Darcars Automotive Group

About Darcars Automotive Group

12210 Cherry Hill Rd., Silver Spring, Md. 20904
www.darcars.com | 301-622-0300 | Founded: 1977

Industry: Retail | Category: Top Private Companies

Last year was a period of continued strength for Darcars, a Washington area mega-dealer.
Darcars was founded by John R. Darvish in 1977 as a Chrysler dealership. In 2005, the company said it topped the billion-dollar mark in revenue for a second year.
In 2005, new car sales at Darcars were strong, said Michael Hancheruk, chief financial officer. He said the company also was lifted by "a little bit of growth" in other business areas, including used cars, body shop and service. The private company won't disclose its profit.
Hancheruk said the company continues to invest in renovations. Last year, Darcars completed an expansion of its Marlow Heights store, which sells the Ford-owned Lincoln and Mercury brands.
A key to success for Darcars has been to offer many brands, keeping the company insulated from the ups and downs of individual automakers. "We are lucky that we are a broad-based organization," Hancheruk said. "We are not tied to one or two manufacturers."
He predicted auto companies will keep sales strong by continuing to offer customers incentives to buy. Darcars is the region's No. 1 seller of vehicles from Toyota, which Hancheruk described as a "very strong franchise." Darcars is "bullish on Toyota," he said. Hancheruk said Darcars has limited exposure to General Motors Corp., which is suffering under financial pressures in Detroit. He also said he wasn't worried about financial troubles at Ford Motor Co.
"I certainly wouldn't buy Ford stock," he said, "but I would own a Ford dealership."

2005 Financial Data

Revenues: $1,059,083,000
Total employees: 2,025 | Local employees: 1,937