A New Beginning 1903 Edinburgh Haymarket
As the newfangled automobile was starting to appear on the streets of Scotland’s towns and cities, a number of forward-thinking businessmen decided that this new industry would be better served by a trade body which could deliver regulated procedures to the membership, ensuring that they would be able to serve their growing customer base to meet their future motoring needs.
They created The Scottish Motor Trade Association and in doing so ensured that the growing automotive industry in Scotland had a representative voice.
1903 was also the year that Henry Ford created The Ford Motor Company, introducing the world to the Model T and in doing so made automotive transport available to the masses, therefore putting the world on wheels! We are not in bad company!
The association soon became known as the SMTA and indeed we rarely use our full business title nowadays, simply because we are so well known within the sector and to the wider general motoring public as the SMTA.
We are proud to “encourage, promote and protect” our members whilst ensuring that they adhere to our code of conduct when dealing with their customers. Currently with 1,360 member sites we are the largest automotive business trade body in Scotland, we enjoy membership in every council area of the country with a diverse membership base.
The automotive industry has changed a lot since 1903 and the pace of change has quickened dramatically over the last few years and now shows no signs of slowing down, in fact as we progress towards a cleaner more environmentally friendly vehicle park the rate of development will continue to speed up.
When faced with the need to change and meet new regulations and processes our membership relies on the backing of a robust trade association ensuring that they are represented at every level of government, in Scotland, in Westminster and in Brussels.
Our reason for existing is and always will be for the membership of the SMTA we are, after all, member owned, member driven, and member led.
