Envision Motors buys 3 Mercedes-Benz dealerships

Envision Motors of West Covina, Calif., in December purchased three Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the Golden State from Von Housen Automotive Group.

Envision Motors said it bought Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento, Mercedes-Benz of Rocklin and Mercedes-Benz of El Dorado Hills, which are retaining their names. Rocklin and El Dorado Hills are near Sacramento.

Von Housen Automotive of Sacramento was owned by George Grinzewitsch Jr., a former chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Board. The transaction closed Dec. 19, Grinzewitsch confirmed to Automotive News.

These were the group's only dealerships, which Grinzewitsch said sold 4,500 combined new and used vehicles a year.

He said Envision Motors approached him last year about selling.

"They made us a very good offer and we felt it was a sound business decision for us to sell," Grinzewitsch said in an email. "Our longstanding great relationship with Mercedes-Benz and our team made the final conclusion a difficult one. Frankly, California has become more challenging to do business in every year and that also played a major factor in our decision to sell."

Grinzewitsch's late father, George Grinzewitsch, became a Mercedes-Benz dealer in 1961, according to the group. Von Housen Automotive sold Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento in 2004. In 2002, the younger Grinzewitsch opened the El Dorado Hills store. He added Mercedes-Benz of Rocklin in 2009, the same year he repurchased Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento.

Grinzewitsch Jr. and his son, George Grinzewitsch III, Van Housen Automotive's vice president, plan to stay active in the business and are looking to acquire new-car franchises in Western U.S. markets, he said.

The growing Envision Motors already had three Mercedes-Benz dealerships in its portfolio.

"We are extremely grateful to George Grinzewitsch for this opportunity and look forward to working with the talented team he has built," Envision Motors said in a LinkedIn post. "This acquisition brings the Envision Motors portfolio to 14 dealerships in less than five years and makes us one of the largest Mercedes-Benz dealership groups in the country."

In August, Envision bought Vista Ford-Lincoln of Oxnard in California from Jon Shuken.

Envision Motors was co-founded in 2018 by its CEO, Simon Sarriedine, and Frank Zarabi, the company's COO. It has dealerships in California and Arizona.