Lithia sells N.Y. store; Terry Taylor buys N.C. dealership

Mega auto retailer Lithia Motors Inc. sold another N.Y. dealership, while Terry Taylor picked up a North Carolina store, and Parks Automotive Group purchased two dealerships in separate fourth-quarter deals.

Here's a look at the transactions involving import and domestic dealerships. Two of the transactions involved a group ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership group list.

Lithia sells N.Y. store

Lithia Motors Inc. last week divested another store from its 2016 Carbone Auto Group acquisition.

Lithia sold Carbone Honda Yorkville in New York to Brickl Cos. on Nov. 23.

In October, Lithia sold Carbone Chevrolet in Yorkville and Carbone Buick-GMC of Utica, also in New York, to Brickl.

The Honda dealership was renamed LeadCar Honda Yorkville. Brickl, through its LeadCar dealership group, now has seven stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and New York.

Brickl, of Prairie du Sac, Wis., said Daniel King is the managing partner of its three New York dealerships. CEO Jason Brickl, in an email to Automotive News, said King has an ownership interest in the New York platform, but he didn't specify how much.

King previously was market general manager for Sonic Automotive Inc.'s standalone used-vehicle EchoPark network of stores, Brickl said in a statement.

Brian Brown and Tony Karabon of DCG Acquisitions, a Dave Cantin Group company, handled the transaction.

The Honda dealership is the fifth Carbone store Lithia has sold this year. Lithia in October sold Carbone Nissan in Yorkville to Steet Ponte Auto Group. It sold Carbone Hyundai, also in Yorkville, to Frank Mastrovito in May.

Lithia's website lists five remaining Carbone Auto Group stores in New York: BMW of Utica, Carbone Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Yorkville, Carbone Subaru in Troy, Carbone Subaru of Utica and Don's Ford in Utica.

Lithia, of Medford, Ore., ranked No. 3 on Automotive News' most recent list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 171,168 new vehicles in 2020. But its April acquisition of Michigan's Suburban Collection makes Lithia the second-largest group going forward.

Terry Taylor adds N.C. store

Terry Taylor, through his Automotive Management Services Inc. business, has purchased a dealership in North Carolina, the Gaston Gazette reported last month.

Taylor, one of the country's largest owners of dealerships, bought McKenney Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in Lowell, N.C., from Ray McKenney, who had owned the store since 1981, the newspaper reported.

The dealership now is called Gastonia Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac.

The closing date of the transaction wasn't available. Representatives from AMSI and the dealership did not return calls seeking comment.

Gaston County, N.C., records show assumed names were created for the dealership by TT of Gaston on Oct. 11 and Oct. 21. TT of Gaston lists its address as the same address of AMSI in West Palm Beach, Fla.

A Nov. 3 Facebook post for the dealership, featuring a Gastonia Chevrolet-Buick-GMC logo, read, "Check out our new look with the same team you already know."

In March, Taylor bought a Toyota store in West Roxbury, Mass., from Prime Automotive Group.

Taylor's exact dealership ownership isn't known. In March 2018, Automotive News estimated Taylor owned about 120 U.S. dealerships, many in the Southeast.

Parks Automotive buys 2 dealerships

Parks Automotive Group, known for its commercial truck business, has purchased two dealerships in two months, including its first Ford store.

Parks Automotive, of Kernersville, N.C., on Nov. 1 bought Four Seasons Ford in Hendersonville, N.C., from Roger Gregg. The store was renamed Parks Ford Hendersonville.

"Our family has built a reputation for superior customer service and the very best selection, catering to car buyers throughout the Carolinas for over 50 years," Adam Parks, owner of Parks Automotive, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to now deliver the Parks Promise to Hendersonville families."

On Oct. 1, Parks Automotive bought Greenway Chevrolet of Spartanburg in South Carolina, owned by Greenway Automotive Group, of Orlando, which ranks No. 16 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S. That dealership was renamed Parks Chevrolet Spartanburg.

Hubert Parks founded the Parks auto group in 1967 with a single dealership. Today, the group has eight dealerships, with Chevrolet stores also in Kernersville, Huntersville and Charlotte, N.C., and Richmond, Va., and Buick-GMC dealerships in Kernersville and Greenville, S.C.

John Ozog of Ozog Co. handled the Four Seasons transaction.