BOARDMAN Taylor Olds begins changeover to Toyota

The dealer is expecting big sales from his new car line.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
BOARDMAN -- Car dealer Jeff Taylor has added Toyota vehicles as he prepares for the elimination of the Oldsmobile line that his family has sold for decades.
"A year ago, we were on the outside looking in, and now we are fortunate to have one of the best franchises around," Taylor said.
He took over the local Toyota franchise last month from Park Toyota, 7975 Market St. He is operating Taylor Toyota from that site for now but hopes to move in December.
His plan is to locate his Kia dealership in that building and move the Toyota dealership to his $1 million dealership that he built on Market Street in 2000, just before General Motors announced it was killing the Oldsmobile line.
Taylor was stunned by that announcement because it put in jeopardy the dealership that his father, Emmet, started in 1965. He spent a lot of time looking for another car line before settling on Kia, a South Korean automaker.
Business plan
Moving the Kia dealership to the other side of Market Street makes sense because Kia wants its dealerships in stand-alone sites, he said. The Toyota line is expected to do enough business to fill up the larger showroom and service bays at the new building, he said.
Taylor will continue to sell Oldsmobiles along with Toyotas. The Oldsmobile line is expected to end in a couple years.
Taylor said Toyota thinks the dealership has the potential to sell 1,000 new cars and trucks a month. He had been selling about 500 new Oldsmobiles a month when the dealership was located in Austintown.
The only other Toyota dealership in the Mahoning Valley is Warren Toyota.
"There are General Motors dealerships on every corner," Taylor said. "Toyota protects their dealers and demands they perform."
Expanding offerings
Toyota continues to expand its product offerings, which will help sales, Taylor said. Toyota has 19 models of cars and trucks and is adding more.
The Toyota opportunity arose because the owners of Park Toyota wanted to leave this market so they could focus on expanding their Acura and Honda dealerships in Akron, he said.
Taylor said he retained all the Park employees who wanted to stay and now employs about 40 people at both locations.
shilling@vindy.com