DALTON, Ga. - Hyundai vehicle sales this year in the U.S. are on pace to break a 2007 record of 467,009, and Dalton auto dealer Johnny Pye said he's ready to take advantage of the growing domestic appetite for the inexpensive, fuel-efficient and aggressively styled vehicles.
He has opened Pye Hyundai in Dalton at his former Honda Powersports location on East Walnut Avenue.
The store already has 30 cars in stock and will keep roughly 60 on the lot, with nine employees, said Greg Black, new car sales manager.
Black said customers are already snapping up the cars, which come with a 10-year warranty and are well positioned to gain market share in a lean economy.
Pye, whose family has sold cars since 1946, said he has a history of introducing the right brands at the right time.
The family used to sell Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Buick, Oldsmobile and Chevrolet vehicles in the mid-20th century, but made a conscious decision in the 1970s to phase in its current lineup of Nissan, Honda, Acura, Kia and now Hyundai cars at five area dealerships, he said.
Pye auto dealerships* Pye Nissan - Founded 1976, Dalton* Pye Honda - Started 1984, Dalton* Pye Acura - Launched 1982, Chattanooga* Pye Kia - Founded 2009, Dalton* Pye Hyundai - Begun 2010, DaltonSource: Pye Auto Group
"We follow our customer base," Pye added.
At first, customers wanted the reliable, fuel-sipping Japanese cars, but now he sees a switch under way to vehicles produced by South Korean manufacturers Kia and Hyundai.
"The Korean cars appeal to a younger demographic," he said.
Hyundai is so confident of its continuing success in the U.S. that it recently announced the construction of a $150 million California headquarters, and it said in August that it would produce vehicles at sister company Kia Motors' West Point, Ga., plant, according to news releases.
"If you buy a car from us, most of the money stays right here in the United States," Pye said.
Though sales "virtually stopped" in September 2008, he said, things are back on track now. Customers sick of maintaining ailing automobiles have released pent-up demand for new cars.
"For a lot of people, it makes sense to buy a new car instead of spending a lot of money keeping an old one running," Pye said.
His son, Sean Pye, represents the family's third generation in the auto business. He will assume responsibility for Pye's newest dealership as general manager.
"Sean grew up in the car business," his father said, "so when I go fishing, we've got a good guy in charge."
The family business doesn't have a lot of layers, according to Sean Pye, because the father/son team form most of the corporate business structure of the company.
In a nutshell, "It's him and me," the younger Pye said.
Though they plan to maybe open "one or two" more dealerships in the next five years, they said, they don't want to lose their competitive advantages of low overhead and a lean structure just to sell a few more cars.
"We're good and balanced right now," Sean Pye said. "We're in the Chattanooga market with Acura, and we're operating from here with a lower overhead. We basically have a full plate."
Contact Ellis Smith at esmith@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6315. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ellisthered