A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Mazda in €1.5m Connacht rugby deal
MAZDA IS the new official title sponsor of Connacht rugby. The Japanese car firm will invest €1.5m in the province over the next three years. As well as being the new shirt sponsor, players and officials – including Michael Swift, Johnny O'Connor and John Muldoon (pictured) – will drive Mazda vehicles for the duration of the deal.
Connacht is the third province to be linked with a car firm. Toyota Ireland is the main sponsor of Munster rugby and Volkswagen Ireland are one of the main sponsors of Leinster.
“Mazda Ireland is delighted to be the new title sponsor for Connacht rugby. The passion and ambition of Connacht’s management and supporters is immense,” said Michael Howe, country manager, Mazda Ireland.
He said Mazda will work closely with Connacht rugby to develop marketing activities to increase support for the province and promote big match days.
This deal could provide a much needed boost to Mazda, a brand which has under- achieved in the Irish market in the last number of years. Mazda has 2.08 per cent market share in Ireland, despite having a range which is by-and-large praised by critics.
Mazda sells just 4.2 per cent of its new cars in Connacht. In comparison, Ford sell 8.7 per cent of its cars in the western province while Toyota has recorded 12.41 per cent of its new car sales there.
Citroën to open own dealership
FRENCH CAR firm Citroën is opening its first wholly-owned dealership in Ireland later this year. To be operated under its subsidiary, Citroën Retail Group, the new premises is located in the “motor mall” area of the Airside Retail Park in Swords, north Dublin. Citroën Ireland will also move its national headquarters to the site.
Citroën Retail Group already operates 12 dealerships for the brand in Britain, along with 33 outlets for its sister brand Peugeot. A spokesman for the Citroën Ireland said the group is wholly-owned but is run independently of the national distribution operation.
Citroën currently has 26 dealerships in Ireland. It recently lost a dealer in Lusk, Co Dublin and this new outlet is aimed at renewing its presence in the north Dublin suburbs.
The dealership is expected to employ between 15 to 20 staff when it fully opens by the end of the year and recruitment is already underway for management positions.
David Peel, Citroën Retail Group chief executive for UK and Ireland, said: “We are confident that the new site will become a flagship and we look forward to establishing it as a premier destination for new Citroën customers in Ireland.”
GM profits up
GENERAL Motors, owner of the Opel brand in Europe, has reported a doubling of its quarterly profit, beating market expectations.
Coming out of bankruptcy, GM’s chief executive officer Dan Akerson said the firm had stripped out enough costs to recession-proof the business so it could thrive even in a weak global car market.
Meanwhile it has confirmed that it will make 10,000 of its Ampera plug-in electric hybrids available for sale in Europe next year. Vauxhall, GM’s British sub-brand brand, will get 4,000 of the cars, from the Detroit firm’s allotment of 6,000. Opel has not yet decided how many will come to Ireland.