The Seward Group has been awarded the Renault franchise for Portsmouth, effective from October 1.

Renault will replace MG Rover and Suzuki at the purpose-built premises in Portsmouth Motor Park, Bilton Way.

This will mean that the Fiat operation in West Street, Havant will be joined by the Suzuki and MG Rover franchises.

Kevin Clark, managing director of Seward said: “We are extremely proud to have been awarded the Renault franchise. We have worked tirelessly for some time now to acquire this famous marque and are delighted that Renault has the confidence in us to develop and expand their presence in the Portsmouth area.

We know we can offer a quality of service and facilities that will more than satisfy current Renault owners and we are convinced we will be able to convert other drivers to the brand.

The Seward Company was originally formed in 1978. The Austin Rover franchise was added to the Havant branch seven years later followed by MG Rover in 1995.

In 2000 Seward acquired the Suzuki franchise and became the largest Suzuki dealership on the south coast winning several awards for standards of customer service, innovation and best practice.

These included Suzuki GB Ltd’s Dealer of the Year award for two years running.

Expansion continued in 2003 with the addition of the Fiat franchise to our Havant operation. Suzuki then moved to Portsmouth to compliment MG Rover.