Nissan North America Awards Penske Automotive Group Nissan & Infiniti Dealerships In Downtown San Francisco

FRANKLIN, Tenn., March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nissan North America (NNA) today announced that it has awarded Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG) the Nissan and Infiniti dealership locations in the downtown San Francisco market.  Both brands will be represented in a unique and historic dealership complex conveniently located at 1395 Van Ness Ave. in the heart of the 'city by the bay,' directly in the center of one of Nissan and Infiniti's most important global markets.

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Penske's Nissan and Infiniti dealerships will be located in an existing 7-story, 195,000 square foot complex that will represent one of the largest automobile retailing locations in the United States. The facility is expected to open later this year concurrent with a full renovation and will feature state-of-the-art sales, service, and parts operations as well as an on-site paint and collision-repair center.  When fully operational the facility will be unique with multiple levels of indoor vehicle storage, separate brand showrooms and a square footage unparalleled in the San Francisco marketplace.

The opening of these new dealerships will further contribute to Nissan and Infiniti's sales and market share gains in the U.S. market.  In 2010 Nissan and Infiniti combined reached 7.8 percent share of the U.S. market, an improvement of 0.4 points over the prior year.  The Infiniti brand was the fastest-growing import luxury brand in 2010 with a 28 percent sales gain.  In February, Nissan and Infiniti combined reached an all-time record 9.3 percent market share.

"We are very excited to award the Penske Automotive Group with our Nissan and Infiniti dealerships in downtown San Francisco," said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas.  "San Francisco is a key market for our future growth – especially for zero-emission vehicles like the Nissan LEAF as well as our Infiniti brand – and these two dealerships will help to grow our presence in a very important west coast market."

Automobiles were first retailed from the historic Ellis Brooks building in 1939, which for many years housed one of the west coast's highest volume dealers.  The facility is tailor-made for automotive retailing as it features extensive showroom space, multiple indoor levels to display vehicle stock as well as abundant space for on-site service, repair and body shop operations.

Penske Automotive Group Chairman Roger Penske said, "We are thrilled with the opportunity to represent the Nissan and Infiniti brands in such a historic site in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Nissan and Infiniti are dedicated to developing efficient and inspiring vehicles.  We look forward to enhancing the market share of each brand while fostering a high level of customer service and satisfaction through this one-of-a-kind dealership location."

Plans for the property, which is situated in a prime location in San Francisco, include construction of an all-new facade, complete refurbishment of the building inside and out and modern environments distinct to both the Nissan and Infiniti brands.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010 and has been recognized as a 2010 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

SOURCE Nissan North America