THE COOLEST LOOKING CAR DEALERSHIP IN LOS ANGELES
This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!
Published on Fri, Jun 3, 2011
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
LA CAR REPORT—If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve probably seen it. They look like collector edition Hot Wheels cars in glass boxes, overlooking the 110 Freeway next to the Staples Center. You can’t help but smile when you see it. It’s Mission Village L.A. and it’s the coolest-looking car dealership in the city. Alas, not everybody is happy.
Mission Village L.A. is owned by Chrysler Group LLC, and that’s got the California New Car Dealers Association up in arms. Evidently, California franchise law prohibits car company-owned dealerships within a 10-mile radius of any privately owned dealership—and there are three within that radius. The association has taken the matter before the State of California New Motor Vehicle Board, and the Board issued a ruling directing the California Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate and report back.
“Motor Village sells the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Fiat brands in a facility the automaker is using as a test bed for new sales and marketing concepts before rolling them out to other dealers,” says Alisa Priddle of The Detroit News. “The facility is owned by Chrysler, but David Fischer, CEO of the Troy-based Suburban Collection, and California dealer Howard Drake have an operating agreement to run it for a year as they decide whether to purchase the dealership.” Preddle says Chrysler may be on the verge of selling Motor Village, which should bring some peace, if not peace of mind, to the franchise dealers in the area. - Roy Nakano .
