Group 1 Automotive, Inc. is an international Fortune 300 automotive retailer with automotive dealerships and collision centers in the United States and the United Kingdom. Group 1 sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges

financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

, provides maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts. As of 2021, the company employs over 13,000 people globally. The company is led by CEO Daryl Kenningham and CFO Daniel McHenry.

History

Group 1 was founded as a public

corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...

in 1997 with B. B. Hollingsworth as chairman and CEO. The founding dealership owners were Bob Howard of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, Sterling McCall, Kevin Whalen of Houston, and Charles Smith of Beaumont. Subsequent acquisitions in the US include the Gene Messer Automotive Group, Maxwell Auto Group, Ira Motor Group, Bohn Auto Group, Pat Peck Auto Group, Miller Automotive Group among many others. These are based in various locations in the United States. In 2021, Group 1 completed its largest acquisition, the Prime Automotive Group, consisting of 28 dealerships in the northeast U.S. Group 1 also acquired dealer groups in the U.K. including: Barons Group, Chandlers Group, Essex Audi Group, Elms Group, Think Ford, Spire Automotive, Robinsons Motor Group, and the Beadles Group. Group 1 purchased the Brazilian automotive dealership group UAB Motors Participacoes S.A. in 2013 and operated as Group 1 Automotive Brazil. Professional race car driver André Ribeiro and his family of dealerships were notable parts of this acquisition. Group 1 divested its Brazilian operations in 2022. As of 2021, Group 1 is ranked as the fourth largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating 202 dealerships and representing brands such as BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, GMC, Nissan, Land Rover, Acura, Buick, Chevrolet, and Lexus among many others. Group 1 also operates 44 collision centers in the U.S. and the U.K.

Locations

In the US, Group 1 Automotive has dealerships in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Their corporate headquarters is in the Memorial City district of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Products and services

In response to used vehicle retailing trends, the Val-U-Line brand was launched in 2018 to offer enhanced benefits for consumers purchasing older, higher mileage vehicles such as a three-day/300 mile return policy and Carfax vehicle history reports. Initial investment impacted forecasts but future earnings were positive, contributing to a 13.9% increase in used vehicle sales for 2018. In 2019, the company created AcceleRide, a digital retailing platform allowing customers to purchase, sell, or arrange service for vehicles online. The platform also provides

vehicle financing Car finance refers to the various financial products which allow someone to acquire a car, including car loans and leases. History Car financing started with the General Motors Acceptance Corporation circa World War 1. Car purchases The mo ...

, trade-in appraisals, and offsite delivery options.

Philanthropy

With individual dealerships engage in local philanthropic efforts often independent from the corporate office, Group 1 supports Houston-area causes focusing on community

outreach Outreach is the activity of providing services to any population that might not otherwise have access to those services. A key component of outreach is that the group providing it is not stationary, but mobile; in other words, it involves meetin ...

and grade school education. Employees regularly make brown bag lunches to support Kids' Meals and donated cargo vans for their Meals on Wheels deliveries. The company is partnered with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as the official vehicle sponsor of the Texas MS 150; SEARCH Homeless Services; and

Junior Achievement JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization. It was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential ...

of South East Texas for events, classroom mentoring, and the JA Company Program in

Spring Branch ISD Spring Branch Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Hedwig Village, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The district serves portions of western Houston,Morales, Katherine.Residents working to retain superintenden ...

. Starting in November 2017, Group 1 partnered with the

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

to reward their

Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

of the Month recipients with a new vehicle to drive for the month.

The Group 1 Foundation

The Group 1 Foundation was initially created to support employees impacted by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, closely followed by

Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico, tying with Hurricane Milton in 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, 2024, as well as being the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the ...

. This tax-exempt charity gives all proceeds to help fellow employees in times of hardship. Examples include supporting survivors of fatal car accidents and a fire at an employee's home. Subsequent natural disasters like the

2013 Moore tornado The 2013 Moore tornado was a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado that ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas on the afternoon of May 20, 2013, with peak winds estimated at , killing 24 people (plus two indirect fatalities) and injur ...

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

, and

Hurricane Michael Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make ...

also marked the need for the Group 1 Foundation to assist their employees.

References

External links

* United States
Group 1 Automotive
*United Kingdom
Group 1 Automotive UK
{{Authority control Auto dealerships of the United States Companies based in Houston Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange American companies established in 1997 Retail companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Texas