Irish Car+Travel Oct. 2013 | Page 42

Autumn 2013 RENAULT Like Ford with its Vignale, Renault is also introducing an upmarket grade to its cars range, the Initiale Paris. They showed off some of the luxury touches at Frankfurt using this concept for the next Espace. A 22-speaker Bose sound system, ambient lighting and wood trim, and lots of glister made it an attention grabbing item at the top of the 'mound' built on the company's stand. ROLLS ROYCE The Celestial Phantom at Frankfurt marked ten years since the first Rolls Royce Phantom was produced. Illustrating just how much owners can customise (RR call it 'bespoke') their cars, the CP included over 1,000 fibre-optic lights woven into the headlining to simulate a (clear) night sky. Romance need not be dead even if you're old enough to afford one of these. SKODA The Spaceback is the hatchback version of the Rapid saloon which is already familiar in Irish showrooms of the brand. New steering wheel materials are the only changes to the interior trim, but the 415/1380L cargo capacities will no doubt bring family customers. A facelift to the Yeti compact SUV include new headlamps, a grille in line with newer models, and a snappier front bumper. There are some new interior details, and two versions are now offered, City and Off-Road. A competent car refreshed. 42