Car dealers are on a roll.
They continue to grow and expand from Naples to Estero. Dealers have — and continue to — invest millions to reinvent their dealerships and to build new ones to add to their collections in Southwest Florida.
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Two new dealerships quietly opened this month: Mercedes-Benz of Bonita Springs and Bonita Springs Mitsubishi.
Longtime auto retail veterans Bill Doraty and Jeff Johnson own the area’s newly awarded Mitsubishi franchise — at 28450 U.S. 41 S.
It’s their first dealership in Southwest Florida. They liked the area for many reasons.
“The population down here is exploding,” Johnson said. “This is a great area. This is a market that would certainly be on most dealerships’ radar.”
The Mitsubishi dealership took the place of Germain Lincoln, which moved about a mile south into a new cutting-edge building off U.S. 41, a popular thoroughfare for automotive sales.
Bonita Springs could see more new car dealerships coming its way because of the city’s growth over the past five years, since the end of the recession, Johnson said.
“We were fortunate enough to find this facility available and find the available franchise and marry the two together and open up a store here,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz of Bonita Springs opened its doors a few weeks ago. The four-story state-of-the-art dealership sits on 8 acres off U.S. 41 North in North Naples, less than a mile south of the Lee-Collier county line in front of the Tamiami Square retail center. Stretching more than 223,000 square feet, it includes a 35,000-square-foot luxury showroom. The new enterprise is owned by Automotive Management Services Inc., a West Palm Beach-based company that has more than a dozen other dealerships in Collier and Lee counties.
In an interview with a Daily News reporter after the land was cleared for the multimillion-dollar dealership last year, David Wachs, a managing partner and general manager of Mercedes-Benz of Naples, said, “The manufacturer wants us to make sure there are enough dealerships to facilitate their clients.”
In Estero, a new 26,000-square-foot Honda dealership opened off U.S. 41 near the Coconut Point Mall in January. It’s a joint venture between Jack Hanania, of Jacksonville, and Clark Richardson, of Texas. Hanania also pointed to growth as a reason for opening a new dealership here.
“Yeah, it had its boom in the mid-2000s, and then the financial debacle kind of put the brakes on it,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “But as it’s put the brakes on, now it’s coming back faster.”
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Following locations in Fort Myers and Naples, the new enterprise is the area’s third Honda dealership.
In 2014, Tamiami Hyundai opened its doors at 6780 Airport-Pulling Road, replacing the King Richard’s Family Fun Park on a 11.36-acre property that cost the dealer $5.1 million.
Over the past few years, several dealerships have undergone major renovations. In 2015, Devoe Cadillace in Naples — at 4100 U.S. 41 N. — completed a 16-month renovation project that included building a 38,000-square-foot two-story showroom and sales center.
Several new dealerships are in the planning stages in the Naples area including a Germain Honda at the corner of Pine Ridge and Livingston roads and a Volvo Infiniti off Naples Boulevard, near the GFS Marketplace, that will be owned and operated by Automotive Management Services.
A subsidiary of the Germain Automotive Group, owned by Steve Germain and his family, paid $2.7 million for the nearly 10.5 acres at 3295 Pine Ridge Road where the new Honda dealership will be built. Germain operates 16 auto dealerships in Florida, Michigan and Ohio, with more than 1,100 employees. The group recently added Lexus of Naples to its family of dealerships, acquiring it from Bob Germain, Steve’s brother.
Zach Germain, Steve’s oldest son, oversees the Lexus store in Naples. He said the automotive group’s business has been great since the economic turnaround, bouncing back “very nicely.”
The average age of cars on the road is 11 years old, so there is a pent-up demand for newer vehicles, and the manufacturers are offering great incentives, Germain said.
“Incentives are better than they have ever been,” he said. “Leasing has been really wonderful for us and the consumer.”
Germain, 31, is the fourth generation of his family to work in the car business.
“The manufacturer does hold us very accountable for our facilities, and basically it’s all about the customer experience and providing the best experience for the customers in the place we do business,” he said.
The group expects to break ground on its new Honda dealership in the fall, and it will replace the one it operates on Davis Boulevard. The East Naples dealership will stay in the family, but the plans for it have not yet been announced.
“It’s certainly a time where we are really happy about the industry,” Germain said. “So that makes sense. There is obviously a huge investment on our side to make these upgrades and build these state-of-the-art facilities.”
Local dealerships aren’t the only ones spending money on renovations and new locations. It’s part of a national trend, fueled by climbing sales across the country.
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Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst with Edmunds.com, said in good times dealerships look to improve and grow their operations, with an eye toward their customers. Some of the newer ones include coffee shops, putting greens and even playgrounds.
“Dealers are trying to make their dealership experience better,” Caldwell said. “A lot of people don’t like shopping for cars. They don’t necessarily find that fun.”
2015 was a record year for new car and truck sales in the U.S. — and the booming sales were felt locally. Last year the number of sales nationally reached nearly 17.5 million vehicles, breaking a 15-year-old record.
Citing data from R.L. Polk & Co. and Urban Science, Jeff Johnson, a partner in the new Bonita Springs Mitsubishi, said sales continue to be strong in the Naples area. Year-to-date through June, dealers in the market had sold 10,100 vehicles. That was up from 9,600 sold in the first six months of last year.
“So far 2016 seems to be the best volume of car sales, at least in the last five years,” Johnson said.
Low gas prices and a strong job market are contributing to higher sales. Last year 21,700 new cars sold in the Naples market and 33,000 sold in the Fort Myers market, Johnson said.
In Naples, sales grew by more than 11 percent from 2014 to 2015, he said. That compared to a growth rate of 5.7 percent nationally.
Asked if he and his partner, who owns a home in Fort Myers, might consider opening another dealership in Naples or Bonita Springs, Johnson said: “We wouldn’t rule it out. We have to get this one up and running first to its full potential.”
Naples has long been known as a hot spot for wealthy retirees and Fortune 500 executives. That also helps drive auto sales here, especially at the higher end.
Jonathan Russo, a sales manager for Naples Luxury Imports — selling Maseratis, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Jaguars, Land Rovers and Rolls-Royces — said locals often stop in just to see the cars and that some of its buyers fly into town to purchase cars, then fly out.
“As real estate has grown in the city, so has the car business — and all of the luxury elements,” he said.
By the numbers
Here’s a snapshot of America’s franchised new-car dealerships in 2015:
- Dealerships sold a record 17.3 million-plus new cars and light trucks.
- Total dealership revenues, including new- and used-car sales, as well as parts and service sales, reached a new high of $862. billion, an increase of 6.9 percent from 2014.
- Dealerships wrote more than 200 million repair orders, with more than $97 billion in service and parts sales.
- Employment reached more than 1.1 million, up 4.3 percent from 2014.
- Employee count averaged 67, up 3.1 percent from 2014.
- Annual payroll reached $62.8 billion, up nearly 8 percent from 2014.
- Average dealership payroll was $3.8 million, up nearly 8 percent.
Source: NADA National Automobile Dealers Association
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