Sime Darby Motors has announced it is exiting car distribution in New Zealand and Australia – dropping the Peugeot, Citroen and DS brands.
Inchscape, which distributes Subaru, has acquired the assets relating to the brands in Australia. It is expected that, from June 1, it will take over distribution.
In New Zealand, the assets have been acquired by the Rick Armstrong Motor Group.
Sime Darby Motors managing director Patrick McKenna says the Malaysian-led company’s plan is to focus on car retail and truck distribution.
“After careful consideration, a decision was reached to divest the Australasian distribution businesses,” McKenna says. “This is in line with Sime Darby Motors’ strategy to focus on the expansion of its retail car and commercial truck footprints on both sides of the Tasman.
“Once the decision was made, KPMG was engaged to conduct a full tender process for the sales on our behalf.”
“Throughout the sale process it has been our priority to ensure that the vast majority of our employees in both countries would be offered employment under their existing terms and conditions,” he explains. “I would like to acknowledge this terrific group of people and wish them well in the future.”
Sime Darby Australia continues to distribute industrial equipment, rent vehicles to the mining industry through its Corefleet brand and operate Porsche, BMW and Mini dealerships.
In New Zealand it distributes Hino, UD and Mack trucks, operate the Truck Stops chain of commercial service centres and operates Nissan, BMW, MINI, Audi, Citroen, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche Volkswagen dealerships.
Sime Darby has only held the Citroen brand since 2013, picking it up from Neville Crichton’s Ateco Automotive.
