The Optimus Group Company Limited of Japan (Optimus Group) has advised the Tokyo Stock Exchange that it has completed the acquisition of all shares in Autocare Service Pty Ltd (Autocare) by its wholly owned subsidiary Optimus Group Australia Pty Ltd (OPTAU).
Autocare, founded 60 years ago with its head office in Melbourne, is one of Australia’s largest integrated automotive logistics providers. It is based in all major ports in Australia. Its strategic operations provide transportation and storage services for imported vehicles, including those from OEMs
Autocare also provides a wide range of services such as warehousing, cleaning, quarantine, customs clearance, and pre-delivery maintenance works to those new vehicles headed to automotive dealerships throughout Australia.
OPTAU acquired 100% of Autocare’s shares on May 1, 2024. The acquisition of Autocare completes the local end-to-end value chain for Optimus Group.
Optimus Group made car dealer, Autopact Pty Ltd, a consolidated subsidiary company through acquiring shares.
In April 2024, OPTAU also entered into a joint venture agreement with an Australian entity to establish AutoSolix Pty Ltd (AutoSolix) as an import vehicle compliance and registration company.
The establishment of VITA Australia Pty Ltd (VITA) in charge of inspecting imported vehicles was also announced in April 2024.
Operationally, the flow from Autocare doing the maintenance for imported vehicles at their bases, AutoSolix doing the registration procedures, VITA inspecting whether the vehicles comply with the state regulations, and finally Autocare taking the role as a vehicle transporter throughout Australia will optimise Optimus Group’s vehicle import/logistic process in Australia.
According to Go Auto Premium, Optimus has a 100% stake in Dolphin Shipping, which has about 35% market share of the used car trade from Japan to Australia, transporting 500 to 900 cars a month.
It also has a 30% stake in Car Empire, a warehouse-style used car operation on the Gold Coast that deals only in imports.
Optimus also acquired a controlling interest in the digital online automotive sales platform AutoTrader New Zealand.
