The doors to the Irish Times Motor Show, held in RDS Simmonscourt, opened at 11 o'clock this morning (February 25, 2011) to a healthy number of entrants. Not too long afterwards, people were queuing for entry and the halls quickly filled up.
The majority of the manufacturers were there, though the few not attending were noticeable by their absence. Fuel economy and environmental awareness are definitely the hot topics of the moment, with most exhibitors pushing their eco-friendly and low-CO2 models over performance orientated siblings. The show hosts an electric-only section, named after that famous Eddy Grant tune, with electric models from Mitsubishi, Toyota, Renault and Fiat. Audi also displayed its R8 E-tron prototype in this section.
Enthusiasts and petrolheads were also catered for, with an adjoining hall showcasing the Feature Cars. Here you could feast your eyes on exotica from Ferrari, Bentley, Maserati, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. Taking centre stage however, was the Le Mans winning Audi R15 TDI, which looked fantastic under the stage lights and manages to look fast at a standstill. Top Gear fans were pleased to see the Skoda Yeti with optional helicopter attached...
The Audi sponsored, My Frist Licence, is an indoor, scaled-down driving course where eager kids get to "drive" around in funky Audi badged pedal cars, reminiscent of Auto Union racers from the 1930s. At the opposite side of the hall, an Garda Síochána Traffic Corps were displaying the cars they use to police the roads and chatting with people about the job. No mentions of 'vee-hick-els' however.
The Irish Times Motor Show remains open this weekend over Saturday and Sunday. For more info visit www.irishmotorshow.ie.