In late 2021 and early 2022, RDS Automotive Group acquired brands from both ends of the spectrum.
The luxury group bought a rare Ferrari dealership as well as a volume Nissan dealership.
After buying Algar Ferrari of Bryn Mawr from Aleks Vekselberg on Dec. 23, RDS Automotive of Newtown Square, Pa. Bryn Mawr is north of Philly.
According to its website, Vekselberg bought the dealership in 2012. The store is from 1964.
RDS Automotive renamed Ferrari Philadelphia.
According to Automotive News’ annual dealership census, there were only 14 exclusive Ferrari dealerships and 46 franchises nationwide on Jan. 1.
According to RDS President Robert DiStanislao, “we wanted that brand to round out our stable of manufacturers.”
RDS also has dealerships in suburban Philadelphia, Connecticut, and Southern California.
Since buying Lamborghini and McLaren dealerships in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, Calif., in 2017, DiStanislao said RDS Automotive had not acquired a Ferrari.
On Dec. 28, RDS sold Alfa Romeo Newport Beach in Costa Mesa to MCA MIT 2 LLC, just days after purchasing the Ferrari dealership.. Locally, Irvine Alfa Romeo moved to nearby Irvine.
Buying Nissan
RDS Automotive acquired Devon Nissan in Pennsylvania on Jan. 31, its first mass-market brand acquisition.
DiStanislao says the group bought the store from Silverio. Nissan of the Main Line renamed. Devon is also NW of Philly.
The original plan was for DiStanislao to buy the dealership and sell used supercars from it.
DiStanislao changed his mind after meeting with Nissan executives, who impressed him with the brand’s commitment to electric vehicles.
“I love the product line,” DiStanislao said. “The Titan is awesome. The Rogue is fantastic. The Maxima is fantastic. For our customers, the cars have just hit incredible value. That 70,000-mile Audi A4 is no longer necessary. I could offer them a new Sentra or Altima.”
Aside from acquisitions, RDS has been busy building.
This includes a Lamborghini and Bugatti dealership in Irvine. In the fall, DiStanislao says, it will open a new facility for McLaren, Koenigsegg and Pininfarina.
At RDS’s Lamborghini Greenwich grand opening in Connecticut in late 2021, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann was in attendance. From the group’s Maserati dealership in Devon, Lamborghini Philadelphia will relocate in June. It’s in Devon too.
Nearby, RDS’ Porsche of the Main Line dealership in Newtown Square will relocate to an 86,000-square-foot, four-story building. Also in June, a new dealership.
The RDS Automotive standalone dealership, which will be located on the same campus as the Porsche dealership, will also be awarded an open point by Lotus and is expected to open late this summer.