First Porsche dealership in El Paso to open under Group 1 Automotive

A Porsche dealership is coming to West El Paso under Group 1 Automotive of Houston, which has added to its portfolio by buying two more car dealerships in the Sun City.

A national chain of car dealerships operating under various names, Group 1 bought Subaru El Paso at 1414 Airway Blvd., and the nearby Audi El Paso at 1444 Airway Blvd., in East Central El Paso.

The two dealerships were bought Jan. 29 for an undisclosed amount from the Garcia Automotive Group, of Albuquerque.

The Audi dealership is expected to generate about $35 million per year in sales, and the Subaru dealership about $30 million in annual sales, Auto 1 officials reported.

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Group 1 bought three other El Paso car dealerships several years ago: Shamaley Ford in East El Paso, Shamaley Buick GMC in West El Paso, and BMW of El Paso and the adjoining Mini of El Paso in East Central El Paso.

"We're very bullish on the El Paso market," said Pete DeLongchamps, a Group 1 executive in Houston. "We think it's a growing town, a growing market. We like growing brands in growing markets."

Fort Bliss and other federal government agencies boost El Paso's economy, he added.

"It's a very consistent market," he said.

Auto 1 operates 117 car dealerships in the United States, 42 in the United Kingdom, and 16 in Brazil. It had sales of $11.1 billion last year, and a profit of $213.4 million, it recently reported.

Site work has begun for Group 1's El Paso Porsche dealership, DeLongchamps said. It's being built on the 6400 block of South Desert Boulevard, near Artcraft Road in West El Paso. The site is next to a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel.

It's expected to be completed by the end of the year, he said.

"There's not a Porsche dealership in El Paso, and we think it's a great brand, and a great market," he said.

Group 1 expects to upgrade the Subaru and Audi dealerships in the next two years, and may possibly move them, DeLongchamps said.

Group 1 has retained the two dealerships employees, DeLongchamps said. He did not immediately have the number of employees.

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It promoted Joe Negrete, from general sales manager to general manager of the Audi dealership, where Negrete has worked three years. And it hired Barbara Armendariz to be general manager at the Subaru dealership. She previously was finance manager at the Sunland Park Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealership in West El Paso.

The Garcia group continues to operate its El Paso Land Rover and Jaguar dealerships at 1148 Airway Blvd. That's where its Volvo dealership, which had been located in the Audi facility, also is temporarily located while a new Volvo facility is being built next door at Airway and Montana.

Information: group1auto.com

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.