DAVID WILSON
CEO, WILSON AUTOMOTIVE GROUP
WHY: Owner of Orange County’s largest group of automotive dealerships. Closed on his company’s biggest deal: the sale of two OC area Lexus dealerships to Houston-based Group 1 Automotive Inc. (NYSE: GPI).
IN THE NEWS: Group 1 Automotive taking over Newport Lexus and Tustin Lexus giving the Houston-based company 10 dealerships in California, including Mercedes-Benz of Anaheim and Toyota of Anaheim.
NOTABLE: Anaheim-based Wilson Automotive Group reported Newport Lexus and Tustin Lexus, the two dealerships sold to Group 1 Automotive, combined for $280 million in sales for the 12-month period ending June 2023.
QUOTABLE: “Wilson purchased his first dealership, Toyota of Orange, in 1985 after being its general manager for three years. He now counts 16 dealers in his portfolio with annual sales totaling around $3.4 billion following the sale.” — The Business Journal’s coverage of the dealership sale, March 4, 2024
