Western Motors was founded in 1964 in Galway by Jim McCormack, aged 39.

Jim & Anne McCormack had a young family when Western Motors first opened the doors. James, the eldest of four, sisters Orla and Dervla and Simon the youngest sibling.

Tragedy struck the family in 1967 when Jim McCormack suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, leaving Anne alone to raise her young family but with a successful business that was not only the income on which the family relied, therefore crucial to keep going, but also held the potential for a great future business for her children, and it was with this future in mind, that Anne, one of the very first Women to run a car dealership in Ireland, went on to be one of the most entrepreneurial women in the industry.

As the family business expanded from their entrepreneurial beginnings, Anne learned that the keys to long-term success were professional management and keeping the family committed to and capable of carrying on as the owner, and so began the industry education and development of the second generation of Western Motors McCormack’s.

Anne was determined to equip all her children with passion, determination and knowledge for their chosen careers and was delighted that her two sons shared her, and their father’s, passion for the motor industry. James went to University to gain a professional qualification in Sales and Marketing, and after leaving University with a degree in Business & Commerce, Simon spent 10 years working in the industry in the UK, Germany, Belgium and Italy, both boys would return to the business. 

In 1984 Anne was awarded the Volkswagen Franchise and so began the relationship that has now spanned almost 40 years and continues with Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Commercial, Skoda, SEAT & CUPRA.

In 1989 James took over the day-to-day operations of Western Motors, in 1997 Simon returned and the brother joined forces, combining their wealth of training and experience and drawing on their deep industry knowledge to build the Western Motors Group that exists today, a multi-location (2), multi-dealer (5), successful business. 

In 1999 a new site was located for Western Motors Galway giving us more space and a chance to build a more modern dealership. 

2007 saw us head from West to East to expand the business and add a new brand, Western Motors Drogheda was born and Skoda were welcomed on board.

2021 saw the addition of SEAT & CUPRA brands to our portfolio.

As our families and business grow, we strive to make continued ownership meaningful by nurturing the family values and giving our new generations a sense of pride in the company’s contribution to society. We believe that in order to remain successful we must meet two intertwined challenges: achieving strong business performance and keeping the family committed to and capable of carrying on as the owner.

Western Motors is a family run business and the values that make that are passed on to all the team. We have a very dedicated sales team in Western Motors Drogheda which has grown exponentially in the last 3 – 4 years and we are a very tight team with the same end goal in mind – the best experience for the customer. This is going to be even more important in the coming years as we continue to grow the business even further.

Simon & James tell the Western Motors story in a video to kick off the celebrations in January 2024, which was an event featured in the Galway showroom, see full details below:

Western Motors - 1964 - 2024 Western Motors Volkswagen - 1984 – 2024

The Western Motors Group celebrate their 60th Anniversary in 2024, marking six decades of excellence and innovation. Additionally, this year also commemorates the remarkable 40-year partnership between Western Motors and Volkswagen, two significant and exciting milestones.

Celebrations kicked off on Friday 26th January 2024 with a special broadcast of Damian Farrelly’s afternoon Classic Hits show from the Volkswagen Galway showroom in Ballybrit. The event brought together guests from the Volkswagen Group, colleagues past and present, friends, family, and suppliers. A highlight of the celebration was a poignant video and speeches that traced the history of the McCormack family business.

Founded by Jim McCormack in 1964, the business then flourished under the guidance of Anne McCormack and continues to thrive today as a multi-location and multi-brand dealer under the management of the McCormack brothers, James and Simon. As this year is also the 50th birthday of the iconic Volkswagen Golf, the celebration featured a fantastic lineup showcasing the evolution of the Golf model, eight generations in 50 years, with more than 37 million vehicles sold. The fabulous new ID. Buzz was also a big feature on the day, breathing new life into Volkswagen’s iconic Camper Van and offering a glimpse into the future of driving, sustainable, connected and fully electric. James & Simon, along with the entire Western Motors Group and Volkswagen Galway family, want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude. “2024 marks a journey filled with passion, dedication, and the unwavering support of our incredible team. Thank you to our Western Motors team for their hard work and commitment, and a special thank you to all our customers for choosing us as your trusted mobility partner. We’ve come a long way together, building memories and connections that last a lifetime.”

