When was Group1 Automotive founded?

Group1 Automotive was founded in 1997 and raised its 1st funding round 7 years after it was founded.

Where is Group1 Automotive located?

Group1 Automotive is headquartered in Houston, United States. It is registered at Houston, Texas.

Who is the current CEO of Group1 Automotive?

Earl Hesterberg of Group1 Automotive.

How many employees does Group1 Automotive have?

As of Sep 30, 2026, the latest employee count at Group1 Automotive is 3738.

Is Group1 Automotive a funded company?

Group1 Automotive is a funded company, having raised an undisclosed amount across 4 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Post IPO round, raised on Mar 2004.

When was the latest funding round of Group1 Automotive?

Group1 Automotive's latest funding was a $***** Conventional Debt round on Jun 27, 2019, with participation from 22 investors.

What is the annual revenue of Group1 Automotive?

Annual revenue of Group1 Automotive is more than $1B as on Dec 31, 2025

Where does Group1 Automotive rank among its competitors?

Group1 Automotive ranks 18th amongst 2940 active competitors, of which 47 are funded. It stands 11th in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Kavak, which secured $300M in Feb, 2026.

Who are the top competitors of Group1 Automotive?

Group1 Automotive's top competitors include Carvana, Kavak and TrueCar. Among them, Kavak secured the most recent funding round in February, 2026.

Group1 Automotive - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding, Competitors & Financials

Group1 Automotive is a public company based in Houston (United States), founded in 1997 by Kevin Whalen, Charles Smith, Bob Howard and Sterling McCall. It operates as a Provider of new & used cars and trucks dealership services. Group1 Automotive has raised an undisclosed amount in funding. The company has 2940 active competitors, including 47 funded and 322 that have exited. Its top competitors include companies like Carvana, Kavak and TrueCar.

Company Details

In 2022, the company recorded annual revenues of $16.51B and a net profit of $0.69B.

Website: group1auto.com
Social
Email ID: *****@group1auto.com
Registered Address: Houston, Texas

Key Metrics

Founded Year

1997

Location

Houston, United States

Stage

Public

Latest Funding Round

Conventional Debt, Jun 27, 2019, $*****

Investors

Comerica & 21 more

Ranked

18^th among 2940 active competitors

Annual Revenue

$1B+ as on Dec 31, 2025

Employee Count

3,738 as on Sep 30, 2026

Investment & Acquisitions

Modern Classic Motors & 12 more

Similar Companies

Carro & 216 more

Exit Details

Public

View Group1 Automotive's full profile

Group1 Automotive is associated with 3 legal entities given below:

Legal Entity Name	Date of Incorporation	Revenue	Latest Employee Count	Documents
Group 1 Automotive Inc CIN: 1031203 , United States, Active		$1B+ (As on Dec 31, 2025)	-	-
GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC. CIN: 760506313 , United States, Active	Dec 26, 999	-	13527 (As on Dec 31, 2024)	-
Group 1 Automotive CIN: 760506313 , Belgium, Active		-	16011 (As on Dec 31, 2023)	-

Group1 Automotive got listed on Oct 31, 1997.

Click here to take a look at Group1 Automotive's IPO in detail

Group1 Automotive has raised funding over 4 rounds. Its first funding round was on Mar 2004. Its latest funding round was a Conventional Debt round on Jun 27, 2019 for $*****. 22 investors participated in its latest round. Group1 Automotive has 22 institutional investors.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of Group1 Automotive:

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Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Jun 27, 2019	5791103	Conventional Debt	9195230	4859849	6343544	9306527
Aug 2004	3207071	Post IPO	6997762	3352605	8960041	1118099
Jun 2004	1186627	Post IPO	6944668	7626883	5458481	9040942

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View details of Group1 Automotive's funding rounds and investors

The founders of Group1 Automotive are Kevin Whalen, Charles Smith, Bob Howard and Sterling McCall.

Here are the details of Group1 Automotive's key team members:

Kevin Whalen: Co-Founder of Group1 Automotive.
Charles Smith: Co-Founder of Group1 Automotive.
Bob Howard: Co-Founder of Group1 Automotive.
Sterling McCall: Co-Founder of Group1 Automotive.
Earl Hesterberg: CEO of Group1 Automotive.

View details of Group1 Automotive's Founder profiles and Board Members

Group1 Automotive's employee count trend

Group1 Automotive has 3,738 employees as of Sep 26. Here is Group1 Automotive's employee count trend over the years:

Employee count trend for Group1 Automotive

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Top competitors of Group1 Automotive include Carvana, Kavak and TrueCar. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of Group1 Automotive, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	Carvana 2012, Phoenix (United States), Public	Online dealer of pre owned cars	$460M	Alua Capital Management, Vanguard & 2 others	84/100
2nd	Kavak 2016, Lerma de Villada (Mexico), Series F	Online retailer of certified pre-owned vehicles with financing and services	$1.85B	General Atlantic, Bond Capital & 32 others	79/100
3rd	TrueCar 2005, Santa Monica (United States), Acquired	Online new and used cars listing platform	$270M	Allen & Company, Capricorn & 22 others	75/100
4th	Droom 2014, Gurugram (India), Series G	Online retailer of used and new automobiles, plus related services	$344M	Digital Garage, Finvolve & 67 others	74/100
5th	CarGurus 2006, Cambridge (United States), Public	Online retailer of used and new cars with financing options	$1.75M	Vitruvian Partners, Ithaka Partners & 1 others	73/100
6th	Copart 1982, Dallas (United States), Public	Online marketplace for used and salvaged vehicles	$1.1M	-	72/100
7th	Cazoo 2018, London (United Kingdom), Series D	Online dealer of second-hand cars	$563M	Stride, General Catalyst & 37 others	71/100
8th	Carwow 2010, London (United Kingdom), Series E	Online marketplace to buy new cars	$178M	Vitruvian Partners, Mercedes-Benz & 35 others	71/100
9th	Edmunds.com 1966, Santa Monica (United States), Acquired	Online listing platform for multi-category used vehicles & price comparison	$50M	CarMax, Dover Madison Capital Management	70/100
10th	Cars.com 1998, Chicago (United States), Public	Online retailer of new and used cars, providing reviews	-	Starboard Value, Putnam & 1 others	70/100
18th	Group1 Automotive 1997, Houston (United States), Public	Provider of new & used cars and trucks dealership services	-	Comerica, Chase & 20 others	61/100

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Group1 Automotive has not made any investments yet. Group1 Automotive has made 13 acquisitions.

Here is the list of latest three $acquisitions:

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Date of Investment/Acquisition	Type	Company Name	Founded Year	Location
Mar 11, 2024	Acquisition	Modern Classic Motors		Grand Junction (United States)
Feb 12, 2024	Acquisition	RRR Automotive	2000	College Park (United States)
Jun 01, 2023	Acquisition	Beck & Masten Kia	2008	Tomball (United States)

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See all acquisitions by Group1 Automotive

Here is the latest report on Group1 Automotive's sector:

Free

Auto Retail & Aftersales - Sector Report

Edition: July, 2026 (79 Pages)

View all reports related to Group1 Automotive

Media has covered Group1 Automotive for a total of 84 events in the last 1 year, 60 of them have been about company updates and 5 about people movement.