In a move The Banks Report predicted twice in the last six weeks, Sonic Automotive has traded a Cadillac dealership for one of John Elway’s two Chevrolet stores in the Denver market. (November Dealership Buy-Sell Update) The swap came about because Sonic needed real estate on which to build a new facility for the Murray… Continue Reading
David Maus has made his next move in automotive retail acquiring the Nissan dealership owned by the Ferman Automotive Group in New Port Richey, FL. Maus, who had been partnered with the Van Tuyl Automotive Group in four stores in the Orlando, FL area recently sold his stake back to Van Tuyl for a reported $20… Continue Reading
December 7, 2014 — The return of the midsize truck market is officially in play with two big announcements last week. Late last week, Toyota Senior Vice President of Operations Bob Carter announced during the automaker’s annual media Christmas luncheon in Detroit that it will show a newly revamped Toyota Tacoma at the 2015 North American… Continue Reading
December 6, 2014 — UPDATED — Is Volvo worth a second look? The growing role of private equity; How long will the high multiples continue? Record setting year for number of acquisitions as the industry zeroes in on 300. Number of acquisitions by brand. Also, Van Tuyl sells a dealership; Sonic’s pending deals & the top… Continue Reading
November 24, 2014 — Teachers in Texas apparently like the financial prospects of franchised car dealerships. One of the country’s largest pension funds, the Teachers Retirement System of Texas is investing in Capital Automotive, a firm that provides sale-leaseback capital to car dealers, through an investment fund established by Capital’s parent Brookfield Property Partners. Brookfield…
November 23, 2014 — Cox Automotive continues to be active in the acquisition space buying the assets of small used car data firm last week, following its $325 million purchase of Xtime two weeks ago. It.has spent approximately $3 billion on both U.S. and international (China and Brazil) acquisitions since 2010. Meanwhile, the Atlanta-based firm…
November 13, 2014 — Next month, AutoNation will take a big step in making true online transactions in the car buying process a reality when it begins the roll out of its SmartChoice Express initiative. It’s one of its biggest initiatives to date and could move the automotive retail space into the next phase of car…
The automotive retail space is within striking distance of 300 dealership acquisitions for all of 2014 following a monster October that saw 49 rooftops change hands. Meanwhile, prices for deals start to climb in wake of Buffett’s announcement. Fueled by Lithia Motors’ acquisition of the DCH Automotive Group, the 49 rooftops that changed owners in…
November 3, 2014 –The dealership buy-sell market remains hot through for the year with 200 acquisitions through the third quarter. While Warren Buffett’s announcement brought a renewed sense of energy to the market, it ultimately may dampen potential acquisitions for the next couple of quarters as buyers are content to wait out what is proving to…
October 30, 2014 — Sadly, the automotive industry lost one of its shining lights this week when Joe Herman passed away early in the morning on Wednesday October 29. His career spanned more than 40 years, beginning with selling cars at Shrewsbury Volkswagen in New Jersey and ending on the other coast in Vancouver, WA… Continue Reading