Sonic Automotive Inc., fresh off its largest acquisition ever with the December purchase of RFJ Auto Partners Holdings Inc., has purchased its first franchised dealership in New York.
Sonic bought Sun Chevrolet in Chittenango, N.Y., on Jan. 10 from Todd Caputo, according to Sonic spokeswoman Sandy Shakoor.
Terms were not disclosed, but the dealership’s name remains the same. Chittenango is east of Syracuse.
Sun Chevrolet was founded in 1979 by Caputo’s father, Joe Caputo, Sonic noted.
While Sun Chevrolet is Sonic’s first franchised dealership in New York, the publicly traded auto retailer has made an acquisition in the state before — also from Todd Caputo.
In December 2020, Sonic bought three Used Car King used-vehicle dealerships from Caputo, but closed one of them, Sonic President Jeff Dyke said last year. The two Used Car King dealerships near Syracuse, which Sonic spent $19.7 million on, became stores that are part of its standalone used-vehicle EchoPark portfolio: EchoPark Cicero and EchoPark Cortland.
Following that acquisition, Todd Caputo joined EchoPark in a leadership position.
“We’re excited to start a new year by expanding our footprint once again,” Dyke said in a Tuesday statement. “We have tremendous respect for the Chevrolet brand and look forward to continuing the work Joe, Todd, and the Sun Chevrolet team established to deliver an exceptional brand promise to guests in the Central New York region.”
Sonic now has 111 franchised dealerships, including six Chevrolet stores in its portfolio, the company confirmed.
