29th April 2008

The weekly paper Motor Trader’s website has reported that Marubeni Auto Investment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation which owns the RRG Group in the North West, has acquired Norton Way Motors, a group comprising two Honda dealerships and Peugeot and Mazda outlets in South East England.

Marubeni bought the Radcliffe Road Garage Group, ranked 29 in the Motor Trader Top 200, in 2000 and the Japanese franchises of the Smith Knight Fay Group in 2006 from European Motor Holdings.

With this latest acquisition, Marubeni said it will have a turnover in excess of £420m and will operate from 21 UK motor retail outlets covering Toyota, Honda, Lexus, Peugeot and Mazda franchises.

Outside the UK, the group represents Toyota in Ghana and has a dealer group in Cologne, Germany, called Dirkes, operating Fiat, Alfa, Lancia, Nissan and Mitsubishi franchises.

The Norton Way Motors Honda dealership in Chiswick was Honda’s UK HQ until 2001 and then became its first ever centre selling cars, motorcycles and power equipment under the same roof.