As I stepped in behind the wheel of the new Mercedes Benz E220 Cabrio, I felt privileged. The fine weather beckoned and the draw to take a lengthy drive and enjoy the countryside was compelling. I felt that a trip to Kerry would be the ideal way to experience open top driving. Inside the Mercedes Benz E220 Cabrio there is a feeling of luxury.

The Revenue Commissioners have appointed the National Car Testing Service (NCTS) to carry out a range of vehicle registration functions on their behalf. From the start of this month, you must bring any imported vehicles to a designated NCTS centre to be inspected before they can be registered.

There are reports that the Fiat Group may be selling the Alfa Romeo brand, as Fiat struggles to regain profitability. The latest report indicates that the Germany-based Volkswagen Group may be interested in buying Alfa Romeo, but the team at Fiat seems to have different ideas.

Mercedes-Benz has released details of their new CLS coupe ahead of its world premier at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Billed as the first in a series of new model introductions planned by the Stuttgart manufacturer over the next 18 months, the new four-door CLS will arrive in Ireland early next year, in time for 2011 registrations.

The organisers of the Top Gear Festival Ireland have announced a change in the date for this year's festival. The event, which was scheduled to take place from 24 September to 26 September, will now take place from 26 November to 28 November at the Citywest Hotel & Event Centre, Saggart, Co. Dublin.

Volkswagen has made no secret of the problems it has battled with to bring the Spanish part of the giant Volkswagen Group family into profit. There is a growing Volkswagen influence across all models in the range and none more so than in the new Seat Exeo.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has launched a new online vehicle statistics system, which can be accessed by the public. SIMI claims that its Motorstats system will be the only official national motor industry source of vehicle statistics.

The Society of the Irish Motor Industry's (SIMI) has said that Irish car owners will pay to have the registration plate of a used car that they buy changed to the county in which they live in and pay a fee of €250 for the pleasure.

Eddie Murphy, President of Society of the Irish Motor Industry(SIMI) and chairman of Ford Ireland has suggested that it may now be time to review the current Vehicle Registration Plate System, which has been in place for the over 23 years. He believes that a lot has changed since its introduction.

The president of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) has confirmed that the industry would be calling on the Government to extend the Scrappage Scheme. While the scheme runs out at the end of the year, Eddie Murphy, who is also chairman of Ford Ireland, outlined the potential benefits of extending it into next year.