D.C. can wave goodbye to its last traditional car dealership. Ourisman Volkswagen is burning rubber for a new, roomier home in Bethesda.
This will come about in March, when Ourisman closes up shop in Upper Northwest, The Washington Post reports.
That will leave the new world order Tesla store on K Street NW as the only place in D.C. to buy a new car (online, as it were, however).
It will be the first time in more than 100 years that D.C. doesn’t have a traditional car dealership in its clutches. In years past, the District had as many as 40 new car dealerships, according to the Washington Area New Auto Dealers Association.
D.C.’s recent retail and residential boom may be partly to blame for the loss. New car dealers need a lot of room, and room in D.C. is at a premium.
“Land is at a premium in many urban environments,” Steven Szakaly, chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers Association, told the Post. “Dealer profit margins are pretty slim. Hotels, retail spaces, their margins are much higher. That makes it hard for car dealers to stay in places like D.C.”
