Out of Dodge

Nelson Automotive is known around Martinsville and in Henry County, VA as the place with those crazy TV commercials where the guy bangs on fenders. The gimmicks only get people in the door; something else brings them back time and again. After more than 30 years in the car business, selling 13 different lines in 6 locations, Nelson Automotive has become an institution.

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So it was disheartening news for the group when they heard Nelson Dodge was picked by Chrysler as one of almost 800 dealerships that would have to close by June 9. Nelson Automotive already spent the past year reconfiguring because of the downturn in the economy, including job cuts. No jobs have been lost as a result of the Dodge news, but with no other dealership in the area, there are worries over who will absorb their inventory and what will eventually happen to the Chrysler technicians and equipment that have been moved to another Nelson location.

One worry gone: General Motors will not be shutting down the Nelson GM franchise. Time to go bang on some fenders.

 
Is your Dodge dealership closing down? Are you sympathetic toward the car dealership owners stuck with all those vehicles? Let us know in the comments below.