Connollys Volvo Galway wins major award
ZEVI Electric Vehicle Dealership of the Year Regional Winner for Connacht were Connolly’s Volvo Cars in Galway, from left: SIMI President Jonathan Meade, Tom Raftery, Dealer Principal, Connolly’s Volvo Cars; Aoife O'Grady, Head of Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) and Nikoline Egerod Leth, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Connolly's Volvo Cars in Galway, which is part of the Connolly Motor Group, has won the ZEVI Dealership of the Year for Connacht at the annual Irish Motor Industry Awards. The award honours excellence in promoting and selling electric vehicles in Ireland.
The awards ceremony is organised each year by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) and held in partnership with Bank of Ireland.
More than 700 senior figures in the Irish motor industry attended the ceremony at the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road in Ballsbridge, with awards presented by Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General, and Derek Kavanagh, Head of Motor Finance, Bank of Ireland.
The independent panel adjudicated the winners in six award categories that recognised excellence and best practices in the Irish Motor Industry over the past year. This year, a special recognition award was also presented.
The category award winners were -
Bodyshop Operation of the Year: Fitzpatrick’s Accident Repair Centre, Co Kildare; Independent Sales Operation of the Year: Peter Hanley Motors Ltd, Co Longford; Independent Aftersales Operation of the Year: Rathcoole Commercials Ltd, Dublin; Vehicle Recovery Operator of the Year: Cartow.ie, Dublin; Franchise Sales Operation of the Year: Lexus Galway; Franchised Aftersales Operation of the Year: Newmarket Motors Ltd, Cork; Special recognition award: Tom Murphy, of Tom Murphy Car Sales Ltd, Waterford.
Apart from Connolly's Volvo Cars in Galway, the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year awards went to Doyle’s Garage, Courtown (Leinster), BYD Cork (Munster) and Cavan Autoparc Ltd (Ulster).
SIMI President Jonathan Meade expressed his pride in the motor industry, which remains resilient, forward-thinking, and committed to serving customers, communities, and the country.
Referring to electric vehicle sales, Mr Meade said: “With the incentives in place over the last few years, we are on track to achieve the 2025 interim target of 175,000 electric cars. This proves incentives do work and highlights the importance of maintaining supports for businesses and consumers to encourage EV sales. Of equal importance is the investment in charging infrastructure. We need a robust, fast, and reliable charging network to ensure a seamless EV experience.”
Derek Kavanagh, Head of Motor Finance, Bank of Ireland, said: “Bank of Ireland are delighted to continue our sponsorship of the SIMI Irish Motor Industry Awards. The awards recognise the hard work, dedication and professionalism that is delivered by staff within the motor industry.
"As customer expectations continue to evolve with the transition to electric vehicles, we are committed to playing a key role in assisting them on this journey. Supporting the motor industry remains a key part of our strategy and we very much look forward to working closely with our 16 franchise partners, their dealers, and customers”.
