New Toyota stores planned

Colorado Springs’ two Toyota dealerships, both owned by the Larry H. Miller Group of Sandy, Utah, plan to build new stores, with the goal of further pushing local sales ahead of the competition.

Liberty Toyota Scion Superstore will break ground next month on a 70,000-square-foot dealership on 15 acres in Powers Auto Park, off Woodmen Road and Austin Bluffs Parkway, said Ray Reilly, general manager.

At the south end of town, Toyota Scion of Colorado Springs in Motor City has purchased 16 acres of land at the southwest corner of Powers and Fountain boulevards, said real estate broker Randy Dowis of NAI Highland Commercial Group.

The Larry H. Miller Group, which owns 43 auto dealerships and last year posted $2.3 billion in car sales, also owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the arena in which it plays, Fanzz sports apparel stores, movie theaters, and a Salt Lake City television station.

Liberty Toyota’s new location will open sometime next year, Reilly said. It will replace the 43,000-square-foot store at 5597 N. Academy Blvd., which has been its home for nearly 20 years.

Customers will find such conveniences as a drive-through car wash for every vehicle sold and serviced, a children’s play area, a cafe, a wireless center for customers to work while waiting, a fourwheel-drive test track, 55 service stalls, indoor delivery and drop off of vehicles, and separate showrooms for hybrids and other models.

Reilly expects his staff to grow from 110 to 140 employees with the expansion.

Plans for the new south store are not as far advanced, Reilly said, so details are not yet available, and the dealership has not said what it will do with its current locations.

Powers Auto Park has 70 developed acres, with Chrysler/Jeep, Mazda and Dodge dealerships in place. A California-based Honda franchise is considering buying land in the park, and Denverbased Burt Automotive Group is continuing to retain a lease option on land in the park, said Fred Veitch, a vice president with Nor’wood Development Group, which is developing the auto park.

Reilly said the location is demographically appealing.

“Our city’s growth seems to be headed in that direction, and if Honda and Toyota end up side-by-side, it would be good. Customers could consider both without having to drive across town,” he said.

Besides, he said, Liberty Toyota has outgrown its North Academy Boulevard site, which lies in the middle of retail stores and restaurants.

The dealership hit recordhigh sales of 1,913 new vehicles last year, Reilly said, ranking it No. 1 in terms of volume in southern Colorado. This year, Liberty is on track to break the 2006 record by about 500 vehicles, he said.

But the existing dealership no longer meets the Japanese automaker’s standards: “We’re at a position where we were land and building deficient,” Reilly said.

A new store will enable Reilly to increase inventory — “so I’ll have more cars and a better selection,” he said.

As a result, Reilly anticipates a one-third jump in sales when he moves to Powers Auto Park.

Of all new cars titled in El Paso County, Toyota inched past Ford for the first time last year and this year is far outpacing any other brand, with 2,822 new Toyotas titled through October, according to the El Paso County Department of Motor Vehicles. Ford is the closest, with 2,095 vehicles titled through October.