Volkswagen and other carmakers have warned that trade tensions risk dragging the global economy into a recession as the fallout starts to hit consumers.

While pessimism grows that the UK will remain stuck on the 'backstop' and Halloween will bring our worst nightmare of a crash out of the EU, there is reason for optimism that in these turbulent times there is a silver lining for Ireland ‘s traders.

Renault’s Dacia has built a devoted following for its often spartan, low-cost vehicles, making it one of the French manufacturer’s fastest-growing consumer brands.

A compact SUV manufactured by Skoda had the highest pass rate of any vehicle submitted for a NCT test last year.

Prosecutors in Stuttgart are set to fine Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler between €800m and €1bn for diesel- related violations, German magazine Der Spiegel has reported.

BMW’s second-quarter earnings fell by a fifth, hit by exchange rate moves and investments in manufacturing electric and hybrid cars to help meet stricter emissions limits.

Global carmakers as diverse as Japan’s Nissan, Germany’s Mercedes Benz-maker Daimler, and British-based Aston Martin, in new warnings about sales slowdowns, showed the huge challenges facing the industry as they try to buy time to invest in the new generation of electric and self-driving cars.

China has increased its ownership of German car group Daimler by investing a further $2.8bn (€2.5bn) in the Mercedes-Benz maker.

European car registrations fell sharply in June, resuming a downward spiral this year that has seen profit warnings at German manufacturer Daimler and a quarterly division loss at rival BMW.

BMW plans to increase sales of electric and plug-in hybrids by 30% every year until 2025 to help meet incoming stringent emission regulations in the EU, prompting the carmaker to accelerate the rollout of battery models.

Weak German economic data and a profit warning from Daimler impacted European stock markets as investors reined in any bets on a fourth week of gains before G20 meetings that may see more trade talks between the US and Chinese presidents.

Daimler shares fell as much as 5% after the German automaker cut its profit forecast for the third time in 12 months, saying it was setting aside hundreds of millions of euros to cover a regulatory crackdown on diesel emissions.

Humans rail against change, yet change is probably the single most constant in all of our lives. Maybe not major change, but minute-by-minute change. We hate it

Vans and small trucks are a bellwether of economic activity, and sales of them have fallen 13.4%, says Brian Byrne.

A cancer surgeon in Britain has been issued with a warning by Britain’s General Medical Council after he hit a Cork man with his car, causing severe head injuries.

German carmaker Daimler has cut its dividend as fourth-quarter operating profit fell 22% as trade wars and rising costs for developing electric and self-driving cars hit profits at its Mercedes-Benz unit.

Volkswagen is buying a controlling stake in Volvo’s WirelessCar, a digital service developer specialising in connected driving, for 1.1bn Swedish crowns (€107m).

Mercedes has updated its popular C-Class for 2018. Jack Evans tries it in C200 form and finds plenty to be pleased with.

Carmakers failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions risk writing a big cheque to the EU.

When a Midleton man was knocked down he suffered horrific head injuries. The driver denied it was his fault and his insurers refused to help with rehabilitation costs, but CCTV footage told a different story. David O’Driscoll is now trying to piece his life back together.

After proving a class apart from his rivals in making a winning debut for new connections in the featured Grade Three Surehaul Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle in very testing conditions at Powerstown Park, Chris’s Dream earned his ticket to next month’s Cheltenham Festival for a tilt at the Albert Bartlett.

A round-up of the latest motoring news from the past week. 

Mercedes-Benz reckons it has found a new niche in the pick-up truck segment. Darren Cassey heads to Wales to see if it’s a niche worth filling

Uber plans to buy up to 24,000 self-driving cars from Volvo, marking the transition of the US firm from an app used to summon a taxi to the owner and operator of a fleet of cars.

Nearly 5,000 pounds of explosives were used to blast the Georgia Dome to smithereens at 7.30am local time.

Ireland is set to be included, by 2019, in the rollout of a network of fast-charging stations for electric cars being planned for European motorways by a new joint-venture comprising Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler.

The diversion programme for intoxicated drivers that Tiger Woods is expected to enter on Friday is one of several across the US aimed at reducing the number of repeat offenders and backlogs of court cases.

BMW is looking to form a joint venture with Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor.

Connolly motor group increases workforce as it becomes main dealership for Mercedes-Benz in Galway

Toothbrushes, deodorant and smartphones are among the items that could be transported.

The Frankfurt Motor Show gives carmarkers the opportunity to show the heights and depths of their ingenuity. Relatively speaking, of course.

Ferrari is introducing a new “entry-level” supercar, while Mercedes-Benz is testing the segment’s upper price limit as the rivals vie for the world’s most lucrative customers.

Aston Martin returned to profit, and nearly doubled revenue, in the second quarter. The British luxury car-maker was buoyed by cost cuts and robust demand for its new, DB11 sports car.

Tiger Woods had pain, anxiety and sleep medications, as well as THC in his system when he was arrested in May on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a toxicology report.

Less than a month after the untimely death of popular LGBT rights advocate Dave Roche, his partner Paul O’Shea gives an insight into the love they shared

Shares in the three biggest German car makers have fallen after a report claimed they colluded for years over diesel emissions technology.

Three million Mercedes cars across Europe are being recalled over concerns about toxic emissions.

The German government summoned Daimler executives to Berlin to explain the carmaker’s role in possible diesel-emissions cheating. Two engines in Mercedes-Benz vehicles have drawn increased scrutiny from prosecutors.

Mercedes-Benz widened its global luxury-car sales lead in the first half of the year, setting back BMW chief executive Harald Krueger’s effort to reclaim the segment’s top spot.

People often accuse me of being a cynic. This might just be because of a mildly jaundiced worldview from this corner which might often be expressed with a little too much enthusiasm, writes Declan Colley.

New facelift versions of the Mercedes-Benz GLA will shortly arrive on the market here, priced lower than its predecessor despite having had a number of bodywork, style and equipment changes augmented locally by the inclusion of an enhanced level of standard specifications valued in excess of €6,000.