andrew Hamilton recorded mixed reactions from visitors.
The weekend's three-day motor show at the RDS, Dublin, got mixed reviews from the people who matter, the public paying in €15 a head. Undoubtedly many visitors expected that it would live up to its title and offer a full-blown exhibition with every franchise represented.
"I thought it was going to be like the show we had in the early 1990s and, because I'm in the market for a new car, I was disappointed," Jim Behan from Bray told us. "But my young son liked the exotic stuff like the two Aston Martins and he enjoyed the stunt man, Terry Grant."
Jim Byrne, from Rialto, Dublin brought his son and enjoyed it all. For him, it highlighted the need for a proper motorshow.
"Motorists like us need a territory where we can assess one car against another," he said. "You can't do that in a dealership."
The show did nothing for Jane O'Byrne from Clondalkin, Dublin, who went there with her sister, Susan, and Susan's son. "Very poor," she said. "We were thinking about a new car but it didn't help us at all. At least young James got something out of it - he thought of getting a big Lotto win and maybe buying a Porsche or a Ferrari. It was great if you were into these sort of expensive cars."
Aside from the importers of exotica, only Kia, the Korean marque was represented by its importing company. Mainstream marques such as Toyota, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Opel and Skoda were presented only by individual dealers.
"We came into the show because we are the only importer here with affordable family-style motoring," said Louise Egan, marketing manager of Kia Ireland. "I think we have sent a good deal of business into our dealers. Kia is still being discovered by buyers and I think an exhibition like this helps that process."
Transport Minister Seamus Brennan opened the show on Friday morning, just after the announcement of the retreat from a carbon tax and of full metrication on the roads and in our cars from January 20th next. He consquently had a bigger-than-usual attendance of press people, mostly radio reporters.
The Minister said fine things about the Irish motor industry, the employment it gives and the taxes it gathers adding, "Charlie McCreevy wants to say thanks." He himself admitted to doing a bit of rallying in a Mini. "Now I have gone from a Mini to a Mercedes and I'm half-hoping to hold on to that."