Sunwin Motor Group has posted record profits of £1.9m, up 41.7 per cent, on turnover of £145.6m underlining the buoyancy of last year's new car market.

The dealer group, part of Yorkshire Co-operatives, has 13 dealerships throughout West Yorkshire. Sunwin raised new car sales by 23 per cent and used car sales by 8.1 per cent during the year to March 31, compared with the previous 12 months. Sunwin invested more than £1m expanding and refurbishing a number of its key dealerships last year, including its Peugeot outlet in Keighley and the Farnell Land Rover centre in Frizinghall.

“Our commitment to modernisation and improving customer services continues to pay off,” says Mike Austin, Sunwin general manager. Overall, Sunwin Motor Group's three bodyshops managed to raise turnover by 14 per cent during a period where the industry suffered an 18 per cent slump.