After Decades Selling Chevys, Dealer Switches to Nissan

Chevy Chase Cars, whose Chevrolet sign on Wisconsin Avenue has been a Bethesda landmark for decades, has dropped Chevy in favor of Nissans, the company told its customers this week.

The 70-year-old dealership will continue to sell Acuras, which is Honda's luxury brand, but it ended its agreement with Chevrolet due to slowing sales.

"We have made the decision to replace Chevrolet with Nissan," the company said in a letter to customers. "We believe that Chevrolet produces a world-class lineup of vehicles. Unfortunately, our client base is very import-minded and we need to satisfy that base."

The company said it will continue to employ Chevrolet technicians and to supply service and maintenance for its Chevrolet customers.

Two out of every three new-vehicle sales in Washington are of foreign brands, and Chev y Chase Cars is no exception. For every new Chevy it sold, it would sell three new Acuras, according to dealership representatives.

The company's move comes as automakers are looking to reduce the number of dealers carrying their cars. General Motors, in the viability plan it presented to the government in February, said it would cut 25 percent of its dealerships by 2012.

"It's certainly a sign of the times," said Jesse Toprak, an analyst with Edmunds.com, which covers the automotive industry. "This dealership is simply trying to minimize its exposure to any future risk."

Sam Weaver Jr., Chevy Chase Cars' chief operating officer and a part-owner of the company, referred questions about the switch to Nissan to John Bowis, whose family has owned Chevy Chase Cars since 1939. A message left on Bowis's telephone was not returned.

According to the letter Chevy Chase Cars prepared for customers, the company will move its Acura operations into Chevrolet's former space and offices, and the new Nissan operations will backfill in the Acura area. The dealer's relationship with Chevrolet ended March 31, according to GM.

Out of the 130 vehicles Chevy Chase Cars sells in an average month, 75 are Acuras, 25 are new Chevrolets and 30 are used cars of various kinds.

At the same time that Chevy Chase Cars dropped its Chevrolet brand, Nissan shut down an outlet a couple of miles up Wisconsin Avenue at VOB Rockville, according to a Nissan spokesperson.

VOB Rockville, which sells Saabs and BMWs, stopped selling Nissans on March 31, according to Nissan.

Chevy Chase Cars was the site of a news conference last November by Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), who used the event to propose legislation that would make interest payments on car loans and state sales tax paid on new cars tax-deductible. The purpose was to promote sales of new cars.

A version of Mikulski's plan was adopted as part of the 2009 stimulus plan, but the tax credit applied only to sales tax.

The tax credit is available to families who earn less than $250,000 or individuals who earn less than $125,000.