The first dedicated car dealership in the United States was opened in 1889 in Reading, Pennsylvania, by a gentleman named Fred Koller. Fred began selling cars manufactured in Cleveland, Ohio, at his dealership, thus beginning one of the largest industries in the United States. Fred’s dealership started what has grown to over 18,000 businesses nationwide. Dealerships range from the shrinking number of independently owned “mom-and-pop” stores to dealer groups to publicly traded conglomerate groups.

Today, we look at the Hendrick Automotive Group, established in 1976, one of the largest dealership groups in the US.

Hendrick’s Mission Statement, “Hendrick Automotive’s mission is to be the premier quality vehicle retailer in the world, providing the best opportunities for our team members, customers, communities, and the manufacturers we represent.”

History

In 1976, American businessman Rick Hendrick sold off his assets to purchase a struggling Chevrolet franchise in Bennettsville, South Carolina. At the time, Rick was the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the US, at only 26. Under Hendrick’s leadership, the store saw an incredible sales increase and became the region’s most profitable Chevrolet store. Rick followed this up by purchasing City Chevrolet in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Rick Hendrick

Born in 1949 in Warrington, North Carolina, Rick Hendrick is arguably the most famous dealer owner in history. That fame has come from his ownership of Henrick Motorsports, which was established as All-Star Racing in 1984 and renamed Hendrick Motorsports in 1985. Since its inception, HMS has grown to amass 18 Championships and 374 NASCAR victories.

Rick had two children, Ricky and Lynn. Ricky raced for his father’s race teams in NASCAR and was a growing star before he was tragically lost along with several others in 2004 when a team plane crashed en route to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Ricky was only 24-years-old.

Hendrick Automotive Group

The Hendrick Automotive Group grew in 1979, with Hendrick building the first free-standing Honda dealership in Colombia, South Carolina, which was seen as a showcase for Honda. In the early 1980s, the growth didn’t stop for the Hendrick Automotive Group; Hendrick added Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen, Toyota, Volvo, and Isuzu to its portfolio.

Today

In 2023, the company generated over $13 billion in revenue after selling over 195,000 vehicles and servicing 2.5 million cars and trucks.

The dealer group employs over 10,000 people throughout its 94 dealership locations, four accessories distributor installers, and 21 collision centers in 13 states.

Hendrick Automotive Group has dealerships in California, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Hendrickcars.com Motorsports Marketing

Rick Hendrick is an icon with two things: Cars and race cars, so it’s only perfect to market in the loudest way possible. In 2007, the Hendrick Automotive Group created a central online location for their group, hendrickcars.com. Since then, hendrickcars.com has adorned multitudes of different types of race cars in multiple different racing series, including NASCAR, the NHRA, IndyCar, and more.

The Hendrick Automotive Group also owns its own Service contract and “back end” product service called Nations Guard, which has been seen on multiple race cars.

Available Brands

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