CAR dealership group Inchcape has announced pre-tax profits of £177.3 million in the year ending December.

The figure is 8.6% up on the same period last year and on sales of £4.5 billion.

Group chief executive André Lacroix said: ‘Inchcape has once again produced a further set of strong results, which demonstrate the benefits of our balanced international portfolio. 'We achieved record performances in Australia and Singapore, improved margins in UK retail, successfully integrated recent acquisitions, and generated strong cash flow.’