Oremor Automotive Group, the new owner of the Lexus dealership in Woodland Hills, said it plans to build a larger showroom to replace the existing one. Oremor, which owns car dealerships in Ontario, Glendale and the Central Valley, purchased the former Vista Lexus location at 21611 Ventura Blvd. from Vista Auto on Dec. 5 for an undisclosed amount. The Ontario-based company renamed the business Lexus of Woodland Hills. R.J. Romero, CEO of Oremor, said the new Lexus building will be designed to meet the manufacturer’s standards for quality and comfort. Details are unavailable, because the project is still in the early planning stages with the City of Los Angeles, he said. Attempts to reach Vista Auto President Jon Shuken were unsuccessful. Vista is a family-owned car dealer with Ford and Lincoln stores in Woodland Hills and Oxnard and a Honda dealership in Ventura. Romero said the acquisition fits in with the Oremor’s expansion strategy, which targets locations with long-term potential. “When you look at the demographics of the market there is a lot of affluence in the area,” he said. “Not just in Woodland Hills, but in the surrounding area.” The Lexus dealership currently employs about 68 people, Romero said, noting many stayed on after the ownership change. Additional employees will be hired once the new building opens, he said, but it’s too early to say how many jobs will be created. The Woodland Hills dealer is the second of the Lexus brand that Oremor operates. The other is in Fresno. Lexus sales have been weak in California during 2011, according to figures from the California New Car Dealers Association. In the third quarter, 8,073 new Lexus vehicles were sold. That is an 11.3 percent drop from 9,105 sales in the third quarter of 2010. Through the first nine months of the year, Lexus had a 2.6 percent market share in California, a slight drop from the 3.4 percent market share for the same period in 2010, the association reported.
Oremor Automotive Group Drives Into Woodland Hills
