When Penske Auto announced earlier this week that they were withdrawing their bid to purchase Saturn from GM, it left long-time Mandan car dealer Bill Barth as the latest victim in the auto crisis. Bill Barth, who originated as a Ford dealer, and also currently handles the Mazda line, built a brand-new Saturn dealership directly across from his Ford/Mazda dealership following the closure of Wilhelm’s downtown dealership. This is the second time Bill Barth has lost a GM-backed line, having previously offered the short-lived attempt by Daewoo (50% owned by GM) to enter the U.S. market earlier in the decade.
This is not the first time in recent years that a Bismarck-Mandan dealership has lost a major line due to its discontinuation from one of the “Big 3” companies. The first recent example occurred when the Plymouth brand was discontinued by Chrysler in 2001, just three years after Corwin-Churchill built their brand-new dealership. Jamestown-based Wilhelm’s was forced to close its Bismarck dealership in 2007 after it lost the Cadillac and Buick brands, both of which were taken over by Schwan GM Auto Center. Earlier this year Cedric Theel, who also recently built a brand-new dealership, lost its Dodge line during Chrysler’s reorganization, of which has yet to be picked up by any other area dealership.
Perhaps the unluckiest of the area’s dealership is Schwan GM Auto Center, who not only lost the Oldsmobile line in 2004, but will soon also lose the Pontiac line when GM phases out the brand.
Although disappointed with the events, Bill Barth, Cedric Theel, and Schwan are all optimistic about their businesses’ future. All three have been braving the auto crisis strongly, with some of their highest sales on record. Schwan will continue to sell the Buick and GMC line; as Cedric Theel will continue its Toyota and Scion lines; and Bill Barth is already seeking a replacement for its brand-new $1 million facility, in supplement to its current Ford and Mazda lines.
To learn more about Corwin-Churchill, click here:
http://www.bismancafe.com/blogs/?page_id=124
To learn more about Wilhelm’s, click here:
http://www.bismancafe.com/blogs/?page_id=334
Read the related Bismarck Tribune article here:
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/business/local/article_8ad3c346-aee0-11de-ba49-001cc4c002e0.html
