Volkswagen Group Ireland has announced the appointment of Lars Himmer as Managing Director effective from January 2015.

Lars replaces Simon Elliott who left in September to take up a new challenge with MAN UK. Himmer will move to Ireland from Germany where is currently based in his role as Head of Group Sales Strategy.

His previous automotive experience included CEO roles for Eastern Europe and for Russia/CIS with MAN Truck & Bus, and prior to joining the Volkswagen Group he was Managing Director with Volvo Trucks in the Balkans and Latvia and prior to that Deputy MD of Volvo Trucks in Russia.

Lars Himmer is from Denmark and spent his early career as an officer in the Danish Army before joining the diplomatic service. He subsequently worked for Dandy in both operational and HR roles before making the transition to the automotive industry. He studied in Denmark, England, and Switzerland for a MBA and an International Business Degree.

"I am delighted to be coming to Ireland at an exciting time for the Irish car market," said Lars Himmer on his appointment. "It is evident that there has been a lot of hard work done up until now through a challenging period, but I hope, together with the brand teams we can enhance Volkswagen's market position even further continue strong growth in 2015 and beyond. I am also particularly looking forward to settling in Ireland in the New Year."

Volkswagen Group Ireland currently has almost 26 per cent market share from the passenger car brands of Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles currently has 23 per cent market share of the light commercial vehicle segment.