BMW’s new 3 Series won the Irish Car of theYear award for 2013 last week.
It’s the first time in the 36-year history of the award that a premium-badged model has won. BMW had an especially good day, as the 6 Series Gran Coupé took the gong for Irish Luxury Car of the Year and the M5 was the Irish Performance Car of the Year runner-up.
Factory boost
Looking for some good news for beleaguered French car makers? Renault is investing heavily in its plant in Palencia, in Spain, according to ‘Automotive News’, creating 1,300 jobs in the process.Renault is banking on a rise in its sales by the middle of the decade; the bigger factory will build three Renault models and one Nissan. It already makes Megane bodies and parts.