Middletown Ford will not be affected.
The newly-named New Carlisle Automotive will operate at the same location, offering used car sales and service, with a nearly doubled inventory of used cars.
“Our customers won’t notice too many changes other than we will no longer have the Ford franchise,” Robinson said.
The new business will expand its service capabilities to accommodate a wider range of vehicles. New equipment will be added to achieve that goal, Robinson said.
There will be no employment changes to the current staff of 25.
“We’re pretty positive about this. We’ve always done a good used car business and before I was here, there was a tradition of more used cars than we have now,” he said.
The loss of the franchise resulted from Ford’s move to consolidate dealerships as part of money-saving measures.
“The company offered us various options, and after evaluating everything,” he said, “we decided to accept a consolidation deal from the company.”
Robinson did not share any details of the deal.
Springfield Ford closed its doors in December 2008 after an eight-month search for a buyer proved unsuccessful. The dealership, owned by Erick Collins for more than eight years, was sold back to Ford earlier that year.
The closest remaining area Ford dealer is White’s Ford at 1246 North Main Street, Urbana.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.
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