Local dealer survives Chrysler cut

Noreen Hyslop photo The Blackwell-Baldwin Chrysler Dodge dealership in Dexter was spared when Chrysler announced the closings of nearly 800 dealerships across the country. [Click to enlarge]

Jeff Baldwin, general manager of the Dexter dealership, says while they're thankful for the news, they really felt like they would be fine.

"I really didn't expect us to be on the list," Baldwin said. "We do a pretty good job here."

Blackwell Baldwin was the largest Chrysler dealer in the region last year and once the new changes take hold, Baldwin thinks they will be even stronger.

"This will really be a better deal once the reorganization is complete," he said. "About eight months from now this will make all of Chrysler stronger."

Baldwin said that bringing Fiat into the family will be a good thing for the company.

With more than 15 different models, Fiat could bring to the Chrysler family a type of vehicle they haven't pushed for quite so hard: the cheaper, smaller vehicles with better fuel economy.

Another possibility, according to Baldwin, is that it could help Chrysler products make a stronger global push. While Ford and General Motors are already a presence in the world market, Chrysler has largely stayed in America.

Regardless of how they felt, Baldwin said he and his employees are obviously very happy with the news.

Chrysler wants to eliminate roughly a quarter of its 3,200 U.S. dealerships by early next month, saying in a bankruptcy court filing Thursday that the network is antiquated and has too many stores competing with each other.

Among the 789 U.S. dealerships on Chrysler's list are Auffenberg Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Cape Girardeau, Lucas-Smith Automotive in Potosi, Mo., and Guetterman Motors of Cairo, Ill.

Auffenberg is a dual dealership, also selling the KIA brand. In a statement sent to the Southeast Missourian, general manager Darrin Garner believes the list is only preliminary.

"We are working closely with the newly formed Chrysler to resolve this matter and any issues that may exist," Garner wrote. "It is our intention to carry on with business as usual, and we look forward to remaining a part of the Cape Girardeau business force for many years to come."

The company, in a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, said it wants to shed 789 dealerships by June 9. Many of the dealers' sales are too low, the automaker said, with a little more than half of dealers accounting for about 90 percent of the company's U.S. sales.

Dealers were told Thursday morning through UPS letters whether they would remain or be eliminated.

Chrysler vice chairman Jim Press called the cuts difficult but necessary. He said the list of dealers is final and that there will be no appeals process.

"This is a difficult day for us and not a day anybody can be prepared for," Press told reporters during a conference call.

A hearing is scheduled for June 3 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York for the judge to determine whether to approve Chrysler's motion. Judges often rely on companies in bankruptcy to help determine what is in their best business interest, such as the closure of dealerships or cancellation of contracts.

Chrysler executives said the company is trying to preserve its best-performing dealers and eliminate ones with the weakest sales. More than half of the dealerships being eliminated sell less than 100 vehicles per year, they said, and account for 14 percent of U.S. sales.

The company is also trying to reduce the number of single-brand dealerships to bring all three Chrysler brands -- Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge -- under a single roof, they said. It also wanted to limit competing dealerships.

"We recognize in the short term we will see some loss of sales," Press said. "But based on the long term ... the dealer [network] is key, and it's going to be very strong, powerful, with a much better financial viability."

The 3.5 million customers who purchased vehicles from the affected dealers will be notified about the closures and their warranties will still be honored, said vice president Steven Landry.

Dr. Bruce Domazlicky, a professor of economics at Southeast Missouri State University, is uncertain when the car industry will turn around.

"It will be a slow recovery," he said. "Until you see the unemployment go down and other parts of the economy improve, you won't see the car industry make a significant turnaround."

Chuck Eddy, a Youngstown, Ohio, Chrysler dealer, called the news heart-wrenching.

"I've grown up in this business," Eddy said. "My dad's been with Chrysler since '57. I've grown up with a lot of these families. That's all I've ever known -- Chrysler."

Chrysler said in its filing that dealers are not competitive enough with foreign brands. Chrysler sold an average of 303 vehicles per dealer in 2008, according to its filing. By contrast, Honda Motor Co. sold about 1,200 vehicles per dealer, while Toyota Motor Corp. sold nearly 1,300 per dealer.

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The Southeast Missourian and The Associated Press contributed to this report.