Noble of Newton loses GM franchise

If you have been thinking about buying a new Chevrolet or Cadillac from Noble of Newton, now is the time to make the move. Dimaggio “Nick” Nichols, dealer principal at Noble of Newton, said his dealership has received the “wind down agreement” letter from General Motors, and they have until October 2010 to sell all remaining General Motors products on the premises.

Nichols said he plans to honor the sales and service agreements on all Chevrolet and Cadillac products through October 2010, and will provide service for those products forever. He added that he plans no cutbacks for employees and will continue to house the dealership on the south side of Newton.

“There’s been a lot of speculation. We just want to let people know,” Nichols said. “A lot of people have asked me if we lost the GM contract, and I don’t like being evasive.”

He said he wanted to wait until he conferred with his lawyers before saying anything definite.

Nichols bought the GM franchise from Ira Mitchell Motors in December 2007, and first added GM products to his lot the following March.

“I’ve been trying to get GM franchise for 24 years, and 18 months after I get one, this happens,” Nichols said.

“Fortunately, our partnership with Ford, Lincoln Mercury has been our foundation for many years,” said Noble of Newton General Manager Greg Williams. “We never have been prouder to be a member of the Ford family than today.”

“Amen!” Nichols added. At one time, Noble had 150 GM products on the lot, about $4 million worth. Now, the dealer has about 106 GM cars and trucks on the lot, and Nichols said he will be selling them at retail prices. Williams thinks GM is trying to model themselves after Toyota.

“The idea is that less dealers will prevent ‘dueling customers’; with fewer dealers, the customer will ultimately pay more,” Williams said. “But we want to make it very clear that we plan on being here for the long term. This is just a bump in the road.”