Car Pros Automotive Group has sold Car Pros Kia Huntington Beach to Sutherlin Automotive Group, giving Sutherlin another dealership in the Orange County market as auto retailers continue to pursue regional scale and high-performing franchises. Kerrigan Advisors represented Car Pros in the transaction.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The acquisition adds Orange County’s top-volume Kia dealership in 2025 to Sutherlin’s growing Huntington Beach operations. The buyer recently acquired Subaru and Volkswagen franchises in the market and also owns dealerships in Tennessee and Alabama.
For Sutherlin, the transaction creates additional density in one of Southern California’s largest automotive retail markets. Huntington Beach recorded more than 16,000 new vehicle sales annually and ranks as the second-largest car market in Orange County, according to Kerrigan Advisors.
The dealership is situated along Beach Boulevard, a major commercial corridor connecting Pacific Coast Highway with Interstate 405. That location gives the store access to a large Southern California customer base and complements Sutherlin’s recent investments in other franchises in the area.
“Given Sutherlin’s recent expansion in the local market, this represented a good strategic option for Car Pros, adding Orange County’s top volume Kia franchise to Sutherlin’s Huntington Beach operations,” said Ryan Kerrigan of Kerrigan Advisors.
Car Pros Kia Huntington Beach ranked as the No. 1 Kia dealership in Orange County last year and among the top 100 Kia dealerships nationally. Its performance and location made the asset particularly relevant in a dealership acquisition market where buyers have increasingly prioritized franchise quality and geographic concentration.
Kia has also gained value among dealership buyers as its U.S. sales and average franchise throughput have increased. Sales per Kia franchise have risen 40% since 2020 and now exceed 1,000 vehicles annually, according to Kerrigan Advisors, ranking third among non-luxury automotive brands.
The automaker continued that momentum in the first quarter of 2026, when U.S. sales increased 4.1% from the prior-year period even as the broader industry declined 6.2%. Kia’s recent product performance includes the EV3 being named 2025 World Car of the Year and receiving Red Dot “Best of the Best” design recognition.
Those operating trends have contributed to higher buyer demand for Kia dealerships. Kerrigan Advisors recently increased the brand’s blue-sky valuation multiple in its dealership market analysis in response to growing acquisition interest.
“Kia has become one of the most sought-after non-luxury franchises in the buy/sell market,” said Erin Kerrigan, founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors. She said buyers are increasingly focused on expanding market share and capturing operating efficiencies through regional density.
For Car Pros, the divestiture continues a history of actively managing its dealership portfolio through acquisitions and sales. The Phillips family founded the company in 1993 as a used-car operation with two employees. Under CEO Matthew Phillips, Car Pros expanded into a Southern California dealership group representing Kia, Honda, BMW and MINI.
The company has previously acquired Nick Alexander BMW & MINI and Honda of El Monte. Kerrigan Advisors has also represented Car Pros in several prior divestitures, including Car Pros Kia Carson in 2018, Car Pros Volkswagen of San Bernardino in 2022 and the sales of Car Pros Kia Tacoma, Kia Renton and Hyundai Renton last year.
“This sale made sense as it allows for the future growth of the dealership under an owner already committed to the Orange County market,” Phillips said. He also credited the Huntington Beach team for building the dealership’s position in the market.
The transaction illustrates a continuing consolidation trend in U.S. auto retail, where dealership groups are using acquisitions to increase regional concentration and capture economies of scale. High-volume stores representing brands with strong sales momentum can command particular interest because buyers gain both an operating business and a protected franchise position in an established market.
With the Huntington Beach transaction completed, Kerrigan Advisors said it has sold 452 automotive franchises since its founding in 2014, including 70 in California and 24 Kia franchises. The firm reports more than $11 billion in proceeds generated for clients across more than 450 franchise sales.
Bert Rasmussen of Scali Rasmussen PC served as legal counsel to Car Pros, while David Meyer of ArentFox Schiff LLP represented Sutherlin.
The deal leaves Sutherlin with a larger Huntington Beach dealership platform spanning Kia, Subaru and Volkswagen, while allowing Car Pros to continue concentrating its portfolio around its remaining automotive retail operations.
Kerrigan Advisors is the leading sell-side advisor and thought partner to auto dealers nationwide. Since its founding in 2014, the firm has led the industry with the sale of more than 445 franchises generating more than $10 billion in client proceeds, including two of the largest transactions in auto retail history – the sale of Jim Koons Automotive Companies to Asbury Automotive Group and Leith Automotive to Holman. The firm advises the industry’s leading dealership groups, enhancing value through the lifecycle of growing, operating and, when the time is right, selling their businesses. Led by a team of veteran industry experts with backgrounds in investment banking, private equity, accounting, finance and real estate, Kerrigan Advisors is the only firm in auto retail exclusively dedicated to sell-side advisory, providing its clients the assurance of a conflict-free approach.
Kerrigan Advisors monitors conditions in the buy/sell market and publishes an in-depth analysis each quarter in The Blue Sky Report®, the industry authority on dealership buy/sell market trends and valuations and includes Kerrigan Advisors’ signature blue sky charts, multiples and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. To download a preview of the report, click here. The firm also releases The Kerrigan Index™ comprised of the seven publicly traded auto retail companies with operations focused on the US market. The Kerrigan Auto Retail Index is designed to track dealership valuation trends, while also providing key insights into factors influencing auto retail. To access The Kerrigan Index™, click here. To read the 2025 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, click here. To read the 2025 Kerrigan OEM Survey, click here. Kerrigan Advisors also is the co-author of NADA’s Guide to Buying and Selling a Dealership.
Contact us to learn more about Kerrigan Advisors’ sell-side services.
All of our conversations are 100% confidential.
