About Us - The City KIA Story

How did City Kia get to where it is today?

Take a look book at our story! Established in 1940, almost 80 years ago, John Sr’s dad Jay Pascoe started a dealership on Victoria Street in Richmond called Jay’s Motors. He was also one of the original directors and shareholders of Calder Raceway.

After thirty years of business, John Pascoe Sr then established John Pascoe Motors, beginning first in Whitehorse Road, Blackburn and then after great success, opening his second branch in Warrigal Road, Chadstone, selling selected used cars.

John Sr went on to develop and own City Saab, City Hyundai, City Chrysler Jeep and City Automobiles specialists in British Sports cars: Aston Martin, Lotus and TVR Caterham. In 1997, after many years of great success and hard work, John Sr sold his well-run, established business to the Sumitomo Corporation, but still retained City Automobiles for his sons, John Jr and Benjamin.

In 2000, John Sr joined forces with Mitchell Porritt, who had established an excellent reputation in the motor industry for the repair and servicing of Mercedes Benz in Burnley Street, Richmond. Mitchell Porritt is a fully-trained Mercedes technician with many years of experience. He has also worked with Mercedes Benz in Germany.

In 2001, City Automobiles was officially appointed the Renault Franchise for Melbourne, opening the new car showroom at 539 Church St, Richmond on July 14, timed to coincide with Bastille Day, in honour of the French car brand. City Automobiles Renault quickly became the number-one selling Renault Dealer in Australia.

In 2007, City Automobiles opened a state-of-the-art Renault service and spare parts facility at the rear side of the Renault showroom, located on 1 Kingston Street, Richmond. In 2010, John Sr and his sons proudly opened the new City Kia Franchise at 198 Burnley Street, Richmond.

The Pascoes, three generations of car men with over 70-years in business, continue to improve the great legacy of the family and all the dedicated years they have put into offering excellent car service and, especially, customer service.

With this proud history, we at City Kia are determined to keep up the tradition of service excellence and we strive to meet all the expectations our customers have come to enjoy. It’s our aim to provide perfect service and car maintenance, as well as offering a wide range of the newest and most efficient Kia models, both through our brand-new ranges as well as our highly-regarded used-cars. We strive to give our customer the best choices of all models, from small cars right through to SUVs.