OH WHAT A FEELING: Holding their awards on behalf of Hayes Toyota are financial controller Sue Cook with husband Kelvin, dealer principal Bert Hayes and wife Annie.

OH WHAT A FEELING: Holding their awards on behalf of Hayes Toyota are financial controller Sue Cook with husband Kelvin, dealer principal Bert Hayes and wife Annie. Picasa

A SMALL family-owned new car dealership at Murwillumbah has racked up its 24th consecutive year of outselling every other car franchise in the Tweed Byron area.

It's a remarkable achievement by dealer principal Bert Hayes of Hayes Toyota Murwillumbah and his staff of 20.

Their milestone on March 22, judged on motor vehicle registration statistics, was recognised with their 24th Silver Knight Award at the Toyota Australia 2013 Awards night in Brisbane.

The dealership was also presented with a 2013 excellence award for business management.

"There's more makes than there used to be ... but we're still on top," Bert said.

The 64-year-old credits their success to hard work and the special care and attention that comes with a family-owned enterprise.

Such has been his success that Toyota has even adopted his dealership's motto of "customer first".

The business was founded in the same Prospero St location in 1918 by Bert's frandfather, Albert George Hayes.

The dealership has been selling Toyota's exclusively since 1975.

As for the future, Bert has a modern succession plan in place in the form of his 34-year-old daughter Melissa Moore who also works at the dealership.

"It will be a natural progression."