FCA Planning To Open 400 New Dealers In U.S.

Sources close to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles say that the company is working on opening an additional 400 dealerships in the United States.

AutoNews reports that FCA’s decision to expand its existing ~2,500 U.S. dealership network comes in an attempt to capture a larger share of the huge local car market.

Among the cities benefiting from additional Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram dealerships is Houston, with three new locations currently in the works, adding to the 14 dealers the automotive conglomerate already has in the Texas city.

However, not all existing dealerships are happy with FCA’s plans saying that new dealers will be opened within just a few miles of existing locations. Additionally, one unnamed dealer said “They probably did need to add more stores, but they’re about five years too late. The market is really tough and getting tougher.”

In the final quarter of 2016, FCA sales fell by 11.3 per cent compared to the previous year, contributing to a 1.5 per cent market share loss.

PHOTO GALLERY