Las Vegas, NV- Desert Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, a Chrysler Alpha dealership in Las Vegas closed it’s doors at 3 
pm today. A Chrysler Alpha dealership brings all three Chrysler brands: Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep together to be sold under one roof. The Alpha dealership concept was conceived years ago to help reduce the number of independent franchises selling the same models under different brand names. Chrysler and it’s former sister brand Plymouth suffered identity issues when placed together under the Chrysler-Plymouth Jeep brand in the late 1990’s. Chrysler dumped Plymouth, and urged stand-alone Chrysler franchisees to add Jeep or Dodge to their business. The Alpha store concept came along shortly there-after, further reducing the dealership count. 881 dealerships closed in 2008, and another 1000 are predicted to close in 2009. Annual car sales dropped to under 10 million in 2008, the lowest count of vehicle sales since 1940. This is the third Las Vegas dealership to close in the past eight months. AutoNation’s Desert brand represents the largest franchisee ownership position in Las Vegas, with 12 remaining facilities in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada.
The Big 3 should be very concerned as AutoNation evaluates the prospect of further reducing store-fronts of poorly performing domestic brands with limited new offerings on the horizon. The upheaval in the automobile industry has reduced R&D budgets for anything but hybrid and alternative fuel designs in future new car introductions. The manufacturers’ focus on cutting model duplication and poor brand sellers including; Mercury, Pontiac, Saab, Volvo and Saturn, add to the pressure on automotive retailers to shutter more under-performing locations. One might expect more dealership closings of this nature from other national automotive chains including: Lithia, Penske and Group 1.
The consumer loses little in the closing of AutoNation’s Desert Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership. Service will be available from the remaining 6 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep operators around the city. The well-trained technicians of Desert Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep will find service demand following them to the other Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships in the area. With new car sales slow, repairs and routine service are up in most areas of the country, and Vegas will surely see an uptick in air conditioning rescues as the weekend forecasts 70 degree temps. for the last day of February.
The Desert Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership has operated in the center of Las Vegas for over five years. Prior to AutoNation purchasing the franchise, the dealership was a long-standing Dodge dealer: Wilden’s Pride Dodge, owned and operated by a prominent local Las Vegas family.
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Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writers about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com ]]>