A Florida auto group that already oversees a large Hyundai dealership in Roseville has agreed in principle to take over the Senator Hyundai franchise on Florin Road in Sacramento.
Sacramento-based Senator Auto Group and Miami-based Potamkin Automotive have been working all week to finalize a deal for the dealership at 3655 Florin Road.
Ron Miller, owner of Sacramento's Ron Miller & Co., a consultant for Senator Auto Group, said Friday that the deal "was not 100 percent done, but we're hoping it will be by Monday."
No financial terms were disclosed.
Pending finalization, Potamkin plans to run the Florin site as Hyundai of Sacramento.
Potamkin oversees nearly 30 dealerships in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Each dealership is individually managed as a subsidiary partnership.
Potamkin also operates Roseville Hyundai at 200 N. Sunrise Ave. That dealership bills itself as "California's No. 1 volume Hyundai dealer," selling more vehicles than any other Hyundai dealer in California from 2005-07.
Senator Auto Group will continue to operate Senator Mazda at 3801 Florin Road. Besides selling new and used Mazdas, that site also will operate a general used-car sales lot, a body shop and a rental car business.
Miller said Hyundai wants to consolidate dealerships in the Sacramento area and become more efficient, part of a national business strategy. He said the Potamkin Hyundai dealerships might ultimately be the only Hyundai stores in the Sacramento area.
Other local Hyundai retailers include Maita Hyundai at 2436 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento, and People's Folsom Lake Hyundai in the Folsom Automall.
Maita and People's officials did not return calls seeking comment. People's drastically cut back its Hyundai operations over the summer, doing very little marketing of Hyundai vehicles it had on its lot for sale. People's still operates Folsom Lake Chrysler Jeep in the Folsom Automall.
Officials at Hyundai Motor America, based in Fountain Valley, declined to comment on the Sacramento shake-up.
Miller said this year's moves by Senator, which retains the real estate of the Hyundai of Sacramento site, was part of "a careful repositioning plan to be successful in the long term. It was a preplanned strategy. Now, we want to be the world's greatest Mazda dealer."
In May, Senator Ford stopped selling new Fords at 3801 Florin Road. That closing was prompted by a consolidation buyout offer from Ford Motor Co. Ford and other U.S. automakers have been trying to streamline business in metropolitan markets.
The economic downturn and tight credit have prompted more than a half-dozen dealership closings in the Sacramento area this year alone.
Senator traces its local roots to 1980, when Bob Creedon founded the Florin dealership.
His son, Michael Creedon, general manager of Senator Mazda, said Friday that his family and employees are putting all their energies into Mazda.
"We're all committed to this. We like the Mazda line, and we'll represent the line well," he said. "We know these are tough economic times, but we're determined to do well."
Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.
