A South Wales car dealership has become the first MG dealer in Europe to reach the milestone of selling 10,000 cars in just six years.
Driven by a growth in MG customers, as well as an increase in sales of EVs (electric vehicles) the family-run dealership opened a third branch in Cwmbran.
MG’s market share of 8 per cent in Wales can be attributed to the success of Nathaniel Cars, boasting over double the market share in the rest of the UK at only 3 per cent overall. The business has experienced simultaneous growth, with turnover increasing from 20 million in 2016 to 100 million in 2022.Nathanial Cars is the highest selling volume MG dealer in Europe and has twice been named the global MG dealer in the world.
The dealer is also the biggest seller of EVs in South East Wales, selling more than 1000 electric MGs in 2022, which was a growth of nearly 10 percent on 2021. In 2022, Natahnial Cars provided an MG4 EV for the epic ‘Car to Qutar’ challenge in partnership with community interest group GO EV Cymru, which saw a group of football fans travel across 17 countries and over 4,000 miles in the electric MG to see Wales play in the World Cup.
Their number of employees has also doubled in the past six years, with 120 staff members across the two branches in Bridgend and Cardiff . This is set to increase with the expansion in Cwmbran, as Nathaniel Cars will absorb another family business, Colley Motors.
Retaining all thirteen of the current staff in the established business, Cwmbran customers can expect to see the same friendly faces in the dealership. Nathaniel Cars are also looking to strengthen this number, to create new jobs and opportunities in the local area. There are also plans to strengthen the business with a further dealership West of Bridgend opening by the end of 2023.
Nathaniel Cars Managing Director, Wayne Griffiths, with John Colley
Speaking about the growth of the business in recent years, as well as the uptake of the MG4 EV, Nathan Griffiths of Nathaniel Cars said:
“Our promotion of the MG brand has been an important contributing factor to our success, we took on the product in the early days before it was as well known in the UK, and we helped to push the brand out through consistent in-person promotion. Our belief in the brand is what drove the product sales and our customers really value the MG 7-year warranty and durability.
“We’re also passionate about the benefits of EVs to our customers as well as to the climate, while always keeping the customer choice and best interests at the heart of our sales approach. We’re a key voice in the conversation around the uptake of electric cars in Wales and we’re keen to see continued progress in developing the infrastructure here so everyone can benefit.
“Our 10,000th MG was sold to a loyal customer of 16 years whose family, including a wife and sons, drove six MGs in total over the years. They just picked up their first electric car and they’re over the moon with the results so far.”
“Ultimately, our recent success and growth is down to our core values of family and people – the same values we began with 43 years ago. That’s the key to our continued progression as a business and is why we have chosen to take on another family business in Cwmbran and maintain those values in everything we do.”
Nathaniel Cars opened its first MG dealership in Bridgend in 2016, before running a flagship showroom in St. Davids Shopping Centre for three years, and then expanding to a second dealership in Penarth Road, Cardiff in 2019.
