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We are the Southern Motor Group Volkswagen Main Agent. Established over 40 years ago.

The Southern Motor Group began life as a small group of petrol stations situated within the Croydon area over 40 years ago by our past chairman Mr P.D. Price. Over the next decade, one of these was to be discontinued with one of the remaining sites becoming an agent for a national truck rental company. It was during this expansion phase that Whitgift Hire would emerge. Several years later, the national truck rental company withdrew it’s presence from the local marketplace with Whitgift Hire remaining to operate as an independent unit providing both workshop and vehicle rental facilities. Growth of the business during the next five years included the purchase of 100 trucks for the rental operation and the opening of an additional six branches which ultimately led to the formation of Whitgift Hire Company Ltd in 1976.

In the meantime, Volkswagen was seeking to expand their operation by appointing a commercial vehicle dealership in the Crawley area of West Sussex.
First Sussex Trucks Ltd was formed in 1987 to satisfy this requirement.

In 1991, the name of the holding company incorporating the four limited companies became The Southern Motor Group Ltd.
Another geographical and organisational change took place in August 1995 with First Sussex Trucks Ltd relocating to Cowfold near Horsham to continue their Volkswagen franchise under a new company identity of Southern Motor Group (Cowfold) Ltd. This left the Crawley site to operate as an MAN service point under the banner MV Trucks (Gatwick).

The spring of 1997 saw the MAN heavy truck franchise relocate to Aylesford from Croydon.. This now provided the opportunity for the Croydon site to be redeveloped focusing attention on the Volkswagen franchise and a new retail Used Vehicle Sales operation. As a result of the company’s policy for redeveloping the Croydon site, the MV Recovery operation was sold in 1998.

Following the integration of the ERF and MAN vehicle manufacturers at the start of the new millennium, the group acquired an ERF franchise in Medway, Kent and an additional MAN franchise in Brighton.

In July 2005, a further Used Vehicle Sales operation commenced in Wandsworth in order to create a presence nearer London. Also in 2005, the ERF and MAN branches in Kent were integrated into a purpose built “Flagship” dealership in Maidstone with the Brighton based dealership changing from an MAN to a Renault Service franchise.
In 2007, the MAN branch at Maidstone also took on a Renault Distributor franchise.

January 2008 the Southern Motor Group took over the Volkswagen Commercial Dealer in Tonbridge, kent.

We are the Southern Motor Group Volkswagen Main Agent. Established over 40 years ago.

The Southern Motor Group began life as a small group of petrol stations situated within the Croydon area over 40 years ago by our past chairman Mr P.D. Price. Ov...