Ford dealership opens doors in Anderson

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) - Anderson hasn't had a Ford dealership for years. The new owner of Ford Autoworld believes she is filling a void for Anderson residents.

Autoworld President, Mary Jamerson is counting on product loyalty to make her dealership successful. It's one of only a few new dealerships in the country opening during this tough economic climate. She invested $3.5 million and will employ 30-35 people. She said the time is right to open a dealership because customers can get great deals.

"As the Wall Street Journal reported recently, this is the best affordability index for people to buy cars in 28 years and our brands fall into that," said Jamerson.

She also owns the GM dealership right next door. She doesn't believe that the two dealerships will have to compete with each other.

"We've already built a strong base of domestic loyalty. We feel it will compliment as opposed to compete," said Jamerson.

But the auto industry is on shaky ground and there's word that GM may stop manufacturing Pontiacs. Jamerson said she hasn't received notice yet.

"We let Washington and Detroit worry about the issues they need to deal with. We focus on internal dynamics we have control over and that's been a winning formula for us," she said.

The dealer just opened Thursday. So far, one truck has been sold. The dealership will celebrate their grand opening later in May.