Ian Plummer has been appointed by Auto Trader as its new manufacturer and agency director.

Plummer joins Auto Trader from Volkswagen UK, where he was head of sales operations responsible for all UK Volkswagen passenger car sales as well as the franchise management and commercial programmes.

His appointment comes at a time of significant investment in Auto Trader’s new car marketplace. The brand has long since been known as a used car destination for consumers, but in recent years has added thousands of brand new cars to the site, and is now visited by over 64% of new car buyers.

At Auto Trader, Plummer will be responsible for building strategic relationships with all UK automotive manufacturers and their partners to enable the development of solutions to drive new value and revenue to them, in both the new and used car space.

Auto Trader’s chief executiveTrevor Mather, said: “We’re delighted to have Ian as part of our team as his skills and expertise will be instrumental in leading conversations with manufacturers and ensuring Auto Trader’s solutions continue to address the broad challenges facing car makers in the UK today.”

Plummer, said: “It’s a really exciting time to join Auto Trader, with so much rich heritage, the brand has become synonymous with buying and selling cars, and I am looking forward to being part of the next phase of the company’s journey.”