A Maryland-based dealership group has acquired Matt Slap Subaru on Newark’s Cleveland Avenue auto row.
Ourisman Automotive Group announced the purchase on its LinkedIn Page and covered over Matt Slap signage as part of the ownership change. The company is based in Bowie, MD
The dealership is now known as Ourisman Tri-State Subau. Ourisman also has a Ford dealership in Rising Sun, MD, under the Tri-State brand.
Ourisman has dealerships in Virginia, Maryland and now Delaware that offer brands ranging from Chevrolet to Lotus.
Some Outrisman dealerships are under 90% ownership by Graham Holdings, a publicly traded conglomerate that once owned the Washington Post, with the Ourisman family owning the remaining share and managing those dealerships. It was not immediately known if Graham was involved in the Matt Slap transaction.
Ourisman has aggressively acquired dealerships as non-chain stores like Matt Slap become fewer in number.
A non-group Jeep-Ram-Dodge dealership on Newark’s auto row is now owned by southern Delaware-based ig Burton. Another southern Delaware dealership group, Hertrich, acquired a Nissan franchise from Porter on auto row.
Group ownership allows shoppers to view large inventories of new and used cars online. Sometimes vehicles are purchased without a visit to the dealership, a trend that gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Matt Slap dealership grew over the years as Subaru, which has its US headquarters in southern New Jersey, became a mainstream brand featuring a unique blend of all-wheel-drive cars, crossovers, and smaller performance cars.
Subaru, which is partly owned by Toyota, broadened its niche over the years as its vehicles grew in popularity beyond college towns and cold weather areas like New England.
