Gowan Auto - the Irish importer for the Stellantis Group, which includes Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, DS, Jeep, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo (as well as Honda, which isn't part of the Stellantis Group) - will be showing up, en masse, at this year's Ploughing Championships.
300,000-strong crowd
The Ploughing is pretty much Ireland's de facto motor show anyway, and Gowan is determined to put on a good showing for all of its many brands. The group will have a massive 96-metre stand at the showgrounds in Ratheniska, County Laois, which will put no fewer than 45 vehicles on display for the expected 300,000-strong crowd.
Citroen will make up 11 of those vehicles, including displays for the all-new ë-C4 X electric saloon, with its 360km range. It will be joined by the C4, C5 Aircross SUV and C5 X from the passenger car side, while Citroen vans will include Berlingo Van, ë-Dispatch, Relay and the all-new C5 Aircross Commercial SUV, which boasts 2.2 metres square cargo space.
The real star of the Citroen stand, though, is likely to be the dinky Ami, which is inching closer to an Irish on-sale date. The tiny two-seater - just 2.4 metres long - charges up from a three-pin socket and has a potential 75km range and a top speed of just 45km/h.
Citroen will also have a guest speaker - Éanna Ní Lamhn of RTE fame, who will host a discussion around climate and wildlife protection, e-mobility and how every person can make a difference to the future of our planet.
DS will bring along its DS 4 and DS 7 plug-in hybrids, where the team will be joined by delectable DS brand ambassador, Hugh Wallace on Wednesday, September 20th, to chat all things design and about the refinement and advanced technology of the DS range.
Fiat, Alfa, and Jeep
Fiat will have the Fiat 500 and 500X ranges in its section, and the Fiat Professional side of the team will display its range of light commercial vehicles, including the Doblo, Scudo and Ducato. Whilst Alfa Romeo will have the new Tonale crossover in both mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid guises, the multi-award-winning new, all-electric Jeep Avenger, voted Europe's Car of the Year 2023, will make its Irish public debut at the Ploughing, taking pride of place on the Jeep stand.
Opel will display the Corsa, Crossland, new Mokka, new Grandland and new Astra, together with the Combo Life Electric 7-seater and Vivaro Electric Combi MPV. The new sporty GSe sub-brand will be unveiled to the Irish public at the show in both Astra and Grandland guise, whilst the Opel light commercial range will also feature, including the Combo, Vivaro and Movano.
A proud sponsor of Irish Rugby, the Opel stand will welcome Daragh Sheridan, Head of High-Performance Coach Development at IRFU, on Tuesday 19th, to chat about the importance of coaching coaches. Opel brand ambassadors and Irish Rugby stars Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe and Stacey Flood will be interviewed on the stand on Wednesday 20th to speak about their journey to the 2024 Olympics. Phil Healy, Kevin O'Leary Opel brand ambassador, Irish sprinting sensation and Olympic qualifier, will also star on the 20th. Irish boxing legend, Amy Broadhurst, a Blackstone Motors brand ambassador, who recently announced she will stay amateur and enter the next round of Olympic qualification, will also interview. Mondello Park will have a presence on the Opel stand to promote the young driver education programme, Early Drive Electrified by Opel.
Peugeot's GAA and television stars
Peugeot will display 10 vehicles across the range at this year's show, including the low-slung Peugeot 408. Joining the 408 will be the 308, the e-208, the spacious and comfortable e-2008, 3008 and 5008 SUVs, the 508, and - for van fans - the e-Expert and e-Partner. With electrification a key objective for the company, every Peugeot model displayed will be electrified, full-electric or plug-in hybrid electric.
Peugeot will also bring a host of guests for visitors to enjoy across the three-day show. A proud partner to Dublin GAA, visitors to the Peugeot stand will meet stars of this year's All-Ireland winning men's and women's football teams, Con O'Callaghan and Leah Caffrey. Peugeot Brand Ambassadors Kathryn Thomas and Dermot Whelan will also make appearances.