The SIMI Irish Motor Industry Awards in partnership with sponsor Bank of Ireland, took place recently at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin. Simon Delaney, master of ceremonies announced the accolades in front of over 700 senior Motor Industry figures.

Brian Cooke, SIMI Director General and John Feeney, Head of Property, Project & Asset-backed Finance of Bank of Ireland Finance presented the five award categories in total.

The award winners, adjudicated by an independent panel, operate across all sectors of the Irish Motor Industry. Companies selected demonstrated an award-winning level of excellence and best practice over the last 12 months.

Category Award Winners

• Bodyshop of the Year: Denning’s Cars Ltd, Dublin,
• Vehicle Recovery Operator of the Year: Hamill Rental Ltd, Co. Westmeath,
• Independent Retailer Operation of the Year: Autopoint Motor Group, Co. Kerry,
• Franchised Aftersales Operation of the Year: Toyota Naas, Co. Kildare,
• Franchise Sales Operation of the Year: Western Motors Drogheda, Co. Louth,

Before their announcement, SIMI President Paddy Magee commended the resilience and adaptability of the Motor Industry to trade during these challenging times and acknowledged the industry’s continue committed to the climate change targets.

The motor industry continues to play a significant role in the Irish economy, collecting over 1 Billion euro for the Exchequer from car sales last year. When other motoring taxes, and the annual tax take from motorists are included it is close to 6 Billion euro.

Mr. Magee remarked “Manufacturers and retailers have worked diligently to grow the EV market, with over 70 different new electric vehicles models now available, demonstrating the dedication to consumers and the investment by the industry in the electric vehicle transition. While we accept that incentives cannot continue indefinitely, it is still too premature to start phasing supports. The Government has been generous in its supports of EVs to date; it is simply imperative that this Government commitment is maintained as we move to the next cohort of potential EV buyers.” 

The Society warmly welcomed Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI), who announced the winners of the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year regional awards. These awards recognise and reward excellence in the promotion and sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in Ireland.

ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year Regional Award Winners:

• Fitzpatrick's Garage Kildare Ltd in Kildare for Leinster,
• Fermoy Nissan in Cork for Munster,
• Western Motors Ltd in Galway for Connaught,
• Connolly's Volkswagen Letterkenny for Ulster

John Feeney, Head of Property, Project & Asset-backed Finance Bank of Ireland “Bank of Ireland are delighted to partner with SIMI for the Irish Motor Industry Awards. The event is a small representation of our strong and steady backing for the motor finance business. We are immensely proud of our partnership with 23 motor brands. Bank of Ireland are committed to supporting the transition to Electric vehicles, which is an important part of our national story, and we are proud to help facilitate the industry in delivery an incredible range of vehicles to their customers.”

SIMI President Paddy Magee praised all the companies who were shortlisted for each of the SIMI Motor Industry Award categories.