Sutherlin Automotive Group has acquired the top Kia dealership in Orange County, Calif.: Car Pros Kia Huntington Beach.
The sale was announced by Kerrigan Advisors, which advised the seller, Car Pros Automotive Group, in the transaction.
In addition to being the automaker’s No. 1 store in Orange County last year, Car Pros Huntington Beach was one of Kia’s top 100 dealerships in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Sutherlin has also recently purchased Subaru and Volkswagen franchises in this market to go along with its stores in Tennessee and Alabama.
“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. “We greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with Matthew and represent Car Pros again.
“Car Pros has acquired and sold numerous dealerships over the last 20 years, including its acquisitions of Nick Alexander BMW & MINI and Honda of El Monte, and on the sell side, Kerrigan Advisors is proud to have represented Car Pros with the sale of Car Pros Kia Carson in 2018, Car Pros VW of San Bernardino in 2022, and Car Pros Kia Tacoma, Kia Renton and Hyundai Renton last year,” Kerrigan said.
Matthew Phlllips, the CEO of Car Pros Automotive Group, added: “Once again, thank you to Kerrigan Advisors for being my partner through all things buy/sell over the years. I appreciated the opportunity to work with Ryan and Chris Gempton again.
“This sale made sense as it allows for the future growth of the dealership under an owner already committed to the Orange County market. I want to thank the Car Pros team in Huntington Beach for everything they have built there.”
Elsewhere, Kerrigan Advisors said Tuesday on LinkedIn that it also advised Holman on its sale of Honda of Fort Lauderdale to Len Stoler Automotive Group.
This is the Stoler group’s first store in South Florida.
“The Miami MSA is one of the most desirable car markets in country, driven by the area’s growth and Florida’s strong economy,” Kerrigan said in the post.
“This transaction marks Kerrigan Advisors’ 23rd Honda dealership sold and 147th franchise sold in the South since our founding, further cementing our position as the leading sell-side advisor to high-value dealerships nationwide.”
The California Automotive Foundation is hosting a conference in October that’s designed to help build a stronger pipeline for the state’s automotive workforce.
With a theme of “Shifting Gears: Preparing for the Next Era of Automotive,” the majority of the event will be held Oct. 9 at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif., with supplemental training the following day at Palomar College in San Marcos.
The conference is a partnership between the California New Car Dealers Association Foundation, the Automotive Service Councils Educational Foundation, SDTechs and Mobilize Summit.
It comes at a time when there’s a shortage of roughly 5,000 automotive technicians at California dealerships, organizers say.
“The high turnout last year, and the feedback following that event, made clear that there is a strong need among stakeholders to meet regularly,” said Kim McPhaul, president of the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) Foundation.
“This conference brings together virtually anyone who has a stake in teaching and developing automotive workers in California,” McPhaul said.
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.
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