“It’s reflective of a nice turnaround in Nissan’s financial performance and demand for the franchise,” said Erin Kerrigan, managing director of the Irvine, Calif., company. “You’re going to see more buy-sell activity of Nissan franchises in 2022.”
The appeal of a Nissan franchise is even coming from some unlikely quarters.
Robert DiStanislao, who sells six-figure Italian and German supercars in suburban Philadelphia, is making a bold bet on the more pedestrian Japanese brand.
DiStanislao’s RDS Automotive Group operates a stable of ultraluxury marques — Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche. But the dealer sees opportunity in the mass market, with what he refers to as a “value play.”
DiStanislao is expected to close on a Nissan store in Devon, Pa., on Monday, Jan. 31, from a dealer looking to retire.
“We initially wanted to buy real estate to expand our supercar brand,” DiStanislao said. “We bought the Nissan store intending to use the valuable real estate for pre-owned supercars.”
But those plans were scrapped after Nissan executives sketched out the brand’s road map for DiStanislao.
“We were impressed with the deployment of new product — specifically $18 billion earmarked for BEVs,” he said. “We became enthusiastic about refocusing our energies to expanding the brand in our market.”
Nissan is pivoting from a market share-first strategy championed by former Chairman Carlos Ghosn that alienated retailers and customers. Instead, profitability is a new priority.
