Swansway Garages Group is to open a new £3m Audi centre in Stafford before Christmas, to complete a busy year for the Crewe-based company.

Stafford Audi, formerly Rybridge Audi will also be recruiting around 16 new staff in the next 12 months, including sales people and technicians.

The 14-car showroom will include the full Audi brand experience, while the two-acre site also has space for 65 used cars. The group is expecting to sell about 400 new cars a year and 550 used, as it looks to benefit from its location just outside Birmingham, off the M6.

The group has also sourced land in Stoke for a similar sized dealership, which it expects will be completed within 12 months, and is planning a major refurbishment of its Crewe Audi site.

It has also started work on a £2m VW Commercial outlet in Preston, which opens next June. After a strong 2004, the group, which has seven locations, including two VW Commercial dealerships, is looking for future acquisitions and possible new franchises.

“We are extremely happy with our Seat, VW and Audi franchises and would like to add to this by going down the premium route as its suits our marketing style,” says Swansway director Peter Smyth “We would like to acquire two or three profitable businesses over the next few years.”