History
Motus was founded originally part of Imperial Holdings, which was founded in South Africa in 1948, with the opening of a car dealership in Johannesburg's CBD. [2]
In January 2018, following its unbundling from Imperial Holdings Limited, Motus Holdings Limited was listed on the JSE Limited. [2]
At the end of September 2022, Motus' UK subsidiary, Motus Holdings (UK) Limited, acquired British company, Motor Parts Direct, for R3.62 billion (£182 million). [9]
In February 2025, Motus announced that it had signed a 5-year deal with Indian car manufacturer Tata to distribute its passenger vehicles in South Africa, as well as certain neighboring countries. [10]
Operations
Motus has a presence in numerous markets, including South Africa, other parts of Southern Africa, East Africa, Australia, South East Asia, and the United Kingdom. As at mid-2025, the company ran 1,285 outlets across all its regions of operation. [1]
The company has 4 divisions, listed below, with the percentage of the group's overall revenue each division accounted for in 2024 in brackets next to each one. [6] [3]
- Import and Distribution (15%)
- Retail and Rental (72%)
- Mobility Solutions, including fintech, data, and financial services (2%)
- Aftermarket Parts – distributor, wholesaler, and retailer for out-of-warranty vehicles (11%)
Among the services Motus offers are new vehicle sales, pre-owned vehicle sales (for vehicles up to 6 years of age), parts and related goods sales, vehicle workshops for maintenance, and car rental. Motus operates in both the passenger and commercial vehicle market. [3]
Motus is the exclusive distributor in South Africa for Mitsubishi, Tata, Renault, Kia, and Hyundai vehicles. [10] The company also has exclusive distribution rights for Nissan in 4 East African countries, and for Haval in 2 East African countries. [3]
The company has around 80 dealerships as part of its Motus Select Pre-owned vehicle network. [11]
Motus also owns the South African pre-owned vehicle brand Auto Pedigree, which holds around 3,000 cars in stock, with 71 dealerships across the country as at mid-2025. [12]
South Africa is Motus' largest market, where, as at mid-2025, the company operates 933 outlets. Of these, 335 are retail dealerships, including 31 for commercial vehicles and 205 for passenger vehicles, as well as 63 Auto Pedigree dealerships and 36 Motus Select dealerships. [3]
It also operates 125 car rental branches and kiosks, and 473 aftermarket parts outlets in South Africa (468 of which are franchises and 5 of which are canopy fitment centers). [3]
The Gauteng province has the most Motus outlets, by a significant margin. This is followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, matching South Africa's major population center distribution.
Aside from its SA operations, Motus also has operations in Southern and East Africa, where the company owns 12 retail dealerships, 15 car rental outlets, and 58 aftermarket parts outlets. Motus also operates 47 passenger vehicle dealerships in Australia, 1 aftermarket parts distribution center in Taiwan, and 1 in China. The group also runs 88 commercial vehicle dealerships, 34 passenger vehicle dealerships, 2 parts DCs, and 178 parts outlets in the United Kingdom, and another parts DC in Europe. [3]
In terms of new vehicle sales, in its mid-2025 annual report, for the preceding fiscal year, Motus recorded around 512,000 sales in South Africa, roughly 2.4 million in the United Kingdom, and around 1.3 million in Australia. Used car sales for the same period totaled approximately 312,000 in South Africa, approximately 7.2 million in the UK, and around 2.1 million in Australia. [3]
The same report showed that the United Kingdom represented Motus' largest market for new energy vehicles, followed by Australia, and then South Africa. [3]
R113.76 billion [5] 
R2.47 billion (2024) [5]