Pierre Boutin has been appointed new Group Managing Director and CEO of Volkswagen Group Ireland.
Mr Boutin was most recently CEO and Group Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Canada.
He joined the Volkswagen Group in 2014 and has previously been Head of Volkswagen Group Russia and Volkswagen Group France.
Mr Boutin succeeds Carla Wentzel as CEO in Ireland. Ms Wentzel moves to Volkswagen Group Poland as the first female CEO in the history of Poland’s automotive sector.
Mr Boutin said he was delighted to join Volkswagen Group Ireland.
"Volkswagen Group is not only the leading car company in Ireland, it is at the forefront of a transformative shift in the automotive landscape as we accelerate towards electric mobility," he said in a statement.
"I want to thank Carla for her stewardship of Volkswagen Group Ireland over the past five years.
"Her inspirational leadership steered the business through one of the most challenging periods the industry has witnessed and established Volkswagen Group Ireland as a pioneer in e-mobility, digitalisation, and sustainability," he added.
Volkswagen Group Ireland has six brands - Volkswagen, Audi, CUPRA, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles - and a network of more than 100 retailers nationwide.
Last year, the group accounted for more than 27% of Ireland’s total new vehicle registrations.
Figures from the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI), reveal total registrations were up more than 12% at Volkswagen, 67% at SEAT and 150% at CUPRA.
Audi retained its position as the number one premium brand in Ireland with registrations up 21%.
Meanwhile, Škoda had a record year, exceeding 10,000 registrations for the first time in the firm’s Irish history as sales increased by 33%.
Volkswagen Group Ireland was also the country’s leading retailer of electric vehicles in 2023 with more than 30% market share.
Volkswagen’s ID.4 was Ireland’s best-selling battery electric vehicle for the third year running, having previously outstripped the Nissan Leaf as the all-time best-selling EV in Ireland.
