The Shadow
Alleghany Motors in Covington is now selling GMC products. The South Lexington Avenue dealership started selling GMC trucks and sport utility vehicles in December after purchasing the franchise from Sheets GMC in Green Bank, W.Va. From left, Charles A. Sheets, owner of Sheets GMC in Green Bank; Dizzy Garten, co-owner and general manager of Alleghany Motors; and Tom Salterelli, eastern zone regional manager for General Motors. A GMC franchise has not been located in the Alleghany Highlands since Snead Buick-Pontiac closed in 1996. (Photo Courtesy of Alleghany Motors)
Alleghany Motors in Covington is now selling GMC products. The South Lexington Avenue dealership started selling GMC trucks and sport utility vehicles in December after purchasing the franchise from Sheets GMC in Green Bank, W.Va. From left, Charles A. Sheets, owner of Sheets GMC in Green Bank; Dizzy Garten, co-owner and general manager of Alleghany Motors; and Tom Salterelli, eastern zone regional manager for General Motors. A GMC franchise has not been located in the Alleghany Highlands since Snead Buick-Pontiac closed in 1996. (Photo Courtesy of Alleghany Motors)
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General Motors Sales Up 3.7 Percent In 2012
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors’ U.S. sales rose 3.7 percent last year as the company’s growth was eclipsed by other automakers.
GM sold just under 2.6 million new cars and trucks in 2012. Its December sales rose almost 5 percent from a year earlier.
The company’s sales growth for the year lagged the U.S. auto industry, which was expected to grow 13 percent from 2011 numbers. Other automakers reported strong sales for the year. Chrysler sales jumped 21 percent, while Volkswagen was up 35 percent.
GM was led by the Chevrolet Sonic small car, with sales up more than five times the number sold in 2011. But sales of the Chevy Silverado pickup, GM’s top-selling vehicle, rose less than 1 percent for the year.
Alleghany Motors is now selling GMC trucks and sport utility vehicles at its South Lexington Avenue location in Covington.
Alleghany Motors began selling GMC trucks in December after purchasing the franchise from Sheets GMC in Green Bank, W.Va.
“GMC awarded the franchise to us out of a lot of other dealers who had applied for it,” said Dizzy Garten, co-owner and general manager of Alleghany Motors.
“We feel this gives General Motors a stronger presence in Covington and helps provide stability to the local economy,” Garten said.
The Alleghany Highlands has not had a GMC truck franchise since Snead Buick-Pontiac closed in 1996. Alleghany Motors now carries a full line of General Motors products, including Chevrolet and Buick.
The Garten family has been involved in the ownership of Alleghany Motors since 1981. Since summer of 2012, Alleghany Motors has been co-owned by Dizzy Garten and James “Jay” Justice, son of Greenbrier owner Jim Justice.
In addition, Garten and Justice own Alleghany Jeep-Chrysler-Dodge on Monroe Avenue in Covington and Alleghany Motors Pre-Owned in Lewisburg, W.Va.
Garten said Wednesday that Alleghany Motors plans to build a new, larger facility in the Covington area within the next 18 months. The new facility will combine the Covington dealerships owned by Garten and Justice and allow them to carry more inventory and offer additional services.
