September 11, 2014 — The Sonic Automotive Group is acquiring Hunt Nissan in Chattanooga to add to its BMW and Honda dealerships in that market, according to a Chattanooga newspaper story.

Hunt Nissan is owned by Ken Hunt, who came to Chattanooga in 2002 when he acquired the Nissan store from the Penske (United at the time) Automotive Group.

According to a Chattanooga Times Free Press story Hunt has doubled the store’s used vehicle sales along with increasing the number of service customers in the last 10 years. 

When it closes, the acquisition will be Sonic’s third since January 2013. The public dealer group is investing in several initiatives to improve sales processes along with embarking on building an independent chain of pre-owned dealerships (read more about its strategy: Sonic Unveils Pre-owned Strategy).

The acquisition fits its strategy of adding tuck in points in the 25 metropolitan markets it’s already in. Sonic also owns Economy Honda and BMW of Chattanooga and has 100 dealerships in 14 states.

To read more about the dealership buy-sell market this year, click: The Banks Report’s 2014 Mid-Year Dealership Buy-Sell Update.