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June 27, 2008
No sooner did I blog the decision by Speedcraft to close its Chrysler-Dodge dealership, than Paul Bailey Chrysler-Dodge takes out an ad in the South County edition of The Providence Journal welcoming “the customers of the former Speedcraft Chrysler-Dodge.
“We invite you to bring your vehicles to our totally renovated facility in North Kingstown for service, maintenance and collision repairs,” the ad reads.
Actually, Speedcraft general manager Harry Garabedian said the Chrysler-Dodge service department will remain open to service customers.
Speedcraft may lose some customers, but it would probably not begrudge Bailey the business. Speedcraft, after all, has just made over its Volkswagen dealership and that is where its focus is now directed.
And with five new models coming out this year, including the exciting clean diesels Jettas, there is good reason to believe that VW sales will be up as the year progresses.
But what of Chrysler?
The company is crippled with almost no small cars at a time when they are what people want, and has been offering all sorts of promotions – including the famous $2.99 a gallon gasoline for 12,000 miles for three years – in face of awful sales declines and rumors of imminent bankruptcy.
So good luck to owner Maureen Bailey and general manager Larry Cronin, good folks we profiled back in February of last year. I fear they may need it.
- Peter C.T. Elsworth
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 1:03 PM to Local dealerships
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