Hudson Nissan marks first year in business in North Charleston on an upswing

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

Purchased by a Kentucky-based family operation, Hudson Nissan opened in Nov. 2007 at 7331 Rivers Avenue in North Charleston.

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

A 2009 Nissan Maxima spotlights the showroom at Hudson Nissan. The two-story building also has service and parts departments.

www.jamiesimpsonmarketing.com

South Carolina native and model Jamie Simpson is the popular spokesperson for Hudson Auto Group, including Hudson Nissan.

The initial trendy-but-hard-to-come-by GT-R had arrived at Hudson Nissan, and Tom Downing aimed to please the Kentucky-based buyer who had traded in a Porsche for the Japanese sports car.

The purchaser was eager to get the car right away, so general manager Downing came up with a solution — he would drive the GT-R through four states himself.

Undoubtedly, he didn’t mind motoring the sizzling Nissan that’s been named car of the year by at least two auto publications. But the impromptu trip also speaks to Hudson Nissan’s adherence to assisting the vehicle shopper and buyer.

In early Nov. 2007, a family-owned venture bought the former Northside Nissan dealership at 7331 Rivers Avenue. The company, Madisonville, Ky.-based Hudson Auto Group, kept employees while bringing in a new top manager. A year later, the renamed Hudson Nissan is in good shape, posting solid sales figures and boosting awareness.

“Certainly, for us it has been a great acquisition,” said David Hudson, managing member of Hudson Auto Group. “I took every interest to go Charleston. There are a lot of nice folks, a lot of good customers.” The local financial picture has helped. “The last 90 days, the economy has been trying,” he said. “Charleston has held up better than other locations.”

For the first time in five years, the dealership is at 100 percent “market share penetration,” which means it is selling at a pace on par with the regional average, said Downing, who commutes from his home at Hilton Head Island. The store set an all-time sales record in August.

Downing explained that the dealership has benefited from Nissan’s fortuitous rollout of fuel-efficient cars this year. The carmaker introduced the Versa and Rogue, and it revamped the sedan lineup of Ultima, Sentra and Maxima, at a time when gas prices spiked. “Nobody saw that coming,” he said.

Another plus has been Hudson Nissan’s customer service programs. The dealership offers a lifetime powertrain warranty, and it recently stocked 12 loaner cars that consumers can use when they bring their vehicles in for service.

Hudson Nissan employs 46 people in service, parts, sales and elsewhere. There’s experience: five sales professionals have more than 20 years combined selling Nissans. “It’s an emotional purchase (buying a car),” said Downing, “When you put it in the customer’s perspective, it’s huge.”

The dealership, just south of the intersection of Rivers and Ashley Phosphate Road, displays 300 new and used cars on the lot at any one time, and at least one vehicle, currently a 2009 Nissan Maxima, in the showroom.

Downing, who was involved with car dealerships in central Florida before joining Hudson Auto Group, said the company’s roots are a key factor in its success. Hudson Auto is “a family owned business that’s been around for 60 years,” he said. “They’ve got a long term vision.”

George R. “Hoolie” Hudson started a used car venture in 1948, eventually buying the Chevrolet-Oldsmobile outlet in the western Kentucky town of Providence. He grew the company over the years and in time set up a dealership in Madisonville, Ky. His son, Greg Hudson, joined the operation, then grandsons David and Andrew.

“The car business is in our blood,” Greg Hudson said in a brief company history on its Web site. “Dad knew how to treat people and I’d like to believe we’ve carried on his tradition of a friendly, laid-back approach to doing business.”

In his first big move with the company, David Hudson opened a Ford dealership a dozen years ago. Then in 2001, the business bought Beckley Auto Mall in Beckley, W.Va., adding a half dozen brands. Andrew Hudson runs the southern West Virginia store.

David Hudson has oversight of the North Charleston operation. While pleased overall, he said the company likely will make at least one change at Hudson Nissan in the upcoming year. That’s to expand the service center, which is not air conditioned and is running out of room. “We’re bursting at the seams in service,” he said.

Hudson, meanwhile, played a role in lining up model Jamie Simpson as company spokesperson. He was on a trip to North Carolina and noticed her face on billboards. The company arranged a meeting, and Simpson, who has a part on TBS network’s “Movie and a Makeover,” started the new gig in February of this year. She’s on TV ads, her photo is on the dealerships’ various Web site, and she’s even the “voice” when you are put on hold.

Men find the perky Simpson attractive, yet she “comes across real enough” that women aren’t put off by her, Hudson said. A native of the South Carolina Upstate, Simpson films some of the spots in the Charleston area, Downing said.

Hudson said he is bullish on the Charleston area — which he believes has a diverse employer base — and is quite satisfied with Hudson Nissan. Still the company would like to grow locally, “if the right opportunity comes up.”

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com

HUDSON AUTO GROUP

Headquarters: Madisonville, Ky.

Founded: 1948, by George R. “Hoolie” Hudson.

Family executives: Greg Hudson and sons David and Andrew Hudson.

Locations: Madisonville, Ky. (2); Beckley, W. Va.; North Charleston.

Brands: Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ford, Acura, Buick, GMC, Pontiac, Suzuki.

Local entry: Bought the former Northside Nissan at 7331 Rivers Ave. in Nov. 2007, renaming it Hudson Nissan.

Hudson Nissan

General manager: Tom Downing.

Employees: 46.

Cars on lot: 300.

Service bays: 12.

Phone: (843) 553-1000.

Web site: www.myhudsonnissan.com>