The Business

Andrew Hamilton reports on what's happening in the industry

Andrew Hamilton reports on what's happening in the industry

Golf Master: The world's best-selling car used to be the legendary Volkswagen Beetle. But that changed yesterday: the Beetle was passed out by another VW model, the Golf. There was a big celebration in the Wolfsburg headquarters of Volkswagen when the 21,517,415th Golf rolled off the production line. The Golf was first launched in 1974, ironically at a time when Beetle sales were waning and a replacement was urgently needed.

It was in February 1972 that the Beetle passed the Ford Model T's production record, with 15,007,034 cars built. Assembly of the Beetle here began in 1950, in the old tramway depot in Shelbourne Road, Dublin 4, now the premises of Ballsbridge Motors. It was the first assembly operation for a VW car outside Germany.

Toyota, of course, claims that its Corolla is the world's best-seller. The claim isn't sustained if only because successive Golfs and Beetles evolved in design from the original, whereas the Corolla from one generation to another, encompassed widely differing styles and profiles.

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Volkwagen is readying itself for the launch of the fifth generation Golf which will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2003. Most petrol engines in the range will come with a direct FSI or fuel stratified injection system that promises greater economy, especially in town driving.

Megane Reshaped: The Golf's French competitor, the Megane, will appear in a radical new shape at the Paris motor show this September. Most dramatic is the rear area with a near vertical rear window. Nissan's new Almera which is due in 2004, will share the same platform.

In the Van: Interstar, the first product to be launched as a result of Renault's global alliance with Nissan, is now on sale on the Irish van market. There are two common rail diesel options of 2.2 and 2.5 litres with two body lengths and two roof heights. Prices start at €19,843 excluding VAT.

Daewoo Targets: General Motors, the new owners of Daewoo which went bankrupt, has set an ambitious growth target for the Korean manufacturer. It requires Daewoo to have a 3 per cent share of the west European market in five years time. That represents 450,000 vehicles. In its peak year of 2000, Daewoo sold just over 200,000 vehicles or 1.36 per cent of the market. New Daewoo models coming on stream soon include the Rexton 4x4 off-roader, the Kalos supermini, and the upper-medium Magnus, replacing the Leganza.