Category: News

Dublin, 7^th July 2023 – Five days, five cities, 100 drivers, fifty electric vehicles and almost 1200 e-mile across the UK and Ireland, today saw Dublin host the conclusion of GreenFleet magazine’s EV Rally, organised to demonstrate the role EVs play in the world today. 

The Five Cities EV Rally challenge, which started in Cardiff on July 3^rd, saw the drivers power into Dublin and cross the finishing line at the headquarters of commercial vehicle distributor, HARRIS MAXUS, a brand seen as one of the trailblazers of the EV market in Ireland and the UK.

As well has hosting the finishing event, HARRIS MAXUS took part in the electric challenge with a team of four drivers completing the full 1200-mile (2,000km) route in two state-of-the-art MIFA 9 (electric MPV) and T90EV (electric pickup truck) vehicles. 

Mrs Denise Harris, CEO of The Harris Group, welcomed participating teams and rally organisers as they crossed the finish line: “We’re thrilled to welcome the EV Rally to Dublin and are honoured to be part of this fantastic showcase. This event is an important one, demonstrating EV capabilities in terms of power, technology, and real-world range.

“The road to zero is long, and we are still a while away from the finish line, but events such as this help encourage drivers to transition to EV and highlight to stakeholders and governments alike that there is still work to do to drive forth the move to net zero motoring.” 

As the Official Event Logistics Partner, MAXUS supported the EV Rally with transport solutions, providing rally organisers with supporting vehicles through each stage of the event.

Following the success of the inaugural EV Rally in 2022 which saw drivers travel from the tip of Scotland at John O’Groats to Land’s End at the bottom of Britain, this year’s rally upped the ante, expanded its route to include Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

The 50-strong convoy of electric vehicles was made up of eLCVs, e-motorcycles and zero-emission HGVs which were driven by fleet professionals, key industry people, media and celebrities.

The teams set off from Cardiff and travel through Bristol, Heathrow, Wembley and Leicester before finishing the first stage at Nottingham. On day two, drivers travel 316 e-miles through York and head north to Edinburgh city. 

The third leg saw the group travel from Edinburgh to Cairnes on the west coast of Scotland before boarding a ferry to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Day four and five saw the delegates loop through Cloughmills and Ballymoney to Newry in Co Down before making their way south of the border to Co Westmeath.

The rally participants then veered east to enjoy a scenic drive through the Wicklow countryside before ending the 1,200-mile (2,000km) journey at Harris Group’s headquarters in Dublin.

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Credit: Irish Auto Trade Online (Web), 27/03/2023

The Maxus T90 EV is the first electric pickup to go on sale here in Ireland. It was unveiled at last year’s CV Show in Birmingham by the UK and Ireland distributor, Harris Group.

It is now on sale in this part of the world, and being first has its advantages.

The T90 EV is available in one size and one trim level (Elite). The standard specification includes a reversing camera, rear parking sensor, 10.25 inch touch screen and a side-step.

You can opt for metallic paint and the likes of headed seats is an available option, as is a hard top for the loading bay.

The new T90 EV pickup offers a 1,000kg payload. At this time, only rear-wheel drive is available, with the popular 4WD option to follow in early 2024. It does offer hill-descent control, and as you’d expect the towing capacity at 1,500kg is not as high as diesel.

It has a fairly good electric range, with up to 354 kilometres (WLTP combined) promised. A WLTP City range of 421 km is also publicised by Maxus – of course, the 2WD helps with this range.

The battery and motor in the Maxus T90 EV is a similar combination to what is in the larger eDeliver 9 – a 150kW (201hp) motor powered by an 88.5kWh battery. It has type 2 and CSS Charging capability with 80Kw charging capacity promising from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 45 minutes.

In line with most electric vehicles, it has an expensive price tag. One dealer’s site that I checked is showing a recommended retail price (RRP) of €62,395 + VAT, giving a launch promotion contribution of €2,495 + VAT, or a price of €59,900 ex-works.

The Maxus T90 EV is a nice vehicle to drive – the ride is very good for a pickup. It also looks great – very modern and sporty. It is roomy too with a nicely designed interior.

