Victory Automotive Group sells Honda dealerships in New York, Alabama

Victory Automotive Group, one of the largest privately owned dealership groups in the U.S., sold two Honda dealerships in separate transactions last month and appears to have exited two states.

Victory Automotive, of Canton, Mich., on May 25 sold Victory Honda of Ontario in Canandaigua, N.Y., to West Herr Automotive Group, another large, privately owned dealership group. It appears it was Victory Automotive's only New York location, according to its website.

The buyer renamed the dealership West Herr Honda of Canandaigua. Canandaigua is southeast of Rochester and west of Syracuse. West Herr bought a Toyota store in Canandaigua in 2020.

"Everyone at West Herr is excited about expanding our presence in the Canandaigua market," West Herr CEO Scott Bieler said in a statement. "We look forward to growing the Honda store as we have in the past year and a half with our Toyota store."

West Herr said it expected the Honda dealership to sell 1,700 new and used vehicles combined annually.

It marks the second Honda store for West Herr and its 33rd dealership overall, the auto retailer said.

The transaction marked West Herr's first acquisition in 2022 and first since December, when it bought a Chevrolet dealership in Syracuse. West Herr also bought Toyota, Subaru and Ford dealerships in 2021.

West Herr, of Orchard Park, N.Y., ranks No. 17 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 31,933 new vehicles in 2021.

Sale of Alabama store
Victory Automotive also appears to have exited Alabama when it sold a dealership last month.

The group sold Freeway Honda in Birmingham on May 9 to Carlock Automotive Group, of Nashville, according to Mike Sims, president of buy-sell firm Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions in Frisco, Texas. Sims handled the transaction.

The dealership was renamed Carlock Honda. It marks the first Honda dealership for the group.

Carlock Automotive now has 11 franchised rooftops across the Southeastern states of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, according to its website. Carlock's brands range from Mitsubishi to ultraluxury marques such as Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

The group bought Darrell Waltrip Volvo in Franklin, Tenn., in March 2021 but temporarily moved that store to a campus in Brentwood, Tenn.

Victory Automotive's two dealership sales follow three acquisitions in the second half of 2021. Victory still has 20 Honda dealerships in its portfolio, nearly half of its total 45 stores across the country, according to its website.

Victory Automotive ranks No. 14 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., with retail sales of 36,958 new vehicles in 2021.