Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda taken over

RedorDead

MDL are being bought out by VW-Audi group as of the end of next year. Can only be good news for customers.

See link below:

http://www.rte.ie/business/2007/0122/volkswagen.html

TomMc

BMW did the same thing a few years ago taking over distribution themselves.

Should be better for VW customers buying new cars, delivery times and parts supply etc ... but whether it improves or gives their dealers a shake up is another story.

unkel

TomMc wrote:

BMW did the same thing a few years ago taking over distribution themselves

And the move ended the poverty specs being sold in this country. I've no figures but I reckon sales of BMWs have gone up quite a bit since

Hopefully it will be good news for future VAG owners too

TomMc

unkel wrote:

And the move ended the poverty specs being sold in this country. I've no figures but I reckon sales of BMWs have gone up quite a bit since

Hopefully it will be good news for future VAG owners too

You said it ! The percentage of base model VW's in Ireland is unreal. The VW options list could well do with trimming down.

Like BMW they will probably insist that dealers have no other marques in the same showroom as well.

sk8board

finally. the demise of the Passat 1.9 diesel BASE.

unkel

sk8board wrote:

finally. the demise of the Passat 1.9 diesel BASE.

I'm not so sure about that, sk8board. Cheap base mainstream models are selling well in Ireland. Golf 1.4 petrol, Passat 1.9 diesel, etc. There's no doubt that VRT makes any option very expensive on a new car compared to say the UK

In the case of BMW it meant some things that should not be an option in a premium car then came as standard. Cars were the same spec in Ireland and the UK. But recently a BMW 316i with a 1.6l only engine (the 316i has been a 1.8l or 1.9l for years) was added to the range, but not in the UK!

crosstownk

Mixed feelings about this, tbh. At times MDL were so helpful, and other times theyy were just plain ignorant. Unfortunately, they were ignorant more than helpful coupled with an attitude that stinks and filters strongly down to the dealers. This has been coming for a long time and will come to every franchised distrubutor in the country. IMO, BMW have benefited from the change back to Munich, and hopefully Wolfsburg will do the same for the VW brand.

The MDL building on the Naas Road is a protected building - I wonder what will happen to it????

They lost the Mazda franchise last year - I wonder how long until the boys in Stuttgart pull the plug?

maidhc

TomMc wrote:

Like BMW they will probably insist that dealers have no other marques in the same showroom as well.

Kearys in Cork sell Lexus alongside BMW. The showroom is different, but they are both in the same premises.

mike65

I thought something momentous had happened! I was thinking who could buy out VAG?

Mike.

unkel

So did I when I read the title...

crosstownk

It's not really a 'take over' - it's just that VW are pulling the franchise on MDL and paying them a few bob for the hassle.

TomMc

mike65 wrote:

I thought something momentous had happened! I was thinking who could buy out VAG?

Mike.

With a sizeable minority stake in VW already, Porsche could very well do so.

RedorDead

More in the Times about this this morning.

New CEO for the company.

MOTOR INDUSTRY veteran Paul Willis has been appointed managing director of Volkswagen Group Ireland.

A native of Northern Ireland, Mr Willis joins from Kia Europe, the brand owned by Korean manufacturer Hyundai. Prior to that, he headed up Volkswagen in Britain for seven years. He has also held senior posts with BMW, Mazda, Toyota and Ford in the UK.

The appointment of Mr Willis comes as Volkswagen overhauls its business model in Ireland.

From October 1st next, the German manufacturer will take control of the distribution of all new Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda cars as well as Volkswagen commercial vehicles in Ireland. For the last 57 years importing and distribution had been handled by Motor Distributors Limited (MDL), a wholly owned subsidiary of O’Flaherty Holdings. The major shareholders in O’Flaherty Holdings are Michael O’Flaherty (74) and his brother Nigel (69), who is chairman of MDL.

The VW import business is to be transferred to Volkswagen Group Ireland along with all 120 MDL employees currently working in that business. Volkswagen will also move its Irish operations out of MDL’s landmark building on Dublin’s Naas Road to a new facility in Liffey Valley.

Volkswagen delivered 29,792 cars to customers in Ireland in the seven months to the end of July last, it said in a statement released yesterday. This gives it a market share of 18.3 per cent.

Mr Willis replaces Bob O’Callaghan, who is retiring after 43 years with Volkswagen.

Sandwich

sk8board wrote: »

finally. the demise of the Passat 1.9 diesel BASE.

Sounds as if thats good news to you. Why?

Why not give the customer what he wants and if thats without bells and whistles then let him buy it? Irish customers seem to have voted with their wallets in the past (me included) and chosen that very machine in sizeable quantities.

I've often thought that VW success and good rep in Ireland (merited or not is another discussion) was partly due to their basic models which made the customer feel they were buying serious car rather than accessories and shiny toys designed to attract and thereafter remain unused, of minimal benefit, or cause faults heartache.

VH

unkel wrote: »

I've no figures but I reckon sales of BMWs have gone up quite a bit since

bmw was 3rd biggest selling make in july - in fact they may even overtake toyota and go into 2nd place - theres only a <cats whisker maybe?> between them

colm_mcm

VH wrote: »

theres only a <snipped in the original> between them

:eek:

VH

VH wrote: »

bmw was 3rd biggest selling make in july - in fact they may even overtake toyota and go into 2nd place - theres only a <cats whisker maybe?> between them

I preferred the original - it was how an employee of B&Q descibed the difference between British and Irish half inch plumbing materials to me - if its good enough for them its good enough for me

Fishtits

Can only be good for VAG IMHO. Current custodians have done a marvelous job with the brand but did suffer on the dealer experience. VAG will be a little less "accommodating" on standards...

unkel

Lads, did ye all not realise this was a resurrected ancient thread? Anyway, closed now.