Ford Unloads Controversial Dealerships

Automotive News reported today that Ford, in an attempt to repair damaged dealer relations has sold its controversial Auto Collection in Tulsa, Okla. Ford also decided to sell its consolidated dealerships in three other cities. The Tulsa Auto Collection of eight local dealerships has been sold to the UnitedAuto Group Inc., the third-largest auto dealer group for an undisclosed price. Auto Collection stores in Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Rochester, N.Y., are being offered to independent Ford dealers, and Ford hopes to complete those sales by the end of the year. The consolidated dealerships will be broken up and sold as individual stores. Ford Division President Jim O'Connor said the Tulsa operations were sold as one unit because Jim Evans, CEO of the collection, approached Ford with an offer to buy them. "We are taking this action to start on the journey to substantially improve our company's dealer relations," O'Connor said. The move also marks Ford's "going back to the basics where dealers do the selling," he said.