Beer Auto Group opens Kilmore dealership, adding Kia and MG franchises

Greenfields expansion from Seymour to Kilmore

Longstanding family-owned retailer Beer Auto Group has opened a greenfields dealership in the Victorian town of Kilmore, adding Kia and MG to its list of franchises, GoAutoNews Premium has reported. The new business, trading as Kilmore Auto Group, extends the group's rooftops from its original home in Seymour, where it was founded in 1980 by Neil Beer, into a location closer to the Melbourne growth corridor. ¹

The dealership group began as a Holden operation before adding Mitsubishi, and now represents 11 brands across its two locations, according to the GoAutoNews Premium report. Neil Beer's son Greg is managing director of both the Seymour and Kilmore sites. ¹

The group's own website lists its franchise portfolio as BYD, Isuzu UTE, Mitsubishi, MG, Nissan, Subaru, Chery, Omoda Jaecoo, Kia, Foton LCV and Holden service operations, along with a used-vehicle offering, confirming the breadth of brands cited in the GoAutoNews report. ¹²

Why Kilmore, according to the dealer

Co-owner and dealer principal Jacob Rowlands told GoAutoNews Premium that the decision to open Kilmore Auto Group was driven by the need to diversify and attract a new potential market area in the more Melbourne-centred corridor suburbs. ¹

Rowlands said Seymour sales run at about 100 vehicles a month and that he expected Kilmore to start at 50 or 60 a month, per the GoAutoNews Premium report. He said the group was close to capacity for sales in Seymour, so the addition of Kilmore both brings in new customers and provides overflow from Seymour, and that given the potential of the brands and the site's location, he saw Kilmore as capable of selling at the same level as Seymour. ¹

What the new site offers

The Kilmore Auto Group site is anchored by Kia and MG, both new brands to the company, and also sells Chery, Isuzu Ute and BYD, which are sold and serviced at Seymour as well, according to GoAutoNews Premium. The site additionally hosts the group's Foton and Omoda Jaecoo satellite outlets. ¹

The group's dealer website confirms a Kilmore Auto Group location at 147-149 Powlett Street, Kilmore, trading Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm and Saturday mornings, alongside the existing Seymour site at 49-51 Emily Street. Kia stock is already advertised through the Kilmore site, including a new 2026 Kia Tasman SX 4x4 ute listed at $49,990 drive-away, with the drive-away offer running to participating Kia dealers until 31 October 2026 under Kia's published terms. ²⁶⁵

MG offers advertised through the group's website show the MG HS Excite and HS Vibe among models promoted at participating MG dealers, with drive-away and cashback offers applying to vehicles sold and delivered in October 2026 under MG Motor's published conditions, further indicating the franchise is active at the dealer group. ³⁴

Workshop capacity and service focus

Rowlands told GoAutoNews Premium that emphasis was placed on customer service at the new site, noting the Kilmore workshop has nine hoists but is designed to take up to 13, reflecting headroom for growth in service volume. The workshop also offers tyre fitting and balancing because of high customer demand for tyre services, the GoAutoNews Premium report states. ¹

Scale and staffing outlook

Rowlands said the Seymour and Kilmore businesses are expected to turn over about $80 million in 2027, with sales of 2000 vehicles a year and service volume of 15,000, according to GoAutoNews Premium. These are dealer-provided forecasts rather than independently verified figures. ¹

The two dealerships currently employ 60 local people, and the GoAutoNews Premium report says the staff count is expected to reach 70 in 2027 because of the potential of rising sales through Kilmore. As with the turnover and sales projections, this staffing outlook is attributed to the dealer and remains a forecast. ¹