In this paper, a decentralized control algorithm is proposed for a group of nonholonomic vehicles to form a class of collective circular motion behavior. Without the guidance of a global beacon, the desired collective behavior occurs provided that the multi-agent system is jointly connected. Moreover, a repulsion mechanism is considered to improve the distribution evenness of the agents' circular motion phases and hence to avoid collision. The effectiveness of the approach is verified through both theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Moreover, some interesting variations of the circular motion model are investigated to enrich the collective behaviors. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.