Published October
2005
County
market grows
with three dealerships
By
John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor
Three Snohomish County
dealerships are expanding choices in the automotive marketplace, with
Dwayne Lane opening a new Suzuki franchise in south Everett, a Mazda dealership
opening nearby on Everett’s “auto row” and a new, expanded dealership
opening in Lynnwood for Lexus of Seattle.
|
Snohomish County
Business Journal/
JOHN WOLCOTT
Dwayne Lane
Auto Centers chief executive Tom Lane welcomes visitors to his new
Suzuki dealership in south Everett, at 10415 Evergreen Way, featuring
the Japanese company’s familiar “red square” entrance. |
“The reaction has
been very good,” said Tom Lane, chief executive of Dwayne Lane Auto Centers.
“Suzuki’s SUVs, trucks, convertibles, coupes and sports cars blend well
with our Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep products here. With gas prices rising,
there’s a lot of interest in 30-mile-per-gallon-plus vehicles like the
ones in the Suzuki line.”
Overall, Lane said,
the automotive market in Snohomish County is “pretty good, with a lot
of competition and brands ... that’s another reason to bring in Suzuki,
to increase our market share and overall volume.”
After more than a
year’s absence from Everett, the Mazda brand has returned with new local
owners, John DeNike and Jerry McCann. Together, they have 40 years of
automotive industry experience, including owning Whidbey Mazda-VW and
Bellingham Hyundai.
“Mazda’s vehicles
truly have the soul of a sports car,” said McCann. “These vehicles are
fun to drive, modern in design, and they’re fuel efficient, too.”
|
Photo courtesy
of Mazda USA
John DeNike
(left) and Jerry McCann have brought the Mazda name back to Everett
with the opening of their new dealership at 10630 Evergreen Way.
|
Erik Johnson, regional
general manager of Mazda North American Operations, said the new owners
have “a great track record in customer satisfaction and operational success
... which is already helping the dealership to outpace our forecast by
more than 50 percent.”
Lexus of Seattle’s
popularity in Lynnwood has prompted a move to larger quarters, a $12 million,
36,000-square-foot headquarters on a 5.4-acre site, offering an expansive
showroom and an enlarged, 22,000-square-foot service department that includes
32 service stalls.
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Snohomish County
Business Journal/JOHN WOLCOTT
The new Lexus
of Seattle dealership, at 20300 Highway 99 in Lynnwood, is nearly
three times the size of its former site a short distance farther south.
|
President Brad Castonguay
said a rapid growth in sales of both new and used vehicles dictated the
move.
“We are confident
the Lexus market share will continue to grow, and we are ready for it.
Lynnwood is an excellent location for us,” Castonguay said, noting the
firm has been recognized with the company’s highest honor, the Elite of
Lexus award, for four years in a row.
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