Kendall Auto Group hopes to add Hyundais to the roster of vehicles it sells in Lewiston.
The real estate where Wysup Hyundai is located at 1720 21st St. has been acquired by Kendall, said Dave Blewett, president of the auto group in Boise.
Acquiring the business is the next step, said Blewett, whose company has 33 dealerships in Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska, including five that were added in the last six months.
"We're in the process of trying to buy the Hyundai dealership right now. It's all pending factory approval."
The Hyundai dealership would be among those Kendall has acquired in north central Idaho in the last decade. Kendall entered the Lewiston market in 2004 by purchasing Lee Dinges Auto Center, which sold Dodges.
Other purchases include Vern Eide Motorcars - a Subaru and Chevrolet dealership in 2011; and Ambassador Auto - a Moscow Subaru dealership in September.
The latter was consolidated with Kendall's Lewiston Subaru dealership with the idea it would be expanded in 2015. Those plans are still being worked through, Blewett said.
Subaru factory architects are working on designs to see if a new showroom could be constructed with land that already belongs to Kendall adjacent to its Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Ram dealership at 1824 Main St., Blewett said. "We don't really know if that's going to work or not. We're looking at lots of different options."
Among the possibilities is acquiring nearby property where the Salvation Army was formerly housed at 1835 G St., which has a list price of $609,900.
"We're just looking at it," Blewett said. "We have not purchased it or negotiated to purchase it. We just know it's there and it's empty."
Asked if he was eyeing other dealerships in north central Idaho or southeastern Washington, Blewett said, "We're not looking to do anything else right now. We're just looking to solidify what we've got."
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Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.