Priority owners buy Honda showroom in N.C.

By Carolyn Shapiro
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 3, 2009

It seems an unusual time for any car business to expand, but Priority Automotive is doing just that.

Priority, which owns six dealerships in Hampton Roads and one in Richmond, has ventured outside the state for the first time with the purchase of a Honda showroom near Charlotte, N.C. The company spent $8 million for Honda of Lake Norman, which had gone into bankruptcy amid management troubles, said Dennis Ellmer, Priority's president.

He plans to rename the dealership Priority Honda of Huntersville, which is the town where it is based. It is a large operation with the capacity to sell about 2,400 new cars and about 1,200 used vehicles a year, Ellmer said.

"We were not shopping and we were not looking," he said of this acquisition. "But Honda called us and asked if we were interested."

Ellmer is looking at further expansion in Hampton Roads. He declined to give details but said Priority has some plans in the works.

"Right now, I'm concentrating hard on Hampton Roads," he said. "That's where I'd like to grow."

Keith Dennis, executive manager of Priority Honda on North Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, will move to take over the new dealership. Bill Schneider, who now runs Priority Acura on South Military Highway in Chesapeake, will replace him at the local Honda store. Jeffrey Coleman is scheduled to move into the top spot for Acura.

Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com

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there's another one available

Submitted by sewerat101 on Fri, 07/03/2009 at 7:10 pm.

Why don't you guys buy the old Hall State Line Honda building in Moyock, NC, right on the VA/NC border on Va. Rt. 168? That building's been deserted since Hall packed it up and moved it to Elizabeth City. The building would need some work, though (especially the service area)and there is a little bit of room for expansion. But you can't argue with the location - 168 is the main driving route between Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks of NC.