Originally established as Southern Motors, Inc. in 1949 under the Yutivo and Sons Group of Companies, the company  sold and serviced  vehicles such as Chevrolet, Pontiac, Opel, Holden, Vauxhall and Isuzu.

In 1953 the late Frank N. Liu, Sr., patriarch of the present day company, joined the Davao office as Branch Manager.

In 1973, General Motors decided to take  more active control of the business, and as a result the Yutivo Group divided the network of branches into three independent companies - Northern Motors in Luzon, Cebu Southern Motors in the Visayas, and

Southern Motors of Davao, Inc. in Mindanao.

In the same year, particularly on July 2, 1973, under the late Frank N. Liu, Sr., Southern Motors of Davao, Inc. was incorporated  by the Securities and  Exchange Commission with an all Filipino ownership. Hence, Southern Motors of Davao, Inc. or SMDI, became the  franchised dealer of General Motors Pilipinas  for Southeastern Mindanao

After the American car companies  withdrew from the Philippines starting  in the late 80s, SMDI became the exclusive authorized dealer of Isuzu vehicles for Southeastern Mindanao initially  under Isuzu Motors Pilipinas Inc. in 1991, and later under Isuzu Philippines Corporation in 1996.

Until today, Southern Motors of Davao, Inc continues to be among the top Isuzu Dealers in the Philippines. It  also operates a Five Star motor vehicle repair shop duly accredited by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).