Stellantis, Ford, Kia, Nissan, Toyota-Mazda and Honda stores trade hands in Q1, Q2 and Q3 deals

Empire Automotive expands into new state

Empire Automotive Group of Huntington Station, N.Y., entered a new state with its July 10 purchase of a New Jersey Toyota-Mazda dealership from Robert Nitabach of Crystal Motors Inc. and the estate of Michael Rendine.

Nitabach, Crystal Motors’ president, and Rendine opened the Green Brook, N.J., dealership with separate showrooms for each franchise in 1988, according to DCG Acquisitions, which facilitated the transaction. CEO Dave Cantin and DCG Executive Vice President Brian Traugott were brokers.

Rendine, who had a minority ownership stake in the dealership, died Feb. 17. He was 62.

No renovations are planned as the building is in great shape, said Joseph Gentile, general counsel for Empire Automotive.

“This was one of the nicer parts of the deal,” Gentile told Automotive News. He is among Automotive News’ 40 Under 40 class this year.

The purchase was Empire’s first acquisition of the year after an acquisitive 2022 and represents the growing group’s first outside of New York. Empire CEO Michael Brown told Automotive News that the group remains in growth mode with another deal, also in New Jersey, expected to close by September.

Empire renamed the former Crystal Toyota-Mazda to Empire Toyota-Mazda of Green Brook.

The group on Tuesday also sold Empire Honda of Manhasset in New York to Scott Reback of Titan Motor Group, Gentile said. The store is planned to be renamed Honda of Manhasset, Gentile said.

Empire Automotive ranks No. 67 on Automotive News’ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 12,829 new vehicles in 2022.

Sutherlin Automotive sells Florida store

Sutherlin Automotive Group, following a stretch in which it sold three dealerships in April and bought one in May, sold a Florida dealership last month.

Sutherlin Automotive, of Montgomery, Ala., on June 27 sold Sutherlin Nissan of Fort Pierce in Florida to Atlantic Coast Automotive, Sutherlin Automotive CEO Brett Sutherlin confirmed. Fort Pierce, located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, is north of West Palm Beach.

The dealership was renamed Nissan of Fort Pierce, according to Performance Brokerage Services, a buy-sell firm in Irvine, Calif. George Chaconas and Courtney Bernhard from Performance Brokerage facilitated the transaction.

It marks Sutherlin Automotive’s first sale since it sold a Georgia Hyundai dealership in April, Sutherlin noted. Sutherlin Automotive bought a Toyota-Lexus dealership in Alabama in May.

Atlantic Coast Automotive was the second most active dealership buyer in 2022 with 16 stores purchased, only behind retail giant Lithia Motors Inc., according to data tracked by Automotive News.