Las Vegas car dealer reprising nameplate lost during recession
A local car dealer is bringing back a nameplate he lost in the recession.
Jim Marsh's Chrysler Jeep sales operation was one of nearly 800 dealerships cut nationwide by Chrysler in 2009, a month after the carmaker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Chrysler canceled the franchise agreements with Jim Marsh and three other local dealers — United Dodge, United Chrysler Jeep and Integrity Chrysler — because their sales were too low, the company said at the time.
Jim Marsh survived by adding Kia to the roster of brands at his 8555 W. Centennial Center Parkway dealership.
But Marsh still fought to bring back Chrysler: He joined a 2010 lawsuit with five other Chrysler dealers from around the country, and won back the right to reopen after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio ruled in January 2015 that no state laws prevented the move.
The U.S. Supreme Court in June declined to hear an appeal by Chrysler, now known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Italian automaker Fiat began acquiring chunks of the company in 2009.
On Monday, Marsh said he would build a 30,000-square-foot Jim Marsh Chrysler Jeep dealership on 17 acres west of his Kia showroom. The store is scheduled to open June 1.
The dealership will employ 35 to 40 people.
Marsh said in a statement that the timing for a new dealership is "perfect."
"Jeep is especially on fire right now," he said.
Fiat Chrysler on Tuesday reported a 14.6 percent jump in Jeep sales year over year.
Meanwhile, sales among dealers of cars and car parts have nearly doubled since the recession. Statewide retail sales in the sector reached $333.2 million in November, up 89.3 percent from $176 million in November 2008, according to numbers from the state Department of Taxation.
Contact Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com. Find @_JRobison on Twitter.
