Audi Sligo has been named 'Dealer of the Year' at the inaugural Audi Dealer Network Awards. 

The event which took place at the g Hotel, Galway on Friday 15th March saw the Sligo dealership take the top accolade on the night. Audi Athlone and Audi Waterford were awarded second and third place respectively.

The Dealer of the Year award recognises excellence across the Audi Dealer Network in Ireland based on a number of criteria including sales performance, local market share and overall customer experience.

Audi Sligo was awarded the top prize for its outstanding customer service, impressive sales performance, local market share, first class facilities and commitment to providing its customers with an unrivalled motoring experience in the North West.

Simon Elliott, Group CEO at Volkswagen Group Ireland said: "Congratulations to Kevin Connolly, managing director of Connolly Group and all the Audi Sligo team on this win. This is the first year of the awards, recognising excellence across the dealer network and the standard was extremely high."

"Since Audi Sligo first opened its doors in December 2011, the terminal has gone from strength-to-strength and this award is testament to the hard work and dedication of Kevin and his team. I would also like to congratulate Audi Athlone and Audi Waterford who were worthy runners-up."

"While there can only be one overall winner, I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge all our Audi dealers across the country. They play an invaluable role in bringing our customer experience to life and it is thanks to all these teams that we grew our market share last year and maintained our position as Ireland's number one car marque for the fourth year in a row."

Audi Sligo launched Audi Ireland's first state-of-the-art terminal facility in December 2011 and is currently one of the largest Audi showrooms in the country. Owned and managed by brothers Kevin and Neil Connolly - who have a longstanding heritage in the motor industry in the region- since its launch, Audi Sligo has played a vital role in the Audi brand maintaining its number one position in the premium market sector.

Kevin Connolly managing director of Connolly Group & Audi Sligo said; "We are absolutely delighted take home the first ever Audi Dealer of the Year Award and I would like to thank the entire team at Audi Sligo for their fantastic work. This award is validation of their commitment, passion and enthusiasm for the Audi brand in the North West."

"I also want to thank Audi Ireland for their invaluable support since we opened our new showroom in December 2011. It's a privilege working with such an innovative and progressive company and their commitment to us has allowed us to provide a first class customer experience to motorists in the North West."