South-west dealer group Blade has stepped in to acquire the three Amethyst Honda dealerships which went into administration back in October 2008.

The Chippenham and Gloucester sites are open now for new and used car sales and servicing, while the site in Cheltenham will be a used car and service operation.

Since Amethyst closed in October, neighboring Honda dealers have had to provide support for customers in the area.

Philip Crossman, head of network development at Honda (UK), said: “We are delighted the sites are open again in business. It was really important for us to revive these dealerships in an area close to where we build cars at Swindon.”

Blade Motor Group already has two Honda motorcycle dealerships and also has franchises with Volkswagen, Audi and Alfa Romeo at four sites in the south west.

Jerry Martin, Blade group operations manager, said: “We already had an excellent relationship with Honda through our motorcycle division and are delighted to be adding Honda cars to our portfolio, a move which further strengthens our position in these locations.”