Michael Smyth founded Swansway Motor Group in 2003, he had over 35 years in the motor trade, and he was joined by his three sons, David, John and Peter, all of whom are motor industry born and bred. Swansway has grown and thrived in the intervening years and with the Smyth family now having over 50 years experience in the trade and has learnt what makes a successful business…quite simply it’s happy customers.
“Making your customers happy is the only sure way for a business to survive, happy customers come back again and again and they tell their friends, and colleagues about the experience,” explained Michael.
Peter, John and David have all followed their father into the business and all have the same ethos and attention to detail.
“If I see litter on any of our sites, I pick it up and quick!” said Peter, “I don’t call for someone else to clear up, I roll my sleeves up and get involved and so do all the family. The motor trade is in our blood, and we try our hardest to make our customers feel special.”
With a range of twenty approved dealership franchises covering Audi, Jaguar, Honda, Land Rover, Peugeot, SEAT, Volkswagen, CUPRA, BYD and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, as well as a state-of-the-art accident repair centre, you can be assured that the Smyth family will ensure that these excellent brands are backed up by excellent customer service.
Trust our experience and our expertise to inform your decision, whether you’re buying your first car or your hundredth.
Get in contact to find your next car
Would you like to become a member of the Swansway family? If so, why not browse our current vacancies, pop your details into our application form along with a copy of your recent CV and covering note and apply today?
We’ll pass this straight on to our helpful HR Team and the next step is simple – we’ll give you a ring to arrange a time and date that suits you best for you to come in and meet us in person!
First founded in 2003 when the Smyth family bought LC Charles Ltd, they acquired their first Audi, SEAT and Volkswagen car dealerships, 20 years later Swansway has expanded to a total of 27 dealerships.
In 2005, Swansway went on to build a Volkswagen Van Centre in Preston. Swansway built its four-acre Head Office in Crewe, with onsite PDI facilities and an Accident Repair Centre in 2006, three years after the business was founded.
In 2007, Swansway acquired its Wrexham Volkswagen dealership from Inchcape, this was closely followed by another acquisition two years later, from the Walkmill Group, with Swansway acquiring its Volkswagen Van Centre Birmingham dealership. In 2009, the Group also opened its Parts Depot, based in Crewe.
2010 was a year of growth for Swansway Motor Group, which gained four new dealerships, including Swansway Chester Peugeot and Swansway Honda Stockport.
The next five years saw Swansway open another three dealerships and acquire a further four brands to represent. Alongside the expansion of its franchise network, Swansway also invested in the refurbishment and expansion of some of its Audi, Honda, SEAT and Volkswagen dealerships. 2015 also saw the Group open its new Fleet facility based in Crewe.
In 2016, along with winning the Motor Trader Employer of the Year, Swansway Motor Group also acquired Thompson Motor Group and three of its Audi centres, Blackburn, Carlisle and Preston.
Taking on the used car market in 2017, Swansway launched Motor Match, its used car supermarket division, which now operates in five locations. It was also the year that the Group opened the Swansway Jaguar Crewe dealership.
Adding CUPRA to its repertoire in 2019, CUPRA Crewe opened within the Crewe SEAT retailer.
The following year saw Swansway make another acquisition from Inchcape, this time the Oldham Volkswagen dealership.
In 2021, Swansway Motor Group won a handful of awards, including the Bodyshop of the Year and a commendation in the Dealership Group of the Year category at the Motor Trader Awards, as well as a commendation for the Community Hero Award at the AM management awards.
2022 saw the opening of a brand-new dealership in Oldham, relocating its Oldham Volkswagen retailer into the new custom-built, state-of-the-art dealership, it sits alongside the Group’s newest Volkswagen Commercial offering, Volkswagen Van Centre Oldham.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, and adding two Cheshire BYD dealerships in early 2024, Swansway Motor Group is currently a multi-franchise dealer group representing nine brands with 27 locations across the North West, Midlands and North Wales.
Each year we support local charities and groups involved with children, young people and families.
Director, David Smyth, a member of the Smyth family who own and operate Swansway Motor Group, explained, “We’re fortunate, we’re a close family and our staff are part of our extended family; we know not everyone is so lucky, that’s why we focus on supporting children, young people and families in the communities where we operate. It’s a good feeling for us, as a company, to be genuinely helping local people and our staff enjoy getting involved, being part of something bigger than their job”.
Some of the Charities work we do includes Swansway Gingerbread Enterprise Challenge, Cheshire Community Foundation, Staffordshire Community Foundation, Forever Manchester and Wales Community Foundation.
We’re always open to suggestions for local charities and groups which might benefit from our support; if you have any suggestions please contact [email protected].
Our team are on hand to help!