As the company reflects on it’s past, embraces the present, and looks forward to a future filled with success, happiness, and continued partnership, Western Motors remains resolute in its commitment to delivering exceptional motoring experiences for years to come.

As we head into 2025, Simon steps down as Dealer Principal and hands the reins of Western Motors Drogheda, over to Robbie Matthews, previously Head of Sales.

What a way to add to the celebrations of our 60th year in business. We are thrilled and honoured to be named one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies for the first time in 2024. Our team has worked hard in recent years, meeting industry challenges with determination and innovation and tackling market challenges with resilience and strategic foresight. This recognition is a testament to that team’s dedication and collaboration. As we look ahead, we are more committed than ever to maintaining the high standards that have brought us this far. Here’s to many more years of growth, success and leadership in our industry. Simon and I express our heartfelt thanks to the incredible WM team.

Volkswagen has always had a hugely loyal customer base. They naturally expect a great product and service. Being a franchise dealer allows us to reach these customers time and time again to show off the latest great products and innovations. Repeat business is a huge part of what we do and, along with great finance products and offers, we can confidently put a great offer to all of our customers and know it can’t be beaten.

In 2021 we began the project of expanding our site in County Louth. We needed to consider the future of Western Motors in Drogheda. SEAT and CUPRA had become an open point in County Louth, and we put our hat in the ring and secured the franchises. We now have a new 9 car showroom to house our new brands and by mid-July 2024, we will have fully commissioned our new VW Commercial Vehicles Van Centre, a dedicated VW Commercial Vehicles destination to showcase the commercial products from VW. We also need to consider the car parc growth for our existing brands of VW Passenger Car, VW Commercial Vehicles and Skoda, so we increased capacity in our workshop from a 12-ramp workshop to a modern 19-ramp facility.

Our full 5 brand site now stands at 4.1 acres, including the basement with parking and storage for 100+ vehicles, a 7-bay valeting centre, 2 x service wash bays and a photography studio, with turntable to ensure consistency in all our online vehicle presentation.

We are very fortunate to have such a site in the East of the country and such a professional team, of now over 80 personnel, to serve all our customers 6 days a week.

There are several factors, of course. The first is obviously our customers. At the risk of sounding clichéd we simply cannot survive without them, and we are extremely grateful to them for their support. We also have great people, working across all departments, in Western Motors and it takes people working well together to achieve the best results for every aspect of the business. Finally, we have invested very heavily in the last 18 months on the site - in terms of showrooms, the workshop, the forecourt and technology and we are continuing to reap the rewards, and this Award is a fantastic recognition of all the hard work by everyone.

Our Partners

Simon and James McCormack have been strategic in who they wanted to have as brand partners. By keeping within the VW Group eco-system for our two-brand site in County Galway and five-brand site in County Louth, it has allowed for synergies across all our systems and processes, particularly in IT systems, hardware and software, our workshop facilities and tooling and we benefit from dealing with a single HQ, with an inhouse bank (VWFS).

Our corporate strategy is focused on several key areas:

• Brand county v national share (our local performance)
• The next generation (build professional management from within)
• Future proof our offering to brands, customer’s and the team. (visible investment)

By continually referencing these strategy pillars, we can ensure we are delivering value to our stakeholders, our brands; Volkswagen Group, and at the core of this strategy is our commitment to meeting and exceeding our customer needs and expectations with the provision of high-quality vehicles and exceptional customer service and aftercare.

To ensure our strategy is aligned with our stakeholder interests and priorities, we prioritise transparent communication and collaboration by actively engaging with our brands, suppliers, employees, and customers to gather insights, feedback, and perspectives to manage their expectations and preferences.

Sustainability is a fundamental consideration within our strategy and our efforts encompass reducing emissions and conserving resources. Read more here.