Volvo XC60s and C30s Awarded To Winners of Volvo Cars’ “What Drives Edward” Contest
The Twilight Saga: New Moon comes alive for winners of Volvo Cars’ What Drives Edward online contest when they drive off in shiny new Volvo’s, just like what Edward drives in the Twilight movies, courtesy of Volvo Cars. The winners were the first eligible entrants to complete all the puzzles at http://www.whatdrivesedward.com/. More than 370,000 people in the US, Canada, Germany, UK and France participated in the online contest.
Given the overwhelming response in the US – close to 300,000 participants – Volvo Cars of North America decided to award two winners with new Volvo’s. Beth Gleason, 18 and Jeannette Lee Underwood, 19, were the first two persons to complete the game and will soon drive off in shiny new Volvo XC60s. Also 22 year old Canadian Christopher Johnstone won a XC60 just like the one that Edward drives in the movie.
In France, Gaël Retho, 29, beat over 11,000 other contestants and won a brand new Volvo C30 R-Design.
In Germany, 13,000 people competed, 850 solved the complete puzzle but 25 year old Sebastian Ecker was first and was awarded a new Volvo C30.
The UK winner is David Inglis, 21, who beat his 24,000 competitors which gave him a brand new Volvo XC60.
“More younger people think that Volvo is ‘cool’ because Edward drives one and this will impact on their future car buying decision making – Volvo is now on the radar; and in fact their ‘moms’ think the same” says Paul Walder, Global Marketing Manager at Volvo Cars. “Volvo is truly delighted to be part of the New Moon experience and nothing beats being authentically linked to a phenomenon like this. People really liked the fun of the challenging puzzles, and we are delighted with the reactions we are getting.”
Players who did not win and want their own new Volvo XC60 can visit a local Volvo retailer or go to http://www.volvocars.com/ to build their own. Edward’s XC60 features a Saville Grey metallic exterior, a sandstone beige/espresso interior, a cream leather steering wheel, 19-inch Achilles diamond cut wheels and exterior accessories such as side scuff plates, front bumper bar and rear skid plates.
The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the second film in the series, opened to record-breaking grosses around the world. In the film directed by Chris Weitz and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of – only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. Following Edward Cullen’s (Pattinson) departure from Forks, Wash., Bella discovers his image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. In time, Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob Black (Lautner) who has a supernatural secret of his own.
The third film in the franchise, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, is due in theatres on June 30, 2010.

used cars, cars for sale, cars ireland

Part of the fun of buying a new car is to get noticed on the roads – having a 2009 number plate, or the latest model of your dream car.

Another way to get noticed, apart from the finish and colour and extra features, is what make of new car you actually decide to buy. Will you stick to your local car dealer, buy the latest model of the car you’ve driven for the last 10 years, will you read car reviews avidly, or just decide to buy a popular make of car?

A definite way to make heads turn is to buy a new car that very few people are driving.

According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, 5 brands of car dominated new cars sales in Ireland in the first 6 months of 2009 – Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen, Nissan and Opel.

These 5 motoring giants accounted for 57% of all new private cars licensed in Ireland between January and the end of June 2009.

Two in 7 drivers of new cars in Ireland in 2009 are driving either a Toyota (15.4%) or a Ford (14.5%). 11% of newly-licensed cars over the first half of 2009 were Volkswagens, while 9.4% were Nissans. Just 6.7% of people buying a new car in 2009 bought an Opel.

The statistics, issued on a monthly basis, throw up some interesting facts. 

The most popular new cars overall to drive in the first half of this year were:

1. Toyota   6. Renault

2. Ford    7. Audi

3. Volkswagen   8. Skoda

4. Nissan   9. Peugeot

5. Opel    10. Kia

While the top 5 cars to drive in Ireland have stayed the same every month, numbers 6 to 10 have varied. 

The top 10 most popular car makes in June 2009 were:

1. Ford,    6. Audi

2. Volkswagen   7. Hyundai

3. Toyota   8. Skoda

4. Nissan   9. Peugeot

5. Opel    10. Mercedes Benz

The most popular new cars that people rushed out to buy or had pre-ordered at the beginning of the year were: 

1. Ford    6. Renault

2. Toyota   7. Skoda

3. Nissan   8. Audi

4. Volkswagen   9. Peugeot

5. Opel    10. Honda

The Central Statistics Office’s new private car figures list approximately 40 models, with the about 1% categorised under ‘other makes’. 

It’s quite clear from the statistics, which cover the first half of the year, there just a handful of certain car models were purchased new in 2009. There are a mere 2 2009-registered Smart cars on Irish roads, 9 Porches, 10 Jeeps, 14 Ssangyongs, 26 Vauxhalls, 31 Chryslers, 35 Dodges, 62 Daihatsu cars, 81 Saabs and 107 Land Rovers. 

So, if you’re looking for a new car and don’t want to have difficulty finding yours in the car park, work down through the following list in order:

Smart, Porsche, Jeep, Ssangyong, Vauxhall, Chrysler, Dodge, Daihatsu,

Saab, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Lexus, Subaru, Mini, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Suzuki, Seat, Citroen, Fiat, Honda, Mercedes Benz, Mazda, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Peugeot, Skoda, Audi, Renault, Opel, Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota.

See Carlot.ie for a list of car dealers where you can buy your new car, whatever you decide on.