What's the news?
I.M. European Motors Ltd, the importers of Citroën and DS Automobiles in Ireland, has announced Pat Ryan as its new Managing Director. He succeeds Chris Graham who held the position since October 2015, when I.M. European Motors Ltd. was first established as the new distributor for the two brands in Ireland.
Mr Ryan brings with him extensive industry experience, including working with automotive consultants Ricardo on projects with Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota. He has spent the last seven years working with Volkswagen Group Ireland in various positions including Network and Programmes Manager, Head of Sales for Volkswagen passenger cars and most recently as Head of Group CRM.
Chris Graham will remain with the I.M. Group, taking up the role of Managing Director of Subaru UK from January 2018.
Pat Ryan takes up his new position with immediate effect and will report directly to Paul Tunnicliffe, Automotive Development Director, I.M. Group.
Anything else?
It has recently been confirmed that Citroën Ireland & DS Automobiles plans to vacate its current offices in Airside, Co. Dublin. It currently occupies the upper level of the Citroën Dublin dealership, but following the building's recent change of ownership combined with growth in staff numbers, it has secured a new site where it intends to build a new head office.
Citroën Ireland has just recently introduced its new C3 Aircross model to the competitive compact crossover market. The car has been well-received and is already nominated for several awards including being a finalist in the Autobest 2018 Best Buy Car Award. Additionally, it has revealed a new version of the larger C4 Cactus, which will arrive in 2018 and is being repositioned to blend the previous C4 Cactus model and C4 hatchback. Its SUV model range will grow further with the arrival of the C5 Aircross to Europe. That model is currently sold in China.