By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
Robert Burt, owner of the Honda of Princeton dealership on Route 206 in Montgomery, is expanding his Honda operation to his property just down the road, former home to his Saab franchise.
”The expansion of our new car business next door dictates that we move our used business to another facility,” Mr. Burt said Wednesday at the site.
The former Saab facility — the Saab franchise was sold in January to Fred Perrine’s Jamesburg-based GM dealership — will house a dedicated used Honda dealership, with the current Honda of Princeton site handling all new car sales exclusively, according to Mr. Burt, who also owns a Lotus dealership in Hopewell.
”We are also setting up our business development center here,” to handle Internet requests, he said. “With so many initial inquiries coming via the Internet, you really need a dedicated department with trained Internet personnel to deal with those inquiries,” he said.
The Honda facility for used cars will also be home to his dealership’s expanded service and repair facility, and its bulk storage of Honda parts for third-party shops, Mr. Burt said, noting the new facilities should improve efficiencies in these realms.
Honda of Princeton’s current staffing levels of 65 to 75, depending on the season, should increase to 90 or more after the expansion is completed, said Mr. Burt. He added that the hope is for used car sales volume to increase from the current 35 cars a month, to 60 or more cars a month at the new, dedicated facility. Current Honda of Princeton general manager Jim Christ will continue in that capacity at both operations.
”We’re in the process for obtaining site approval for the expansion of the original Honda facility,” Mr. Burt said. For the used car site, Honda needs to authorize the location and the facility before it can formally go forward, he said. “We are hoping that that approval is a matter of days away,” he said. “Within 30 days of approval we will be operational at some capacity,” he added.
The next step will be to remake the façade of the soon-to-be used Honda facility, Mr. Burt said. “We’re going to de-Saab it and Honda-ize it,” he said.
Mr. Burt called the expansion a great opportunity to pair his organization’s future growth with Honda’s and said he had no qualms about the timing of the expansion at a time of economic retrenchment and historically high gas prices. “Our new car sales are up about 12 percent this year despite the economic downturn,” he said.
Hondas are known for their fuel economy and holding their value for resale, Mr. Burt said. “For cost of ownership, which is the part that matters over the long run, Hondas are very very sensible cars,” he said.
”In light of the (economic) news it is a sign of wisdom to buy a Honda at this time,” said Mr. Christ.
