Louth Motors: Two new cars launched In Ireland

I attended two car launches recently. The first was the new Hyundai Ionic 9 and then the new Citroën C3.

The Ionic 9 arrives as a single model offering (for now) to get it on forecourts before the real push for sales in 2026.

It’s a seven-seater that looks huge in photos and even bigger in the flesh.

It’s roughly the size of a Range Rover Vogue and I can see it ferrying VIPs to and from “events” in supreme comfort. From the middle backwards it gives off Cadillac Escalade vibes for US and European appeal.

ABOVE: The new Hyundai Ionic 9 

Hyundai struggled to see a direct competitor for it but conceded the Kia EV9 is possibly the one buyers would compare it to.

However, Hyundai claims their car has a much higher spec which - if matched by Kia - would rule it out in terms of price.

For me I see it as a direct competitor for sure. Others in the conversation might include the ID Buzz and BMW IX but to a lesser extent.

Small differences are huge in the car world and the loyal Hyundai base here in Ireland may well see it outselling the popular Kia here.

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That's for a car starting at €78,495 marginally more expensive than the Kia but, as Hyundai claim, significantly more specification.

The seven-seater, all electric market is hotting up and the Ionic 9 design that is more conventional in a futuristic way may sway buyers more than the outright futuristic design of the EV9. Time will tell.

The other launch I was at was for the Citroën 3, a hugely important car for the brand.

Half of all Citroëns registered in Europe last year were C3s and success is demanded of this car.

It is available as an all-electric, petrol hybrid and petrol only with the lowest price petrol model starting at €23,400.

With pricing at that level it is safe to say that Europe is rising to the challenge of the low priced cars from China and fighting back hard.

It’s an all European car that's made in Slovakia. The new C3 moves buyers up, not in price as I said, but in seating position.

It has SUV notions but remains a small family hatchback and I always marvel how quickly car companies respond to market trends for a product that takes quite a while to develop.

It’s got a funky look and will attract a lot of interest from Irish motorists. It has an EV range of 320kms and I’ll get to test that during a full review in October.

Hyundai also gave us the Inster recently which has a very affordable price tag showing that the new kid on the block, China, is facing serious pushback from the established car makers in Europe and Asia.

It’ll be interesting to see this unfolding and where it will end.