Thursday, May 14, 2009

POCOMOKE: Dealership on closure list won't really close

POCOMOKE CITY — Chrysler may be shedding dealers as part of its bankruptcy plan, but one Pocomoke City dealership on the list won’t be closing.

Frostrom Jeep-Subaru will no longer be selling new Jeep products, but Subaru and Frostrom’s used car sales are still going strong, says Mark Frostrom, president and general manager.
“We’re not anticipating any cuts. We’ll continue on as we are; we just won’t be selling any Jeeps,” Frostrom said.
In a court filing today, Chrysler asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Gonzalez to reject dealer agreements for 789 dealers throughout the U.S. in an effort “to conserve cash and pursue transactions that maximize value.”
General Motors will also be notifying up to 1,100 dealers this week that their franchise agreements will not be renewed.
Frostrom said his location had been a Jeep dealership for 31 years, and many smaller dealerships had been affected. He expressed concern that although his location had fall-back products, others might not be so lucky.
“There are other parts of the country that will be harder hit,” he said.
But Frostrom hopes his dealership will continue on for decades.
The Japan-based owner of Subaru, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., earlier this month posted a second year of worldwide losses, but said in its earnings report that North American sales were a bright spot — U.S. sales were in fact projected to increase 3.8 percent this fiscal year.

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