Italian sports cars, dealerships coming to New River Auto Mall

Two dealerships featuring Italian cars will take up residence in Hardeeville’s New River Auto Mall.

Coastal States Automotive Group — which owns the auto mall — has acquired the franchise rights to Alfa Romeo and Maserati, according to company spokeswoman Jill Jauch.

Alfa Romeo’s racing roots are over 100 years old, according to the compay’s website. Maserati has also been around for over a century — Americans might recognize the name from Joe Walsh’s late-1970s hit “Life’s Been Good.” “My Maserati does 185. I lost my license, now I don’t drive,” is the song’s famous line.

Both companies’ cars have appeared in the international Formula One racing league.

The addition of the dealerships will follow the forthcoming relocation of Vaden Nissan of Hilton Head and Infiniti of Hilton Head from the auto mall to Buckwalter Business Park off U.S. 278 in Bluffton.

Vaden Automotive Group owns the Nissan and Infiniti dealerships and says it expects to receive its permit to begin construction within a week, Vaden spokeswoman Lora Gunsallus wrote in an email to The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette on Monday night.

Gunsallus said construction of the Nissan and Infiniti dealerships is anticipated to be completed in January 2017. “Both dealerships are projected to move out of the New River Auto Mall and into their new location in January 2017,” she said.

Bluffton growth management director Kendra Lelie said Monday that the final development plan for the site had not yet been approved.

“There are outstanding comments that the applicant must address before a Development Permit is issued,” Lelie wrote in an email to the newspapers Tuesday. She added that a tree removal permit was issued March 22 “to permit the removal of trees necessary for the construction of the dealerships.”

Coastal States Automotive Group leases the current buildings in the auto mall to the Vaden Infiniti and Nissan dealerships.

When the Infiniti dealership relocates to Buckwalter Business Park, Coastal will tear down that building and construct a new one to house Audi Hilton Head, which currently shares a building in the mall with Hilton Head Volkswagen, according to Jauch.

When the Nissan dealership moves, Coastal will remodel the existing building for the new Alfa Romeo of Hilton Head and Maserati of Hilton Head dealerships.

The projected inventory for both new dealership is $2 million, according to Jauch.

Gunsallus said Vaden Nissan’s inventory will consist of approximately 300 new and used cars, and Infiniti of Hilton Head will have about 100 new and used cars available.

This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Italian sports cars, dealerships coming to New River Auto Mall."