The Presidio Group Advises on Volkswagen of Murrieta Sale
The Presidio Group LLC, an independent merchant banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and investments across automotive retail and consumer mobility, has announced that it exclusively advised Hendrick Automotive Group on the sale of Volkswagen of Murrieta in Murrieta, California, to Spreen Automotive Group. The transaction included both the dealership business and its associated real estate and officially closed on October 19, 2026.
The transaction marks another development in the ongoing consolidation and strategic repositioning of the U.S. automotive dealership industry. As dealership groups continue to evaluate their portfolios, acquisitions and divestitures are increasingly being used to strengthen regional market positions, introduce new vehicle brands, and allocate resources toward long-term business objectives.
For Hendrick Automotive Group, the sale represents a strategic portfolio decision as the company continues to expand and refine its extensive dealership network. For Spreen Automotive Group, the acquisition provides an opportunity to enter the Volkswagen retail segment while further strengthening its position in Southern California.
The Presidio Group played a central role in facilitating the transaction, bringing together two established automotive retail organizations with complementary strategic interests. Its advisory services helped support the sale process and the transition of the dealership to its new ownership.
Hendrick Automotive Group Continues Strategic Portfolio Management
Hendrick Automotive Group is one of the largest and most recognized automotive dealership organizations in the United States. The company operates a substantial network of dealerships and has built its reputation through its focus on customer service, employee development, and long-term relationships within the automotive industry.
The sale of Volkswagen of Murrieta reflects the company’s continued efforts to manage its dealership portfolio strategically. While dealership groups frequently pursue acquisitions to expand their presence, divestitures can also play an important role in ensuring that their operations remain aligned with their broader business priorities.
By selling the Murrieta Volkswagen dealership and its related real estate, Hendrick is making a portfolio adjustment while continuing to pursue opportunities elsewhere in the automotive retail market.
Jeffrey “JB” Brown, president of Hendrick Automotive Group, emphasized the importance of finding a buyer whose business values aligned with those of the selling organization. He noted that understood Hendrick’s culture and recognized the importance of identifying a buyer committed to employees, customers, and the local community.
According to Brown, Presidio’s extensive relationships throughout the automotive retail industry helped connect Hendrick with an organization that shared similar priorities. The firm’s experience in dealership transactions also helped support a process designed to benefit the parties involved.
Brown expressed appreciation for the employees who contributed to Volkswagen of Murrieta’s success, recognizing their dedication and hard work. He also praised for its professionalism, collaboration, and attention throughout the transaction.
The emphasis on employees and customer relationships highlights an important consideration in dealership ownership changes. Beyond financial and operational factors, successful transactions often depend on continuity, workforce stability, and maintaining the confidence of existing customers.
Spreen Automotive Group Expands Its Southern California Presence
For Spreen Automotive Group, acquiring Volkswagen of Murrieta represents an opportunity to broaden its brand portfolio and strengthen its presence in a competitive automotive market.
The addition of Volkswagen introduces a new vehicle brand to Spreen’s growing dealership network. It also provides the company with an established retail operation in Murrieta, a Southern California market that offers opportunities to serve customers seeking passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and other Volkswagen products.
Jeff Spreen, CEO of Spreen Automotive Group, said the company was enthusiastic about adding Volkswagen to its portfolio. He highlighted the brand’s established customer base and expressed optimism about its future prospects.
Spreen also emphasized the importance of building on the dealership’s existing achievements rather than approaching the acquisition as an entirely new operation. The company intends to welcome Volkswagen of Murrieta’s employees and customers into its organization while continuing to develop the business.
The acquisition follows several other transactions involving Spreen and Hendrick Automotive Group. Spreen previously acquired an Acura dealership in Riverside, California, and a Honda dealership in Corona, California, from Hendrick. More recently, Spreen also purchased a Subaru dealership in San Bernardino, California.
Together, these transactions illustrate Spreen’s efforts to expand its Southern California footprint through dealership acquisitions. The addition of Volkswagen further diversifies its operations across different automotive manufacturers and customer segments.
A broader brand portfolio can provide dealership groups with several strategic advantages, including access to different customer demographics, multiple vehicle categories, and additional opportunities for service and parts revenue. However, each acquisition also requires effective integration, workforce management, and continued investment in customer experience.
Spreen’s stated focus on the existing Volkswagen of Murrieta team suggests that maintaining operational continuity will be an important part of the ownership transition.
Volkswagen of Murrieta Provides an Established Retail Operation
Volkswagen of Murrieta was the dealership at the center of the transaction. Located in Murrieta, California, the business serves customers in the surrounding Southern California region.
The sale included the dealership’s related real estate, making it a transaction involving both the operating business and the property associated with its location. Including real estate in dealership transactions can be an important consideration for buyers and sellers because the property is closely connected to the dealership’s long-term operations.
For a buyer, acquiring an established dealership can provide a quicker route into a market than developing a new facility and building a customer base from the ground up. An existing operation may already have an established workforce, customer relationships, service capabilities, and local market recognition.
For Spreen, Volkswagen of Murrieta offers an opportunity to build on an existing retail platform while incorporating the business into its wider dealership network.
The transition also places importance on preserving the relationships that have helped the dealership succeed. Employees with knowledge of local customers and operating practices can contribute to a smoother change in ownership. Similarly, customers benefit when dealership operations and service relationships remain dependable during a transition.
Although the transaction changes ownership, the parties’ public statements emphasize the value of the dealership’s existing team and the importance of continuing its established success.
The Presidio Group’s Role in the Dealership Transaction
The Presidio Group served as the exclusive M&A adviser to Hendrick Automotive Group through Presidio Merchant Partners LLC, its wholly owned investment bank.
