Inchcape has overtaken Pendragon as the biggest UK dealer group operating in Europe, according to new research.
While Porsche Holding, the manufacturer owned group which operates over 180 continental Volkswagen sites, remains the biggest dealer group by revenue and new car sales.
According to the research, by Automotive News Europe, Inchcape’s European revenues for 2007 reached €7.69bn (£6.13bn), up 3 per cent from €6.15bn (£4.9bn) in 2006.
Pendragon’s totals rose from €6.24bn (£6.13bn) in 2006 to €6.43bn (£5.12bn) but the group’s only European market now is the UK having pulled out of German last year, while Inchcape operates in 26 countries and has expanded its operations in the emergent Russian, Lithuanian and Latvian markets.
Porsche Holding sold 437,000 new cars in 2007, compared with 416,100 in 2006, considerably more than the second placed UkrAVTO, based in Ukraine, with 238,000 sales and the Swiss based Emil Frey in third with an estimated 191,000 sales.
Top 10 European dealer groups by revenue
1 Porsche Holding (Austria)
2 Inchcape (UK)
3 Pendragon (UK)
4 Emil Frey (CH)
5 Pon Holding (NTH)
6 Sytner Group (UK)
7 D’leteren (France)
8 AMAG (CH)
9 CFAO (France)
10 Arnold Clark (UK)
Source: Automotive News Europe
Other UK groups listed in the top 25 by revenue include Sytner Group at number 6 with €2.98bn (£2.37bn), Arnold Clark at 10 on €2.38bn (£1.89bn), Lookers at 11 with €2bn (£1.59bn) and Camden Motors at 18 with €1.47bn (£1.17bn).
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