Bob Howard Luxury Auto Group Acquires Colorado Tractor Dealership
The Bob Howard Luxury Auto Group acquired Universal Tractor Co. in Lakewood, CO, from the McCarty family in a deal brokered by Performance Brokerage Services.
Bob Howard Luxury Auto Group is a full-service luxury car dealership with Mercedes Benz and Volvo dealerships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and a Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Clear Lake, TX. This marks the group’s first entry into the Kubota network
Universal Tractor Co. is a factory authorized dealer and distributor for Kubota Tractor Corporation, Land Pride, and MultiQuip Power Generators. The dealership was established by the McCarty family in 1950 and has been at its current location at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado since 1967.
Universal Tractor Co. has been renamed Kubota of Denver and will remain at its current location at 815 Wadsworth Boulevard in Lakewood, Colorado.
Preston Automotive Group Breaks Ground on Ford, Lincoln Dealership
Preston Automotive Group broke ground on their newest Ford and Lincoln dealerships in Millsboro, MD, March 27. The automotive dealership group, with locations in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, will relocate the current Boulevard Ford Lincoln of Georgetown once construction is completed.
The footprints of the two new locations are on the property adjacent to the original Millsboro Auto Mart, which now houses the standalone Jeep showroom on Route 113. The Preston Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership is part on that campus as well.
Boulevard Ford’s 42,000-square-foot Millsboro facility—in addition to offering new Ford models and pre-owned vehicles—will house a Ford Service Center, containing 30 service bays, including eight dedicated to commercial vehicles and five detail bays.
The Lincoln dealership will carry the refreshed Vitrine concept and design themes, which calls for oversized floor-to-ceiling glass windows for greater visibility of the Lincoln models illuminated at night and deluxe interior finishes for the Lincoln brand image.
The Preston Automotive Group currently boasts eight total Ford dealerships, and the group also sells Lincoln models at Preston Ford and Boulevard Ford of Lewes. The group owns a total of 26 rooftops selling 23 brands, which includes Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Wagoneer, and lawn and powersports brands, such as Can-Am, Gravely, Kawasaki, and Honda.
Van Horn Opening New Kia Dealership in Sheboygan
The Van Horn Automotive Group recently broke ground on what will be a new Kia dealership in Sheboygan, WI. The new build, on a 3.5 acres lot that can park over 200 vehicles, was part of an agreement made with Kia Corporation to erect a stand-alone dealership, during the purchase of Brantmeier Ford Kia in November 2020.
The main floor of the dealership measures 23,500 sq. ft., with 80 percent of the showroom will be exterior glass wall, bringing in a substantial amount of natural light. Customers will have access to both private and semi-private consultation offices for a variety of options during the sales process.
The service area will feature a two-bay, indoor service reception lane and thee service writing workstations. Auto tech employees will work in an air-conditioned shop and 18 total service work bays to manage a high volume of jobs.
“We are very excited to see this project move forward,” said Jeff Niesen, President of Van Horn Automotive Group in a press release. “Kia has been a very successful brand for us for the past three years and they continue to turn out great new products. When we acquired Brantmeier Ford Kia in 2020, we immediately started making plans to give Kia a separate dealership it deserves, which will also allow Ford to expand their operation at the current location.”
Construction of the new Kia dealership is expected to be complete by June of 2025.
Van Horn Automotive Group, headquartered in Plymouth, WI, includes 19 automotive dealerships, a finance company, a fleet management division, and a wholesale financial products company. The group employs over 750 people throughout Wisconsin and Iowa.
