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Imported dealers
The 3 Mexican retail groups that Nissan brought to the U.S.
Grupo Autocom: Acquired 5 stores around San Francisco. Began as a Datsun dealer in Mexico in 1966 and now owns 17 stores in that country. Last year, it retailed 15,000 new cars there.
Grupo Autofin Mexico: Has 3 dealerships in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, operating under the Imperio name. Nissan says the brand has not performed well there in the past. The large Mexico City retailer had 2014 sales of $1.4 billion.
Soni Group: Acquired 2 stores in the Houston market and is seeking others there. The group is another Mexico City high-flier for Nissan. Soni sold 35,000 new cars last year in Mexico.
Benefits for Nissan
What Nissan gets from its Mexican dealers in the U.S.
A track record: Last year, Nissan's retailers in Mexico delivered a 26.2% market share. That is tantalizing to an automaker that wants just 10% of the U.S. market.
Loyalty: Nissan has enabled its Mexican dealers to thrive. Many are heavily focused on the Nissan brand and seek opportunities to grow with it.
Hispanic demographic marketing: The Mexican companies bring Spanish-language and cultural understanding to U.S. markets with fast-growing Hispanic populations.
Nissan is pulling out a secret weapon as it pushes for more market share in the U.S.: Mexican car dealers.
