McGrath Family of Dealerships (McGrath Auto Group)

What McGrath Family of Dealerships (McGrath Auto Group) does

McGrath Family of Dealerships (DBA McGrath Auto Group) is a privately held, four-generation family-owned franchised auto dealer group founded in 1952 by H.B. McGrath and headquartered in Eastern Iowa. The company operates retail showrooms across Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Marion, representing 13 OEM franchises spanning mass-market, import, and luxury brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, RAM, Toyota, Volkswagen). It self-identifies as the Corridor's #1 auto dealer in its market and reports 13,000+ five-star Google reviews as its primary reputation signal.

The business operates an integrated vehicle-lifecycle model combining new-vehicle sales, used and certified pre-owned (McGrath Certified, McGrath SmartBuy) sales, in-house financing (McGrath Credit, including credit-challenged underwriting), service and parts, a dedicated tire center (McGrath Tires), and a collision center. Adjacent offerings include a Fleet & Commercial program with dedicated account management, mobile service, and pickup/delivery. Technology stack is standard dealer tooling: Cars Commerce for inventory, Dart Offer for trade valuation, BotDoc for document collection, plus online payment calculators, financing applications, and a dedicated McGrath Reviews platform. No proprietary AI/ML, no app, and no API surface is disclosed.

Go-to-market is omnichannel but showroom-anchored: physical retail in Eastern Iowa as the primary channel, supplemented by an online storefront for browsing and lead capture, and a direct field-sales motion for fleet/commercial accounts. Revenue streams span one-time vehicle sales (new and used, MSRP-based), recurring/transactional F&I via McGrath Credit, transaction-based service and parts, and commercial fleet sales. Customer base is predominantly individual retail consumers in Eastern Iowa, with secondary exposure to commercial/fleet buyers and credit-challenged consumers served through McGrath Credit. The company has no disclosed institutional ownership, no PE backing, and no M&A activity in the input data.

Name

McGrath Family of Dealerships (McGrath Auto Group)

Legal name

McGrath Family of Dealerships

Website

https://mcgrathauto.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

McGrath Family of Dealerships is a four-generation, family-owned franchised auto group in Eastern Iowa operating 13 OEM brands across Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Marion, with integrated sales, in-house financing, service, parts, collision, and fleet/commercial operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Retail Dealership

NAICS

Used Car Dealers (441120)

akta.pro primary industry

Dealer-Sold & F&I Administered Service Contracts (Dealer Obligors) (FSAJALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Auto & Vehicle Loan Brokerage (FSAEAEAK)

Keywords

• Automotive retail dealerships
• New vehicle sales
• Used vehicle sales
• Vehicle financing services
• Auto service and parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: New and used vehicle sales across multiple brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, RAM, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Revenue generated through vehicle transactions with MSRP pricing and dealer incentives.
2. Finance and Insurance Products: Financing services through McGrath Credit, offering competitive rates and in-house financing options for customers with various credit profiles. Revenue from financing interest and F&I products.
3. Service and Parts: Service centers providing vehicle maintenance, repairs, and parts sales. Multiple service locations including mobile service and pickup/delivery options.
4. Fleet and Commercial Services: Fleet management programs, commercial vehicle sales, and specialized commercial services for business customers.
5. McGrath Certified Pre-Owned: Certified pre-owned vehicle sales with Like It or Exchange It guarantee, providing warranty-backed vehicles with inspection and reconditioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

McGrath Family of Dealerships is a family-owned multi-franchise auto dealership group that sells new vehicles across 13 brands and used vehicles through McGrath Certified and McGrath SmartBuy programs across Eastern Iowa. It supplements sales with integrated financing (McGrath Credit, including credit-challenged buyers), service and parts, a collision center, tire sales, trade-in acquisition (Trade or Get Paid), and a Fleet & Commercial program for business buyers.

Product overview

McGrath Family of Dealerships is a multi-location auto dealership group serving Eastern Iowa, offering a comprehensive automotive ecosystem. The core business centers on new vehicle sales across 13 brands (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, RAM, Toyota, Volkswagen) and used vehicle sales through multiple programs including McGrath Certified and McGrath SmartBuy. The company operates an integrated model combining vehicle sales with financing services (McGrath Credit), trade-in programs (Trade or Get Paid), and extensive aftersales support including service centers, collision repair, parts departments, and tire services. Fleet and commercial vehicle solutions round out the business-to-business offerings. The product portfolio functions as a unified dealership ecosystem where vehicle sales, financing, service, and trade-in programs interconnect to serve both retail and commercial customers throughout the Cedar Rapids area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• McGrath SmartBuy: Used vehicle program offering quality pre-owned vehicles
• McGrath Certified
• McGrath Credit
• McGrath Auto Care
• McGrath Tires
• McGrath Cares
• McGrath Fleet & Commercial
• Pat McGrath Chevyland
• McGrath VW Hyundai of Dubuque
• McGrath Ford Hyundai Kia
• McGrath VW of Marion
• McGrath Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram

Quantifiable outcome

• Trade value assessment in as little as 15 minutes
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Asbury Automotive Group: Large publicly traded US dealership group operating 150+ new-vehicle franchises across multiple brands. Comparable as a multi-brand retailer with full F&I, service, and parts operations, though at much greater scale and geographic breadth than McGrath.
• Lithia Motors: Largest US automotive retailer with hundreds of franchises and a growing digital retail platform (Driveway). Comparable multi-brand dealer model with integrated financing and service, providing a national benchmark for what scaled regional dealership groups can become.
• Group 1 Automotive: Public dealership group with ~200 dealerships across the US and UK, representing similar OEM brands (Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW). Same multi-franchise retail model with F&I and service integration that McGrath operates at regional scale.
• Sonic Automotive: Public dealer group with EchoPark used-vehicle standalone stores plus franchised dealerships. Relevant peer because McGrath's McGrath Certified and SmartBuy programs mirror EchoPark's attempt to defend against digital used-car disruptors.
• CarMax: Largest US used-vehicle retailer with omni-channel model including appraisal, financing, and extended service plans. Comparable on the used-vehicle and certified pre-owned side of McGrath's business, and represents the digital-first competitive pressure McGrath faces.
• Holman Automotive: Large privately held automotive group with franchised dealerships plus fleet leasing and parts distribution. Comparable for the integrated retail-plus-fleet model McGrath operates, particularly the Fleet & Commercial division.

Regional players

• Kayser Automotive Group: Family-owned multi-brand dealership group based in Madison, Wisconsin, with similar Midwestern roots and multi-franchise strategy. Comparable as a regional family dealership group with overlapping OEM brands and similar community-focused value proposition.
• Billion Automotive: Family-owned dealership group serving Sioux Falls and surrounding South Dakota region with multiple rooftops across major brands. Direct analog to McGrath in scale, family ownership structure, and Midwest regional footprint.
• Dahl Automotive: Multi-generational family dealership group based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with similar brand portfolio including Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, and GM franchises. Comparable in operating model, community orientation, and regional Midwestern geography.

Others

• Cox Automotive (Manheim): Wholesale vehicle auction operator and parent of Kelley Blue Book, Autotrader, and Dealertrack. Relevant as the upstream infrastructure provider whose products (KBB valuation, Dealertrack F&I) underpin dealership groups including McGrath, and as a competitive threat in vehicle remarketing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mcgrathauto
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mcgrathauto
• Facebookfacebook.com/mcgrathauto
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcgrath-auto
• Instagraminstagram.com/mcgrathauto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McGrath Family of Dealerships (McGrath Auto Group)