SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Rodney Pierini, president and CEO of the California, Nevada, and Arizona Automotive Wholesalers Association introduced the panel discussion "Let's Know Them Before We Need Them" at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago in June. The panel discussed legislative affairs regarding the automotive parts and service industry and was moderated by Ray Pohlman, vice president and government affairs director for AutoZone.
The Conant Automotive Retail Group is developing the Norm Reeves Acura of Mission Viejo dealership at Avery and Marguerite parkways. The project is pegged at $10 million and 68,000 square feet. The dealership is a West Coast pilot store for Acura's Accelerated Service program, which offers more routine services such as oil changes and 15,000-mile maintenance. The dealership's service department is set to have 28 bays.
Rancho Cucamonga-based Mountain View Tire & Service Inc. has opened its 30th store, a 10-bay retail facility in Winchester. The dealership also will start construction on two new stores within the next 60 days, including a shop in Temecula and one in Corona. Mountain View Tire--which sells Goodyear, Dunlop, and Kelly passenger and light-truck tires--topped $42 million in sales last year.
Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. has opened a Tire Dealers' Warehouse (TDW) in Bakersfield. "The facility is the company's fifth such expansion in less than two years," a Hercules official said. The expansion into Bakersfield "represents a gateway to (California's) Central Valley for our tire distribution," said Robert Carnahan, TDW regional general manager. The Bakersfield TDW location will offer the full spectrum of Hercules tires, according to Hercules officials, as well as Toyo, Kumho, Yokohama, Falken, Nexen, Federal, Denman, and other brands.
Josh D'Agostino, director of new business development for Atlanta-based Genuine Parts Co., parent company of NAPA Auto Parts, said the company plans to expand in Orange County with a 5,000-square-foot NAPA Auto Parts store in Anaheim later this year. "Most of the auto parts stores that have opened recently have opened in Los Angeles and San Diego. But more people have moved in between those areas, and the auto parts business hasn't kept up," D'Agostino said. The company has identified at least five other locations in OC that may open shortly after the Anaheim store.
Caliber Collision Centers, an Irvine-based operator of collision repair facilities in California and Texas, has announced the acquisition of a 25,000-square-foot facility in a growing business area near Interstate 5 in Irvine. "Our new Caliber location will give vehicle owners in Irvine, Laguna Hills, and neighboring areas easy access to a conveniently located collision repair center," said Mark Sanders, Caliber's chief operating officer.
American Honda Motor Co. gave DCH Tustin Acura the Precision Team Dealership Distinction Award for 2007. The award for customer satisfaction is given to just a few dealers.
Seven Orange County-based auto-dealer groups are among the 125 largest in the nation, according to Automotive News in its annual survey. The seven dealer groups combined sold more than 198,000 new cars in 2007. The local companies on the list and their rank among the largest chains are: David Wilson Automotive Group (11); Fletcher Jones Automotive Group (25); Piercey Automotive Group (50); Tuttle-Click Automotive Group (54); Superior Automotive Group (73); Noarus Auto Group (90); and the Shelly Group (95).
More than $25,000 worth of catalytic converters were stolen from 17 pickup trucks at the Allen Gwynn Chevrolet dealership in Glendale. The theft of catalytic converters is a growing problem in Southern California, according to law enforcement officials. Thieves target catalytic converters to melt down and sell to scrap-metal yards, where rising metal values can fetch high profits. Since the devices in the recent thefts were new, thieves may also be able to unload them at auto repair shops, officials said.
Orange County's 142 franchised automobile dealers had $8.5 billion in total sales in 2007 and sold 166,788 new autos, according to a recent economic-impact report put out by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association of Costa Mesa. In 2007, sales were down 10.5 percent for the dealers from $9.5 billion in 2006. Last year was the worst since 1999 for new auto sales, according to the California Motor Car Dealers Association, based in Sacramento.
APA Search has announced the opening of its West coast office in Rolling Hills Estates. The new location will allow APA to better serve its current and future West coast clients and will be managed by Erika Mendelson. Mendelson has worked in a consulting role with APA Search since 1998, and has joined the company full-time as vice president. "Erika is an automotive performance enthusiast who understands the industry very well. She has judged car shows and owns a number of classic and performance cars that she has restored including a '57 Chevy Bel Air convertible Fuelie, a '69 Plymouth Hemi Roadrunner, and a '69 Pontiac GTO." said Howard Kesten, president, APA Search.