Car dealer group Motorline has said it is successfully exploiting consolidation in the market and competitors falling by the wayside under manufacturer pressure.

“Intrinsically we are quite ambitious but if you look at the way the motor trade is turning, our success is just a reaction to the consolidation of the industry,” said Gary Obee, joint managing director of Motorline.

He told Kent Online: ““Many dealer groups are struggling to make a living or can’t keep up with the demands of the manufacturers. The opportunities have come our way.”

The group revealed plans to open three new sites across the South East last month, including in Dartford and Medway.

“You get to a point where you can take growth in your stride,” said Obee.

“We have got teams of people who can go in to new dealerships and set up the IT infrastructure and bring in line the accounts.

“It was daunting when we started doing this three years ago, but you get to a point where you know what is coming around the corner. Is it different running five dealerships in an area as opposed to four? Probably not.”

Turnover was £334 million last year, an increase of 136%, and the company’s revenues are already up 20% in the last six months, with the firm expecting it to reach £400m by the end of 2015.

 “We are democracy when it comes to discussing good ideas, but once we find one we become a dictatorship and we enforce it across the group.

“We are not shy in coming forward and will tell people if we see something we don’t like but we expect people to be equally forward.”