Withnell Dodge/Ram Sells Dealership to Roberson Motors Inc.

SALEM- The Withnell Dodge/Ram car dealership at 2650 Commercial Street SE has closed and is changing owners effective March 1, 2023.

The dealership has been in the Salem community since 1980 but will be replaced by Roberson Motors. 

A Facebook post by owner David Withnell alerted followers of the impending sale of the business. 

“This was in the works for a little while as it takes a long time for these things to transpire,” owner David Withnell said. “It was just the dodge and ram franchise that was sold. The motor company is still in existence, it’ll just be Withnell Hyundai.” 

Roberson Motors now has all Stellantis Corporation motor vehicle divisions under their brand including Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram. Their original location is at 3100 Ryan Dr. SE and will now operate the second location on Commercial Street.

“It was brought upon by the pressure from the manufacture to have all of their car divisions under one rooftop,” Withnell said. “Stellantis wanted Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, and Ram in one consolidated unit. The second issue was that the facility requirements for their electric vehicle platforms were going to be significant for these upgrades.”

The Withnell family had originally purchased the dealership from Teague Motors, who had first started selling cars from the property in 1967. Dick Withnell (David’s father) became the sales manager in 1973 before buying the dealership seven years later. 

Dick Withnell sold the business to David and his wife Lora in 2002.

“My wife and I are very pleased that Mike and Brett Roberson have purchased the Dodge/Ram franchise,” David Withnell said in a press release. “They are a very well-run family dealership, like ourselves, and we believe they will treat our customers and employees with the utmost respect while providing exceptional service.”  

The transition has been seamless some of the employees transitioned to working for Roberson or the Withnell Hyundai dealership.

“The biggest factor for me was the buyer in Mike Roberson,” Withnell said. “We are a family-run business, and they share the same values in how they treat their employees and customers as we do. Robersons is a new building on Mission street and it’s a bigger lot and more apt to handle the consolidation than I would ever be.”

Warranties that were purchased through Withnell will still be honored by Roberson. 

“The same customers we’ve served are going to be taken care of,” Withnell said. “We’d like to thank our customers for all their patronage over the past 43 years.”

The property at 2650 Commercial St SE is still owned by Dick Withnell with no concrete plans on what that space will be used for.