Both Yarra Honda and Zagame Automotive Group showrooms are said to have been affected by reports that indicate they are moving.

But it is the properties that have been placed on the market and not the businesses.

Tony Jowett’s Jowett Motor Group has three franchises – Yarra Honda, Nissan and Hyundai – in landmark three-storey premises in Hoddle Street in Collingwood in Melbourne’s inner east.

This site is leased and the dealerships will remain on the same location while the land is put up for sale. The price is reported at around $40 million.

Honda Australia general manager of product customer and communications Robert Thorp said Jowett’s Honda dealership is “one of Honda’s most highly awarded and professional dealer outfits”.

“We remain committed to Tony and his team and he remains committed to Honda,” Mr Thorp told GoAutoNews Premium.

However, Mr Thorp said if the new property owners had other plans for the site, Honda Australia would work with Jowett Motor Group “for the best outcome” – whether it be building a new facility or relocating to an existing property.

“We are working with him to ensure the best possible solution for him and his Honda business,” Mr Thorp said.

Zagame Automotive Group public relations general manager Paul Ellis told GoAutoNews Premium that the Swan Street showrooms in Richmond, also in Melbourne’s inner east, have long leases and any sale of the property will not affect its operations.

The land up for sale includes the showrooms for Zagame’s McLaren and Lamborghini franchises in Swan Street and is on the same upmarket strip that has the company’s outlets for brands including Aston Martin, Ferrari and Rolls-Royce.

Mr Ellis said some of Zagame’s sites were owned by the company and others were leased and that, in this case, the owner of the property where McLaren and Lamborghini are displayed has decided to sell.

By Neil Dowling