The firm focuses on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and investments in automotive retail and consumer mobility. Its specialized industry experience allows it to advise dealership operators on strategic transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, and portfolio restructuring.
In automotive retail, transaction advisers can help sellers evaluate potential buyers, coordinate the transaction process, facilitate negotiations, and work with legal and other professional advisers to move a deal toward completion.
Identifying the right buyer is particularly important when a dealership has a strong local presence and an established workforce. A suitable buyer must consider not only the financial terms of an acquisition but also the dealership’s operating requirements and its potential fit within the buyer’s existing business.
George Karolis, president of The Presidio Group, highlighted the importance of long-standing industry relationships in facilitating successful transactions.
Karolis described Hendrick Automotive Group as one of the most respected organizations in automotive retail and said was honored to represent the company in the sale. He also noted that strategic portfolio management is becoming an increasingly important factor in dealership M&A activity.
According to Karolis, the dealership transaction market continues to present opportunities for operators to refine their portfolios, improve their market positions, and pursue growth through acquisitions and divestitures.
Presidio’s involvement in the Murrieta transaction demonstrates how specialized advisory firms can help established dealership groups execute strategic changes while connecting sellers with buyers whose objectives align with the opportunity.
Long-Standing Industry Relationships Support M&A Activity
Jason Stein, managing director at The Presidio Group, also emphasized the importance of relationships in the automotive retail sector.
Stein said he had known Rick Hendrick and Jeff Brown for many years, describing the relationships as being built on mutual respect and a shared appreciation for the industry.
He characterized the opportunity to work with Hendrick Automotive Group again as a privilege and expressed satisfaction with helping the company achieve its objectives through the transaction.
His comments underscore a defining feature of automotive dealership M&A: the importance of trust and familiarity among business owners, advisers, and potential buyers.
Dealership transactions can involve complex financial, operational, and real estate considerations. Industry knowledge and established relationships can help advisers understand the priorities of each party and identify potential opportunities that may not be immediately apparent through a conventional sales process.
Long-term relationships can also contribute to more effective communication throughout negotiations, helping stakeholders navigate the process while keeping their strategic goals in focus.
As dealership groups continue to adjust their networks, advisers with specialized industry knowledge are positioned to support transactions involving a wide range of brands, geographic markets, and ownership structures.
Dealership Consolidation and Strategic Growth in Automotive Retail
The sale of Volkswagen of Murrieta reflects broader developments in the U.S. automotive dealership sector, where operators regularly assess opportunities to expand, diversify, or reposition their businesses.
Dealership ownership decisions are influenced by several factors, including regional demand, manufacturer relationships, brand representation, operating costs, real estate considerations, and long-term growth plans.
Acquisitions allow dealership groups to enter new markets or strengthen existing operations. Divestitures, meanwhile, can help businesses concentrate on selected markets or redirect capital and management resources toward other opportunities.
For buyers, an acquisition can offer access to an established customer base and an operating business. For sellers, a transaction can provide a way to realize value from a dealership while maintaining focus on other strategic priorities.
The Murrieta transaction brings these considerations together. Hendrick has completed a sale as part of its ongoing portfolio management, while Spreen has added a new brand and an established dealership to its Southern California operations.
The deal also demonstrates the importance of real estate in automotive retail transactions. Dealership facilities are integral to sales, vehicle servicing, parts operations, and customer interactions. Consequently, the transfer of related property can form a significant component of an acquisition.
While the parties have not disclosed financial terms, the transaction provides a clear example of how dealership operators use M&A to adjust their portfolios and pursue business objectives.
Legal Advisers Support Both Parties
The transaction involved legal representation for both the seller and the buyer.
Brian Nolen of Nolen PLLC served as legal counsel to Hendrick Automotive Group, while Mitchell Burger of Cliff LLP represented Spreen Automotive Group.
Legal advisers play an important role in dealership acquisitions and divestitures by helping parties address contractual requirements, ownership transfers, real estate arrangements, and other matters associated with completing a transaction.
When a deal includes both a dealership business and its associated property, the legal work may involve coordinating the transfer of multiple assets and ensuring that the relevant agreements reflect the parties’ intentions.
The involvement of separate legal advisers allowed each organization to receive professional guidance throughout the transaction process.
Hendrick and Spreen
The sale of Volkswagen of Murrieta represents a strategic development for both automotive retail organizations.
Hendrick Automotive Group continues to manage its extensive dealership network through a combination of growth initiatives and portfolio decisions. The transaction illustrates how established dealership operators can sell individual businesses while continuing to pursue broader corporate objectives.
Spreen Automotive Group, meanwhile, gains a Volkswagen dealership in Murrieta and further strengthens its presence across Southern California. Its previous acquisitions involving Acura, Honda, and Subaru demonstrate an ongoing effort to expand its operations across multiple brands.
The success of the transition will depend on integrating the dealership into Spreen’s organization while maintaining the customer relationships and employee expertise that supported its existing performance.
For The Presidio Group, the transaction reinforces its role as a specialized adviser to automotive retail businesses navigating ownership changes and strategic portfolio decisions.
The deal closed on October 19, with Presidio Merchant Partners LLC providing exclusive M&A advisory services to Hendrick Automotive Group. Although financial details were not disclosed, the transaction highlights the continuing importance of strategic acquisitions, divestitures, and established industry relationships in shaping the U.S. dealership landscape.
As automotive retail operators continue to evaluate their market positions, transactions such as the sale of Volkswagen of Murrieta are likely to remain an important mechanism for expanding brand portfolios, refining dealership networks, and supporting long-term business strategies.
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