The cargo box size is 1485mm x 1510mm x 530mm. The gross vehicle weight (GVW) is 3,300kg. The new Maxus T90 EV pickup comes with a five-year/ 200,000km warranty, an eight-year/ 160,000km battery warranty and a 10 year anti-corrosion warranty.

The Motoring Media Association of Ireland (MMAI) has held its inaugural MMAI Industry Breakfast Morning in association with the Harris Group at the company’s landmark facilities on the Naas Road, Dublin.

The event was attended by invited guests including motoring journalists and motor industry executives. The aim of the MMAI Industry Breakfast Morning is to facilitate journalists and industry executives to come together to connect in an informal setting, encourage discussion on changes taking place in the motor industry and to look forward to the year ahead.

Joe Rayfus, Chairperson of the MMAI, welcomed guests and thanked the Harris Group for their support in hosting the event: “Any journalist will tell you that building and maintaining strong relationships is fundamental to helping us provide our audiences with all the latest information, advice and opinion. This event represents an important opportunity to strengthen and deepen those relationships with colleagues and stakeholders from across the Irish motor industry.

“On behalf of the MMAI, I wish to express our gratitude to Denise Harris and the Harris Group for their continued support of this important event. I would like to thank the representatives from the numerous importers, distributors, and agencies for joining us and supporting this important occasion.”

Mark Barrett, General Manager of Harris Maxus, and Chris Haughton, General Manager of Harris Bus and Coach, spoke about the company’s EV journey and innovation taking place in their commercial vehicle business towards a more sustainable future.

Promising young Irish racing driver Alex Dunne, who is a Harris Group brand ambassador, spoke to guests about his continued progress towards achieving his goal of becoming Ireland’s next Formula 1 driver.

The keynote speaker was Joe McConville, an approved driving instructor for motorcycles with considerable experience of touring large motorcycles in Ireland, the UK, Europe, and North America. With a career also spanning nearly 40 years in landscape management, Joe spoke about the influence of trees on Irish roads and the balance between improving the road network while maintaining the benefits of trees.

Speaking at the event, Denise Harris, CEO of Harris Group said: “I am delighted to welcome so many representatives of the Irish motoring media to our Dublin headquarters and to demonstrate our commitment to driving a truly green agenda for the greater good. Of course, our green agenda cannot be delivered successfully without the support of the media. You have a major role to play in helping us to continue to educate people and organisations about the benefits of EVs and the urgent need for us all to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impact of climate change, as well as to reduce dependence on increasingly expensive diesel and petrol.”

Before closing the event, Tom Dennigan of Continental Tyres and Joe Rayfus presented the award for Continental Tyres Irish Commercial SUV of the Year to Eddie Kavanagh, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland, for the Land Rover Defender Commercial.

The MMAI made a €500 donation to the Harris Group’s Turkey and Syria earthquake appeal, which will see aid brought directly to the people who most need it.

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award at the GREENFLEET UK awards. The award was accepted by Harris Group CEO, Denise Harris and General Manager of Harris Maxus, Mark Barrett.

This award is a testament to the hard work and commitment that both the Harris Group and Harris Maxus have made to create a cleaner and greener future through sustainable transport solutions. It is rewarding to see our efforts are not going unnoticed and these awards will motivate us all to carry on our rEVolution journey.

It was a special night too for William Laidlaw who achieved the EV Champion award for his admirable dedication to electric vehicles and his efforts to create a more sustainable and greener future for all to enjoy.

Company HQ quadruples in size as MAXUS gears up for new vehicle launches and continued growth.

7th December 2022, Liverpool: Having outgrown its UK headquarters in Warrington,Harris Maxus has moved to a new premises in Liverpool as the company continues to grow its presence in the UK. The new Harris HQ is quadruple the size of the previous Harris Headquarters which was only opened in 2021.

Harris MAXUS, which is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading automotive companies, officially opened the new HQ today at Gillmoss Industrial Estate with a ribbon cutting ceremony that was presided over by Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Roy Gladden.

