A car dealership on Bellingham’s auto row is now under local ownership
A longtime dealership on Bellingham’s auto row is now under new local ownership.
Bellingham resident Xavier Cortes recently purchased the Bellingham Nissan dealership at 1516 Iowa St. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Cortes has owned Northwest Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac since 2016 and purchased Northwest Autohub in Mount Vernon in 2019.
Cortes bought the Nissan dealership from Chris Russell, who took over the dealership in 2016. Russell’s company owns several dealerships in the Pacific Northwest and is based in Idaho.
Cortes said in a phone interview that the plan is to bulk up the inventory of not only new Nissan models but also the used vehicle department. He’s also hiring people for the sales, parts and service departments.
“I’m really excited to expand this dealership and offer people jobs during this pandemic,” Cortes said.
Like every industry, auto and truck sales have experienced a very bumpy 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Cortes said March and April were difficult with tight restrictions in place. During that time maintenance work was allowed, but sales were very limited.
As restrictions have eased, sales recovered to about 80% of normal in May, and June was a return to a typical period in terms of sales for Cortes’ two dealerships. Employees have worn face coverings as restrictions have eased and customers will be required to do so based on the state’s latest requirements.
Bellingham Nissan currently has 200 new and pre-owned vehicles and 40 employees. Cortes appointed Chris Zent as its general manager. Cortes said customers should expect the kind of customer service at Bellingham Nissan as they see at his Northwest Avenue dealership.
For more information, call Bellingham Nissan at (360) 733-7300 or visit Bellinghamnissan.com.
