Dealer Days: New car dealers drive the Upstate economy
From employment to sales to sales tax, new car dealers are a driver of South Carolina’s economy.
Many Upstate auto dealers have been in business for generations, investing in their local communities and supporting community causes from food drives to mobile meals.
Last month, for example, the Vic Bailey Subaru Bike Park opened off the Mary Black Rail Trail in Spartanburg. The first-of-its-kind bike park in Upstate features wood and dirt flow trails which take mountain bikers on a roller coaster experience with little pedaling and braking necessary.
To support the community during the coronavirus pandemic, Spartanburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep & Ram has loaned the use of its old facility to Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System as a COVID-19 testing site. And Greenway Chevrolet of Spartanburg and Fairway Ford in Greenville partner with The Blood Connection to host on-site blood drives, which now include antibody testing for COVID.
Deemed an essential business during the coronavirus pandemic, auto dealers across the Upstate implemented new ways of doing business to make customers feel safe, such as touchless delivery and removing vehicles from their showrooms to reduce touchpoints.
“When coronavirus first hit, we had a pretty significant slowdown in our business in both parts and service and the sales end of it,” said Dave Edwards, owner of Dave Edwards Toyota in Spartanburg. “Amazingly enough – and I still don’t understand it yet – business has come back great.”
That’s good news for the state of South Carolina where 34,616 residents are employed by new car dealerships with a total payroll of $902 million in 2019.
Your Carolina and Livin’ Upstate are visiting many area auto dealers over the next few weeks, filling you in on their products, services and contributions to the community. View our interactive map to find dealers across the Upstate and click the dealer names below to visit the dealerships, meet the staff and see some cool new cars, trucks and SUVs.
Spartanburg Chrysler Dodge Jeep & Ram
Benson Kia, Benson Nissan and Benson Hyundai