Parent company, Harris Group, is recognised as one of the UK and Ireland’s foremost distributors of commercial vehicles, including its flagship electric vehicle brand, MAXUS. The company holds the distribution rights for MAXUS vehicles across all right-hand drive countries in Europe and has seen significant growth in demand for its EV range of light commercial vans.

Owned By SAIC Motor Corp. Harris MAXUS is currently forecasting growth of over 200% in the UK in 2023, with sales projections across the UK and Ireland for 2022 circa 6000 units. The new 52,000 Sq ft premises will house 30 staff including Harris MAXUS’ technical, distribution and sales teams in addition to a parts depot and warehouse. A training centre for engineers taking part in MAXUS’ technical training academy will also be on site.

Mark Barrett, General Manager of Harris MAXUS said:

“At the start of 2021, Harris opened its first UK headquarters in Birchwood Park, Warrington. In less than two years, we have outgrown what was already a sizeable building, moving to a new state-of-the-art campus in Liverpool. The success of Harris MAXUS in the UK has exceeded all expectations. So far this year, we have seen MAXUS vehicle registrations grow by 52% versus 2021, with 38% of our overall sales in 2022 attributable to our zero-emission range of vehicles.

“At Harris MAXUS, we are fully focused on the future, not just in terms of expansion in the UK, but also in terms of the vehicles we put on UK roads. This year, we launched the world’s first all-electric, MPV – the MIFA 9. We also launched the UK’s first fully electric pickup truck, the T90EV. Over the next two years, we have plans to introduce four new zero-emission platform vehicles to the market. Our move to Liverpool is central to our future plans and we are committed to growing our presence in the UK, creating more employment, developing our dealership network and making a valuable economic contribution both locally and nationally.”

Mark Barrett, General Manager Harris Maxus

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Roy Gladden said:

“Businesses are very much the bedrock of our city; not only do they contribute to the local economy by bringing growth and employment to the area, but they also bring innovation and fresh thinking. The Harris Group exemplifies all of these things, creating skilled jobs and driving the transition to greener motoring through its range of zero emission vehicles. It is with great pleasure that I welcome the team from Harris MAXUS to Liverpool and wish them every success as the business continues to grow.”

Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Roy Gladden

As the sole distributor for the MAXUS diesel and electric range of vehicles in right-hand drive markets in Europe, Harris MAXUS delivers a significant number of vehicles every week to an extensive network of more than 50 dealers across the UK.

Founded in 1961 by Robert ‘Pino’ Harris, the late husband of CEO, Denise Harris, The Harris Group is a leading importer and distributor of commercial vehicles with a firm focus on technological innovation and the next generation of clean vehicles driving more sustainable motoring. Denise Harris joined Cllr. Roy Gladden in unveiling a plaque to mark today’s event, dedicated to the memory and great legacy of Pino Harris.

Harris MAXUS is now located at 1 Carraway Road, Gillmoss Industrial Estate, Liverpool, L11 OEE

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While attending their 10th Anniversary celebrations in London on Saturday night, Harris Group CEO, Denise Harris was honoured to accept the Irish Excellence Award from BITA (British and Irish Trading Alliance).

The award recognised Denise’s amazing leadership skills, commitment to sustainability and support for young people. It felt particularly appropriate that Denise received the award in London – the birthplace of Harris Group founder and Denise’s late husband, Pino, who was born in Whitechapel in an air-raid shelter during the war.

Commenting on the accolade, Denise said:

“I do not view this as a personal award but as one for all who are involved in the Harris Group, both directly within the Group – here and in the UK – and also, those who support the group, our dealers, our bodybuilders from our valeters to our transporters and our customers.

It is humbling to know that others are appreciative of our endeavours and everyone may be confident that we will do everything we possibly can to ensure that carbon emissions are reduced and thereby help to create a healthier climate for all to enjoy.

While Harris Group is making great progress in the electric vehicle industry, we can not do it alone, so I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you all to take action for the betterment of our planet and to create a healthier and prosperous future for today’s youth.”

Congratulations Denise and keep up your inspirational work.