This week, Inland Valley Buick Pontiac GMC in San Bernardino unexpectedly closed its doors after being in business since the 1970’s. This abrupt cease of operations took place Monday morning, and made Inland Valley the sixth Inland dealership that closed its doors this year.
Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at auto research firm Edmunds in Santa Monica, stated that dealerships are not being able to get lines of credit to buy more vehicles for their lots, and at the same time, buyers are not coming to their lots. “The dealerships are getting hit from both sides”, Caldwell said. According to her, regions that experienced fast growth in recent years, such as the Inland area, are now more susceptible to these kind of consumer spending pullbacks. With people losing their jobs and income, it’s understandable that purchases of durable items, such as cars, are being put off until further notice.
The Inland Valley Buick Pontiac GMC had 50 employees, which means 50 more people will be facing layoffs and possible bankruptcy filings in the near future. Other closed dealerships in the Inland Empire include ones in Colton, Loma Linda and San Bernardino.
For loyal customers that live nearby, whether coming from Fontana, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, Moreno Valley, or even Corona, the economy has forced them to shop elsewhere for that new or used car — that is, assuming they can even afford one these days.
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