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Last Domestic Car Dealership Goes Out Of Business In San Francisco
On April 30, the city of San Francisco and all its 47.6 square miles officially became domestic automaker dealer-free, as the last remaining domesticdealership, San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury, closed up shop, according toThe San Francisco Chronicle. The dealership had been run by the automaker itself after the previous owner called it quits in 2008.
After Ford failed to secure a new franchised-owner to take over the dealership, the automaker finally decided to close the doors. Roger Bramble, a service department manager from the now-closed dealer, said that they are referring prospective customers to Serramonte and other dealers located in the Bay Area, but outside of San Francisco city lines.
The closing was just the last in a long string of seemingly inevitable closures in the city, as consumers in the market continually shunned domestic nameplates and opted instead for foreign brands, often Japanese makes. Dennis Fitzpatrick, who is the owner of Concord Chevrolet and regional vice president to the California New Car Dealers Association said, “It’s a tough market. Imports have a much bigger share in San Francisco. When you can sell 100 imports a month as opposed to 25 domestic…it’s tough to make a U.S. car dealership pencil.”
Fitzpatrick concluded, “San Francisco is not loyal to anything domestic; its allegiance is to anything but domestic.”
On April 30, the city of San Francisco and all its 47.6 square miles officially became domestic automaker dealer-free, as the last remaining domesticdealership, San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury, closed up shop, according toThe San Francisco Chronicle. The dealership had been run by the automaker itself after the previous owner called it quits in 2008.
After Ford failed to secure a new franchised-owner to take over the dealership, the automaker finally decided to close the doors. Roger Bramble, a service department manager from the now-closed dealer, said that they are referring prospective customers to Serramonte and other dealers located in the Bay Area, but outside of San Francisco city lines.
The closing was just the last in a long string of seemingly inevitable closures in the city, as consumers in the market continually shunned domestic nameplates and opted instead for foreign brands, often Japanese makes. Dennis Fitzpatrick, who is the owner of Concord Chevrolet and regional vice president to the California New Car Dealers Association said, “It’s a tough market. Imports have a much bigger share in San Francisco. When you can sell 100 imports a month as opposed to 25 domestic…it’s tough to make a U.S. car dealership pencil.”
Fitzpatrick concluded, “San Francisco is not loyal to anything domestic; its allegiance is to anything but domestic.”
