STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The borough's largest auto dealer recently opened its ninth dealership on Staten Island this year.
Island Auto Group's newest acquisition -- the former Open Road Volkswagen in Dongan Hills -- will be added to the multi-million dollar purchase of eight Staten Island-based automobile dealerships in Grasmere and Dongan Hills that closed in July, said Josh Aaronson, a principal of Island Auto Group. Those eight dealerships were formerly owned by the Manfredi family.
"When we bought Manfredi strategically we wanted to own as much of Staten Island (automobile dealerships) as possible, and Josh had a previous relationship with the owner of Open Road," said Marcello Sciarrino, another principal of Island Auto Group.
"We started a dialogue and we thought it would be a great addition to our dealerships," he added.
In addition, Island Auto Group will be moving its Mitsubishi dealership, which was part of the July Manfredi purchase, to a building at 1449 Hylan Blvd. in Dongan Hills that formerly housed an Open Road used car center. The dealership, which is undergoing renovations, is scheduled to open by the first week of November, said Aaronson.
VOLKSWAGEN SCANDAL
The dealership owners say they feel Volkswagen cars will sell well despite the recent emissions scandal, in which the German auto manufacturer admitted to rigging its diesel cars' emissions to pass U.S. tests.
"We actually closed on Volkswagen three days before the scandal broke," said Aaronson. "But the good news is Volkswagen is committed to this country. The consumer will win out because of this, because Volkswagen is trying to win back the customer so they are going to have more deals and programs than they ever had before."
ISLAND AUTO FAMILY
In addition to Volkswagen and Mitsubishi, dealerships now under the Island Auto Group umbrella are: Chrysler, Subaru, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Fiat.
Since opening, Island Auto Group has begun renovation projects at each of the dealerships to make them more customer-friendly. In addition, the Toyota, Mazda and Subaru service center on Quintard Street in South Beach will get a $1 million overhaul, said Aaronson.
As part of Island Auto Group's aggressive community outreach program, the company will soon launch Islandautocares.com, whereby the company will give away a car every month to someone in the community who "deserves it," said Aaronson. The program will launch at the end of the month, and the first giveaway will be to the New York City Fire Department, said Sciarrino.
Island Auto Group will also give free car washes at its Quintard Street service center to anyone whose car dons the company's license plate frame.
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