Dealer closes location, but not because of poor sales

More comings and goings in the auto dealer business.

Saturn of St. Paul has closed its East Metro operation on Hudson Road in Maplewood. The dealership has sold the property, according to General Manager David Roen, but not because of the economy, apparently.

“The timing makes it seem that it is related to the current environment but even if times were better we probably would have sold the property. Yes, the other three locations are open for business. Our business seems to be better than the general market. Our used business is up 7%, our midsized car(Aura) business is up 37%, our compact SUV business is down slightly (3%) and our 8 passenger crossover business (Outlook) is up 1%,” he said.

Last week, 400 employees of Denny Hecker lost their jobs when his company sold three dealerships and closed six others.

MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports more dealer closings are expected in these parts.