Hendrick Automotive Group has again partnered with Stevenson Automotive Group to operate Stevenson Mazda, now known as Stevenson-Hendrick Mazda Wilmington, according to a news release Thursday.
The Mazda dealership at 6115 Market St. will have a newly renovated facility scheduled to open by the end of 2021.
Plans for the facility are expected to be submitted to the city of Wilmington on April 15, said David Harris, spokesperson at Hendrick Automotive.
Susan Stevenson, owner of Stevenson Automotive, is a great partner who shares the same values as Hendrick Automotive, said Rick Hendrick, chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group, in the release.
“We started doing business in Wilmington in 1998 and our company now employs more than 500 people in the area,” Stevenson said. “It’s an important marketplace for us and we will continue to invest there.”
This recent partnership means Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive now operates four car dealerships in Wilmington, including Stevenson-Hendrick Honda of Wilmington, Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, Hendrick Toyota Wilmington and Stevenson-Hendrick Mazda Wilmington.
Hendrick Automotive submitted plans in February for a new Honda facility in Wilmington, which includes relocating the dealership from 821 S. College Road to 6720 Market St.
The new facility will be bigger than the current one.
“The ultimate goal will be to provide a brand-new facility that will consist of about 68,000 square feet and it will be the Generation 3 image for Honda, which is very important to Honda so it's very important to us,” said Gene Cocchi, vice president of real estate for Hendrick Automotive Group, earlier this year. “It will allow a state-of-the-art, brand-new beautiful facility to further enhance our customer experience both in sales and service.”
Officials with Hendrick Automotive hope to complete the Honda facility at the end of 2020.
Last year, Hendrick Automotive
partnered with Stevenson Automotive to operate Stevenson-Hendrick Honda Wilmington and Stevenson-Hendrick Toyota Jacksonville.
Hendrick Automotive manages 96 dealerships in the U.S. and employs more than 10,000 people in the U.S., according to the release.
Hendrick Automotive has about 530 employees in Wilmington, 170 of which work at Hendrick Collision Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, Harris said.
Stevenson will remain a consultant for all three Stevenson-Hendrick locations.
“I am very confident that this relationship will continue to be successful, as our two other stores – Stevenson-Hendrick Honda and Stevenson-Hendrick Toyota – have flourished,” she said.