Express & Star

Innovator driving mobility forward with HSBC support

Sirus Automotive, the UK’s leading provider of upfront wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs), has received a £500,000 refinance package from HSBC UK to support its new research and development programme and facilitate its ambitious international expansion plans.

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From left to right, top to bottom: Andrew Ramsbottom (Director, Sirus Automotive), Alex Richards (Relationship Manager, HSBC UK), David Gee (Director, Sirus Automotive) and Simon Pearson (Managing Director, Sirus Automotive)

The business, established in 2004 has supported more than15,000 drivers and passengers to overcome every-day mobility issues by converting and adapting vehicles. Its compact designs are built for wheelchair users driving from a wheelchair or travelling upfront as a passenger, as well as offering an adaptations service for customers with standard cars.

Sirus will use the funding to drive forward its new R&D programme, including the expansion of its operations in Wednesbury, where the business has built additional office space to accommodate its expanding team. Sirus has also implemented a new CRM system to service its fast-growing customer base.

In the last 12 months, Sirus has launched a new conversion based on the Ford Grand Tourneo Connect – an innovative WAV designed for wheelchair users to drive or travel upfront as a passenger. The unique side-entry conversion features a short ramp for passengers to comfortably enter and exit. Unlike many other WAVs on the market, the vehicle allows a driver to park easily in a single disabled bay and includes a range of additional features, including lowering suspension, original equipment manufacturer rear seats and ample boot space. Such innovative solutions provide Sirus’s customers – people who are affected by disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and spinal injuries, – with the latest designs to improve their driving experience.

Since launching the Ford, the business has set up new distribution contracts in Europe and New Zealand.

Simon Pearson, managing director of Sirus Automotive, said: “We have a dedicated R&D team that takes a fresh approach to vehicle conversions. Our ethos is to design innovative Upfront WAVs with premium quality, backed up by industry-leading customer service. This dedication allows our customers to experience the very best in innovative vehicle designs. We are passionate about our continual new product development programme, which aims to meet our customers’ every-day mobility needs. Thanks to our Relationship Manager at HSBC UK, Alex Richards, we will be able to continue on our journey, including our expansion plans in Europe and New Zealand.”

Stephen Peart, area director for business banking in the Black Country, HSBC UK, said: “HSBC UK is actively supporting UK businesses by connecting them to international opportunities. The vehicle mobility market is growing rapidly and Sirus has proved to be at the forefront of innovative designs and solutions for drivers and passengers who are affected by a disability. Due to its success in the UK, the business has won distribution contracts for Europe and New Zealand. This is an exciting time for the Sirus team and we wish them the best for the future."

Over the last three years, since David Gee and Andrew Ramsbottom of Advert Partners LLP acquired a share of the business, the team has increased turnover by 60%. As the business continues to grow internationally, Sirus will maintain the quality of its innovative vehicle designs, ensuring the customer remains at the heart of its service.