We Love Volkswagen's Past, Present And Future..,
Ireland's place in Volkswagen history was established in 1950 when a consigment of six Beetles arrived into Dublin packed in crates in what was termed 'completely knocked down' form ready to be assembled. A former tram depot was aquired for this purpose at 162 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge - the premises now occupied by Ballsbridge Motors. There, the first Volkswagen ever built outside Germany was assembled thereby establishing Ireland's unique place in the history of Volkswagen worldwide. That first Volkswagen ever assembled outside Germany, which survives in its original condition is exhibited in the Volkswagen Museum in Wolfsburg, Germany. With assembly output rising from 46 units in 1950 to 2155 units in 1952, the business quickly outgrew the Shelbourne Road facility leading to the purchase of new premises at Naas Road, Dublin. In 1955, assembly was transferred from Shelbourne Road to the new factory on Naas Road - premises which had earlier been commissioned by tayloring company Montague Burton then placed on the market for sale before ever being used.
In the new Naas Road premises, Beetle assembly continued non-stop until September 1977 when the production of the Beetle ceased in Europe. During this period, the Naas Road facility - which remains the headquarters of the company today - also assembled the renowned Volkswagen Transporter van. The Volkswagen organisation in Ireland was founded by the late Stephen O'Flaherty. In 1950, thanx to his vision and enterprise, the Volkswagen Beetle was introduced into Ireland. It was an initiative that was to change the face of Irish motoring and lead to the establishment of a nationwide industry that was to grow in significance and importance ever since. Widely remembered as one of the great pioneers of modern Irish motoring, Stephen O'Flaherty was born in Passage East, Co. Waterford in 1902. His father came from the Aran Islands. By 1946, he had re-shaped the business transforming it into a fully-fledged motor distribution and retailing operation trading under the name Motor Distributors Limited. In its new guise, motor activities began with the assembly of forty-eight Adlers. By 1948 the range expanded to include Willys Overland jeeps and station wagons, Nash and Singer (assembled in Townsend Street), followed by Lagonda , Aston Martin and Alvis (imported fully built up). Then along came Volkswagen.
Casual and let me bring you through the Volkswagen Sportsvan! Featured here is the Sportsvan 1.4L TSI Highline model. Its comes in the Comfortline as well.. Highline and Comfortline share the same 1.4 litre engine capacity.. 125 PS. And the car is on front driven wheels.. Its a pretty family-oriented car which I wouldn't mind consider for a buy. Will show you through more features of the car and you would know why it is so .. But even as a single, I wouldn't mind havin' a car like this.. I can chuck all my 'barangs barangs' in the spacious boot behind whenever I have many things to carry around! A foldable table-top for you when you need. Not all the cars will have this.. You can use this for other purpose like putting your magazines on it too! It made the car sooo airy and guess what? On a Hot day, you wouldn't feel hot inside the car too.. The panoramic roof can be close entirely with a automatic shade/visor with a touch of a button. Why not have a picnic in the car?
Interior looks really Posh! Nice speedometer with simple dials and a LCD screen. The Sportsvan can accelerate from 0 - 100 km/h in 9.9 secs.. MPV.. and it has a top speed of 200 km/h. And I'm lovin' this too! You can put some things IN the Dashboard too! Here I put my shades! A view of the airy interior of the car from the front. Overall look of the stylish all-black dashboard! Functions on the steering wheel are pretty standard across all Volkswagen cars. There is a cruise control and you can also set your speed limit.. 80 km/h, when you step on your accelerator pedal, it would only accelerate until 80 km/h. You can answer phone calls and adjust the radio stations and volume all on the steering wheel. Start/Stop Engine with a push of a button. A number of functions over here at the gearstick area. Auto-Hold - its a function which you can activate when you stopped the car at the red traffic light, the car would just be held stationary without you stepping on the brake pedal. Driving mode - allows you to choose your mode of driving; Eco, Normal, Sports or Individual settings.
