Motoring industry drives to Trim for media awards judging

Trim’s Knightsbrook Hotel was the venue for the two-day ‘refresher drive’ event hosted by the Motoring Media Association of Ireland, ahead of the voting for 2023 Irish Car and Van of the Year Awards in association with Continental Tyres.

Attending the event were members of the MMAI - the Motoring Media Association of Ireland, officials from Ireland’s leading motor distributors, together with Tom Dennigan of award sponsors Continental Tyres.

A field of 37 candidates will contest the Irish Car of the Year 2023 awards, in association with Continental Tyres. The winners from the 2023 Irish Car of the Year awards programme will be revealed at a gala event in The Westin Hotel, Dublin, on Friday 11th November.

Voted on by jury members who are drawn from the Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI), a group made up of 32 of Ireland’s most experienced motoring journalists, the Irish Car of the Year awards highlight for Irish motorists the best cars that have been launched in the country this year taking account of the particular requirements of the Irish market.

Trim man Joe Rayfus, chairman of the MMAI, said: “It has been a really tough couple of years for the motor industry, given the disruption of Covid-19 since 2020 and, then this year, there was the hugely disruptive semi-conductor supply problems that affected the completion and delivery to market of many new car models from all of the car brands.

“However, even if the total number of entrants for the 2023 awards is down on previous years, we still have an impressive crop of cars this year with the emphasis very firmly on electric mobility, with more than half of the entrants available as full electric or hybrid models.

Joe Rayfus continued: “The last two winners of Irish Car of the Year have been electric vehicles – the Kia EV6 being the most recent winner for 2022 – the question on everyone’s lips this year is: will it be an electric vehicle again for 2023?”