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Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is partnering with TaxiWatch in a bid to help save lives, writes Trish Whelan . Founded by Kilkenny taxi driver Derek Devoy, TaxiWatch is a suicide prevention initiative aiming to help save lives. Developed in November 2014, the service came about after Derek saved three people from taking their own lives in Kilkenny City. Since then, over 200 people have been helped through the programme in Kilkenny alone. TaxiWatch receives hundreds of messages from people in crisis looking for help on a weekly basis. Working closely with charities in Ireland including Pieta House, Samaritans Ireland, Teac Tom and others, TaxiWatch signposts people to charities who provide free counselling and listening services. With 1,127 drivers currently signed up to TaxiWatch across Ireland and Northern Ireland, the primary aim for the initiative is to increase members. This involves getting as many tai drivers as possible signed up and trained in the SafeTALK suicide awaren...

The Volkswagen Snapshot Competition, powered by The Snapys, is back for its second year, writes Trish Whelan . The Instagram based contest encourages photography enthusiasts to discover their creativity and upload photos to Instagram using the #VWSnapshot hashtag along with their chosen category hashtags. The categories for this year’s competition are ‘Design’, ‘Light’, ‘Roadtrip’, Technology’ and ‘Volkswagen’. For a full list of details and categories, visit VWsnapshot.ie or see Volkswagen Ireland’s page on Instagram.   Prizes include a trip to Barcelona, an escape to Bubblehouse, Finn Lough, drones and premium photography lighting equipment. Twelve entrants will feature in the 2019 Volkswagen Snapshot calendar, the sales proceeds of which will be donated to Volkswagen Ireland’s 2018 charity partner Focus Ireland. Earlier this year, €3,000 was raised for Pieta House through sales of the 2018 Snapshot calendar. Mark McGrath, Head of Marketing Volkswa...

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ 182 offers start with a new lease product operated by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Bank, writes Trish Whelan .   You can now own a new 182 commercial vehicle for €209 a month with no upfront deposit. This the say is the lowest cost monthly lease or contract hire product within the Irish market at present and the company are the only brand to operate a lease or contract hire product via their own financial arm in Ireland. They also give their customers the option of choosing 0pc HP APR or Ireland’s only Commercial Vehicle PCP solution should the vehicle not suit their needs. Customers can avail of ‘unbeatable’ offers when ordering before the 30 June 2018, including free road tax or three free services. From the best-selling van in Ireland, the Caddy, the Transporter, the new Crafter and the Amarok V6, Irish customers can select the vehicle that best suits their needs and tailor their purchase with ‘the best finance ...

Another peek from the annual Wörthersee GTI gathering, this is the Golf GTI TCR Concept unveiled VW itself there, writes Brian Byrne . Derived from motor racing, the production version will be the fastest in the GTI model range. A 290hp turbocharged motor will punch it along to a maximum possible speed of 264km/h (though standard versions will have a limiter to 250km/h). TCR was an international touring car championship series, which has now merged with the World Touring Car Championship and European Touring Car Cup.

A unique 411hp Golf GTI was presented yesterday at the annual Lake Wörthersee gathering in Germany of GTI enthusiasts, writes Brian Byrne . It was developed by a group of apprentices at the Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg. The Golf GTI Next Level, powered by a 2.0 petrol engine, was designed using digital technologies. This included designing the side trims and the mounts for loudspeakers and subwoofers. Engineered using CAD, the components were then fabricated with 3-D printing. Another group of apprentices produced a Golf Estate Gmotion with a 131hp compressed natural gas engine and all wheel drive. Tens of thousands of fans come to Wörthersee each year to show their own GTIs and see others, many of them modified.

This is the 48-volt 'mild hybrid' system which Volkswagen will provide in the next-generation Golf, writes Brian Byrne . The more powerful battery used in the system will facilitate the starter generator and boosting power to the standard internal combustion engine. It will also enable the car to 'coast' for distances with the engine shutting off and on seamlessly. The battery 'punch' will provide more torque to the powertrain, and will be recharged during braking. The new Golf, the eight generation of the model, will be built on the familiar MQB platform.

Continuing with cars by major European manufacturers that we won't see here, this is the third generation Volkswagen Lavida, debuting at the Beijing Auto Show, writes Brian Byrne . Based on the same platform and running gear as the Golf, Jetta and Bora (remember that one?), it's a C segment saloon and VW says it is the segment market leader in China. Volkswagen sold almost 3.2m vehicles in China last year, making it the most successful auto brand in the country. The company, which in China is a joint venture with Shanghai's SAIC since 1985, also debuts the CC at Beijing, the locally-built version of the European Arteon.

Volkswagen has unveiled an electrically-powered sports car, the ID R Pikes Peak, writes Brian Byrne . Faster than Formula 1 and Formula E cars in a sprint, the new car has 680hp on tap and is the vehicle by which VW hopes to set a new record for an electric car at the Pikes Peak hillclimb event in Colorado, USA, in June. The ID R Pikes Peak has a 0-100km/h sprint capability of 2.25s. It weighs less than 1,100kg. The powertrain features two electric motors, and is designed to provide speed rather than range, as the hillclimb distance is just under 20km.

Volkswagen increased its sales of commercial vehicles in Ireland by 13.6pc in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2017, with strong performances by Crafter, Amarok and Transporter models, writes Brian Byrne . This compares to a 5.3pc increase by the Irish LCV market as a whole. With over 2,500 LCV units registered overall by Volkswagen Commercials Ireland, the new generation Crafter showed a 53pc increase, while the Amarok pickup improved by 46pc, and the Transporter by 34pc over the previous year. The Caddy small van remains the biggest selling van in Ireland.