After a year and eight months of planning, a brand new Toyota dealership launched last month in Kenosha.
Kenosha Toyota, at 8180 120th Ave., had previously been located in the same building as CarMax, which sold the franchise after deciding to leave the new car business. The new Kenosha Toyota opened Oct. 1 as a separate entity, an affiliate dealership with Rydell Company.
Chad Swan, the owner of Kenosha Toyota, said it was the first time he built a dealership franchise from scratch, including a new building and a new staff of 60 people.
“It was a bit of an oddity,” Swan admitted.
Swan said the new 55,000 square foot dealership, not including outdoor parking, offers both greater convenience and service to Kenosha customers, something that Swan said customers have appreciated.
“It’s gone really well,” Swan said. “People are really happy we’re here.”
Besides selling both new and used vehicles, the dealership has a full-service shop open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 a.m., and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.. For customers with vehicles in the shop, Kenosha Toyota has loaner and shuttle cars.
Supply lines impacted by the pandemic have led to some reports of vehicle shortages nationally. Swan said they felt “a little” of the shortages a few months ago, however things seem to have leveled out.
“I feel really good where Toyota is at,” Swan said. “Hopefully we’ll normalize within the next 12 to 16 months.”
Kenosha Toyota has 140 used cars, which Swan said he planned to bring up to 200 in the future.
Swan, who moved with his family to Kenosha in July, said the community has been welcoming to both his family and the new Toyota dealership.
“We’re happy to be in Kenosha, the town has been good to us,” Swan said. “It’s felt like home.”
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