New dealership opens on Auto Mall
| Friday, Sep 03 2010 06:10 PM
Last Updated Friday, Sep 03 2010 06:10 PM
The Mitsubishi lot on Gasoline Alley Drive has been relocated to make room for Kern's newest car dealership.
Owned by the same partnership behind the city's BMW, Chrysler Jeep and Nissan dealerships, Infiniti of Bakersfield opened Wednesday on a 3.5 acre parcel with a 20,000-square-foot building.
The site houses new and used car sales, as well as auto parts and service.
"We just finished remodeling, cleaning and it looks beautiful," said Chuck Haddad, president of the dealership and dealer-principal of the partnership.
Haddad said 14 people are working at the dealership now, but that several positions remain to be filled, including a general sales manager, detailers and parts department staff.
The dealership at 5200 Gasoline Alley Drive boasts 46 Infinitis of all models from 2010 and 2011, and another 20 more are on the way, Haddad said. Plans call for bringing on 40 to 50 used vehicles of various makes, he added.
Earlier this year, John Pitre, general manager of Bakersfield's Motor City Auto Center, said that Infiniti has been underrepresented in Bakersfield. He said there were only about 300 Infinitis in Bakersfield, as compared with about 5,000 Lexus vehicles and about 5,000 BMWs.
Haddad said the Mitsubishi dealership was moved to be next to Bakersfield Mazda.
"It's a nice facility," he said of the space on Gasoline Alley Drive, "and I'm very proud of Infiniti. We've been trying to get it for nine years."
