Saturn of Gwinnett closes, says it won’t reopen

Without warning, Saturn of Gwinnett closed its doors Monday, posting signs directing customers to contact other Saturn dealerships in Decatur, Marietta and North Fulton.

The Gwinnett dealership is owned by Indiana-based Kelley Automotive Group, which has about a dozen franchises mainly in the Midwest. There were about 50 cars remaining on the Gwinnett lot Tuesday. The office windows were covered. A phone recording states that the dealership will not reopen and directs those with cars on the premises to leave a message with contact information.

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Vino Wong / vwong@ajc.com

Saturn of Gwinnett shut down this week and said it wouldn’t reopen.

Messages left with officials at Kelley’s Fort Wayne headquarters were not returned. The action comes on the heels of parent company General Motors’ announcement late last year plans to reduce the number of dealerships across the country. As part of its federal loan package, the company has set a goal of trimming its more than 6,000 dealerships by 1,675 within two years.

Last year in Georgia, more than a dozen new-car dealerships closed shop. One of the nation’s largest Chevrolet dealers, Bill Heard Enterprises, closed 14 of its dealerships in September, including four metro Atlanta locations. Other local casualties include Marietta Dodge and Team Chrysler in Lithia Springs and Premier Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Decatur.

Lee Burdett, operations director at Saturn of Marietta, said his dealership was not notfied that it would be named as a referral from the Gwinnett Saturn franchise.

“We have received a few calls, and from what I understand so have the other Saturn stores,” Burdett said.

All Saturn centers are independent franchises, but some dealers in metro Atlanta have more than one lot. Saturn of Thornton Road in Lithia Springs, which closed in December, was owned by Elwyn Bridges and consolidated into his Marietta operation.

Likewise, when Bill Whitmire’s Saturn of Conyers dealership closed last year, he had three other metro Saturn dealerships to absorb the assets.