8 August 2024
Feldman Automotive Group is expanding with the acquisition of a dealership in Livonia, a Detroit suburb.
Livonia Chrysler Jeep has been renamed Feldman Chrysler Jeep of Livonia following the acquisition, which closed Aug. 1.
Feldman now owns and operates 21 automotive and RV/Airstream dealerships across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, including six with actor Mark Wahlberg in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.
“Our mission at Feldman Automotive is to provide a first-class buying and customer service experience at all our dealerships, and our team is excited to provide more brands to Livonia and the surrounding communities,” Jay Feldman, chairman and CEO of Feldman Automotive Group, said in a news release.
Before the acquisition, Livonia Chrysler Jeep was owned by Colleen McDonald, whose history with the dealership consisted of hard-fought and lengthy legal battles for ownership.
McDonald initially lost ownership of all three of her family’s dealerships — Century Dodge in Taylor, Holiday Chevrolet in Farmington Hills and the Livonia store — to the 2009 General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies.
McDonald regained ownership of the Livonia Chrysler-Jeep dealership in August 2015 after taking her case against the closure to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Crain’s Detroit Business was unable to reach McDonald or the broker on the sale for comment about the Feldman acquisition.
Feldman declined to disclose terms of the deal, but said the 40 people across the sales and service departments will stay on.
“Feldman Automotive Group has retained the employees (of the Livonia store) and we are excited to welcome them to our dealership family, and to be part of the Feldman Automotive Group team,” Feldman told Crain’s via email.
The 37,000-square-foot full-service dealership has 20 bays and an auto body shop. The location sells Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands.
Feldman ranked No. 17 on Crain’s Fast 50 list of fastest-growing companies last year due to its expansion over the past several years. It reported 2022 revenue of $1.669 billion.
Additional expansion could be in the future for the automotive group.
“The Livonia dealership is our latest acquisition, and we are always actively pursuing new opportunities,” Feldman told Crain’s.