North Wales Motor Company born as Honda retailer adds first Kia franchise

North Wales Honda has been renamed as North Wales Motor Company after adding a Kia franchised car dealership to its portfolio in Llandudno.

The group acquired the former Peugeot showroom on Argyll Road, Llandudno, after Mochdre Garage vacated the site and consolidated its operation into its existing site two miles away.

North Wales Motor Group also operates an approved Lotus Cars aftersales operation in Llandudno and managing director David Paveley said he hoped the new franchise would help his business buck the trend of declining new car registrations.

Speaking to Business Live website, Paveley said he saw the Kia franchise as “a great opportunity to push in the opposite direction and grow our business with a broader offering of products”.

"There is a necessity to stay relevant with a wide range of hybrid and electric cars, while also catering for customers who don’t feel the need to embrace the new technologies just yet,” he said.

Paveley added: “Acquiring the long-established Peugeot site has safeguarded jobs and provided new jobs for skilled workers, much needed after the recent pandemic.”

Lookers officially opened its new Chester Kia dealership with a customer event last weekend.

Three new members of staff have been recruited at the site on Sealand Road, Chester, after the AM100 car retail group added the Korean brand into what had been a standalone Vauxhall franchised site.

Back in March, meanwhile, North Wales Motor Group's fellow Welsh franchised business, Gravells, expanded into England and added a sixth Kia Motors UK dealership with the opening of a new showroom in Hereford. 

Kia, which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary in the UK, is celebrating a record European market share in H1 2021 – with 251,236 year-to-date compared to 178,393 during the same period last year – and has sold more than 1.2 million cars in the UK since 1991.