Infiniti dealership's new owners eye spring move

The new owners of Infiniti of Springfield plan to move the dealership to a 3-acre spot just north of Reliable Chevrolet on South Campbell Avenue in May.

Partners Mike Reynolds and Larry Van Tuyl acquired the dealership at 3500 E. Sunshine St. from Mayse Automotive Group for an undisclosed amount in a transaction that closed Dec. 19, said Infiniti of Springfield General Manager Ric McDade. Reynolds is managing partner of Reliable Chevrolet in Springfield, and Van Tuyl is co-CEO of the Arizona-based Van Tuyl Group Inc., which manages Reliable Chevrolet and more than 60 other independently operated dealerships throughout the country.

Aurora-based Mayse purchased southwest Missouri's only Infiniti dealership from Springfield's Vincel family in April 2007.

"It became available, and we thought that it would be a good opportunity to try to see what we could do with the brand in Springfield," Mayse Automotive general manager Matt Mayse said. "But Reliable Chevrolet approached us and offered us a good return. It wasn't our desire to get in and out of the business that quick with it."

Mayse said Reynolds' plans for the dealership make more sense for Nissan's Infiniti brand, which saw sales drop 11.1 percent to 112,989 units last year from 127,038 units in 2007, according to figures released by Nissan North America Inc. last month. Infiniti sold 8,273 units nationwide in December, down 34.6 percent from 12,655 in December 2007, according to the automaker.

"To do really well, Infiniti in Springfield needs to be coupled with other brands," Mayse said. "What they're going to do is exactly what it needs."

Despite last year's dismal sales figures, McDade said Infiniti sales have been steady since Reynolds and Van Tuyl took ownership Dec. 20, with new and used vehicles selling at about the same rate. Fifteen of the 24 Mayse employees stayed on at the dealership, he said.

Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman said sales at Springfield's Infiniti dealership increased 85 percent 2006-07, making it one of the top-performing hotspots in the central region. Sales at the dealership dropped 16 percent 2007-08, Brockman said, citing the challenging economic climate.

McDade said the strategy for growing the dealership is twofold: triple the inventory of new Infiniti models to about 60 cars and assemble about 100 used imports including Honda, BMW and Jaguar. Two separate shipments of 25 new Infiniti vehicles are expected to arrive in February and March, he added.

In early May, McDade hopes to move the dealership to its new, more central location in the 3600 block of South Campbell. Construction on the new showroom, which Infiniti has approved, should begin later this month, he added.

Another local auto dealership has expressed interest in leasing the Sunshine Street property, which is still owned by the Vincel family, after Infiniti of Springfield relocates.

Tony Stubblefield, managing partner of Reliable Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Scion Superstore in Springfield, said he'd like to move his dealership's used inventory, Toyota car rentals and a collision center to the former Infiniti site this summer. Reliable Toyota is at 3521 E. Sunshine St., opposite the Infiniti dealership.

"It really gives us the added real estate we think we need to grow and expand our business," Stubblefield said. "We're always looking to expand. We think Springfield's a great market."