Cardinale Automotive Group has acquired Lithia Motors in Santa Rosa, marking its first location within the North Bay auto market.
Lithia Motors operated a Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat dealership on Dowd Drive, behind the Corby Avenue auto dealership row fronting on Freeway 101. The acquisition was efficient March 14.
Cardinale’s closest Bay Space places are in Oakland and Morgan Hill. Santa Rosa brings the tally to 22 dealerships — with others within the works, in keeping with Common Supervisor Ryan Pullara.
Cardinale executives with the privately owned dealership group primarily based in Seaside, California, declined to reveal the acquisition value. Quite a few inquiries made to Medford, Oregon-based Lithia Motors have been unanswered.
“We seemed on the model (of the dealership) and alternative shifting into the North Bay,” Pullara instructed the Enterprise Journal.
As for modifications to be made, Pullara stated he plans to retain all workers and produce in additional autos. U.S. provide chain woes have wreaked havoc on automotive dealerships because the pandemic took maintain.
When requested if the sale has any bearing on their market methods, Common Gross sales Supervisor Ian Okasako Schmucker of the neighboring Freeman Toyota dealership stated his operations “don’t compete with Dodge.”
In one other neighboring lot, managers at CarMax stated “the change within the Dodge dealership possession doesn’t have an effect on or alter our advertising and marketing plans.”
The Nationwide Car Dealership Affiliation’s spokeswoman Juliet Guerra stated impression on a neighborhood or different dealerships within the space is outdoors the group’s purview.