Big-city Mcdonald goes small-town with 1st domestics
As I reached Fort Morgan enroute to Nebraska on Friday morning last week, I pulled into the automotive lot of what was formerly Ehrlich Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, just off the I-76 Exit in the eastern Colorado town of 11,000.
“My gosh,” I said to Jan beside me, “this small, quiet-looking store has brought the prestigious Mcdonald Automotive Group into the domestic side of the car business after its 60 years of foreign-only success.”
Mcdonald set out to purchase the large Ehrlich Toyota of Greeley, accepted as part of the deal the busy Ehrlich Toyota of Fort Morgan and to reach closure agreed to include the CDJR dealership in the deal completed last month.
Earlier this week, in answer to a question, Mcdonald Automotive
VP of Operations Steve Powers said, “No, the Fort Morgan Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram wouldn’t have been our choice of first-time domestic dealership.
“But I’ll tell you what, since we’ve got it, the key is to get the right person as general manager for the low-volume store, and I’m looking all over the Midwest and down into Oklahoma to find one. We’re going to move some product and show strong growth, led by Rams and Jeeps, which are hot-sellers in much of Colorado.
“The CDJR store is adjacent to Toyota at Fort Morgan; each will retain its new-car showroom, but the two may eventually share a large used-car inventory.
“Ehrlich Toyota has been just fine for some time in the Greeley area; we expect to increase business by 15 percent new and 25 percent used after we get established.”
The Ehrlich automotive operations have been headed by Scott Ehrlich, who was Colorado’s Time Dealer of the Year in 2015. Ehrlich still owns a Toyota store in Laramie, Wyo., and with Phil Marzolf owns the I-25 Kia dealership at Longmont.
Mcdonald’s got its start in Colorado in 1964 when Doug Mcdonald came to Denver from New Mexico and opened a Volkswagen dealership. Doug Mcdonald was chosen Colorado Time Dealer of the Year in 1991.
Mcdonald’s over the past 57 years has put together an operation which includes six brands on South Broadway – Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Hyundai, Genesis, Mazda – and a Mazda store on West Colfax Avenue. It opened a Polestar electric-car store in Cherry Creek recently.
Email from reader
Bud, your column of the VW Rabbit pickup brought back memories for me. In 1984, I was living in Boulder and commuting to the old CU Health Science Campus in Denver with an ’80 Mazda 626. It was rear-wheel drive and a nightmare to drive in the snow. One day, after a big storm, in order to get across town to sign a lease on an apartment, my boss loaned me her ’77 Subaru AWD wagon. It was like a tank going over a foot of snow. I soon purchased a ’79 Subaru Brat, great in the snow and for hauling about anything, a queen-size bed, dresser and two side tables, and with tiedowns looked like a miniature Beverly Hillbillies truck. – Ralph B.