Sluggish sales were no different in Fresno, especially compared to Wilson\u2019s other two luxury car dealerships in Porsche and BMW.<\/p>\n
But when Wilson made efforts to sell the local Audi dealership and found a buyer, Audi nixed the sale, he said, a move that ultimately forced the local Audi operation to shut down.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a few years, they put a restriction that I was not allowed to sell,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cI was not allowed to use a broker. They want to take the store out. Through lawyers, I reached an agreement to sell it. But the restriction was that if I presented someone, and they didn\u2019t approve, I lost the store.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was only allowed a few weeks to find a buyer and complete a sale. I presented a qualified buyer. They rejected the deal. Store gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
C.J. Wilson, a former major league baseball player who moved to Fresno to run three luxury auto dealerships, is moving his business to Clovis. <\/p>\n
The loss of an Audi dealership has meant no new Audi vehicles are available for purchase locally.<\/p>\n
There are a limited number of used Audi vehicles still for sale in the Fresno area, including at Wilson\u2019s Porsche Fresno dealership.<\/p>\n
But Wilson also admits: \u201cIt was tough to sell Audis, and impossible to sell electric Audis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consumers who are likely most impacted are folks who bought or leased an Audi in recent years, and their vehicles remain under warranty or with an extended service plan (on average costs $3,000).<\/p>\n
Such owners are now forced to drive 100-plus miles to the nearest Audi dealerships, either in Modesto or Bakersfield, for service needs covered under Audi\u2019s warranty and programs.<\/p>\n
Steven Diebert, who\u2019s owned Audi vehicles for the past 40 years, bought a new Audi A5 in September.<\/p>\n
He said he loves the vehicle, enjoyed the buying process at Audi Fresno, but already is suffering buyer\u2019s remorse.<\/p>\n
He said he was notified on Nov. 14 via email that the Audi Fresno dealership shut down and the Porsche dealership, which shared the same facility as Audi Fresno, would not be servicing Audi vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a true disservice,\u201d Diebert said. \u201cI can tell you for sure that I would not have bought that car had I known there was even a chance there would not be a local Audi dealership one-and-a-half months later.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re expecting people to find time to drive 100 miles one way, wait for their vehicle to be serviced \u2014 and who knows how long those things take \u2014 then drive another 100 miles back home, and it\u2019s not supposed to be that big of a deal?\u201d<\/p>\n
Multiple messages left with Audi America were not returned.<\/p>\n