Fast-growing Morgan Automotive Group further bolstered its Florida presence this week with the acquisition of three stores, including its first Lexus dealership.
The group on Tuesday bought Wilde Honda Sarasota, Wilde Lexus Sarasota and Wilde Jaguar-Land Rover Sarasota from Wilde Automotive Family, Morgan Automotive CEO Brett Morgan confirmed in an email to Automotive News.
The affiliated Wilde Automotive Group also has dealerships in Wisconsin, but those were not part of the sale, Morgan said.
The three dealerships will be renamed Honda of Sarasota, Lexus of Sarasota and Jaguar-Land Rover Sarasota. Sarasota is south of Tampa.
“We have been doing business in the Sarasota market now for over a decade with our BMW and Lamborghini stores,” Brett Morgan said in a statement. “We are thrilled to add Lexus, Jaguar, Land Rover and Honda to that market offering. The Wilde family has a great reputation and we look forward to carrying their legacy forward.”
Morgan Automotive, of Tampa, Fla., now has seven Honda stores and two Jaguar-Land Rover dealerships, along with a standalone Land Rover store in Tampa, as part of its Florida-only portfolio, Morgan said.
Morgan Automotive, which has been active in the dealership buy-sell market in 2022, now has 59 dealerships, the group said.
In June, Morgan Automotive bought Ford of Clermont and sold its Genesis of Fort Myers dealership. In May, Morgan Automotive bought Fuccillo Kia of Clermont, plus two domestic-branded dealerships in Tampa.
Morgan Automotive ranks No. 8 on Automotive News‘ list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S., retailing 60,951 new vehicles last year.