Wilson Automotive is on the highway to $4 billion.
David Wilson’s namesake automotive group generated $3.8 billion in 2025 revenue across its 18 dealerships in the U.S. and Mexico — and this year, the Orange-based business is on track to reach a record $4.2 billion.
The recent customer demand for hybrid vehicles has driven growth in the last couple of years, Wilson, 78, told the Business Journal.
“We’ve had the inventory that people want,” he said. “What the public wants is hybrid vehicle range.”
From acquiring a top-performing Toyota franchise in the 80s to opening the first Lexus dealership at the automaker’s request, Wilson has seen his share of what customers want. And right now, customers are “all about” hybrid vehicles, he said.
While government incentives and regulations pushed automakers toward electric vehicles, Wilson said Toyota Motor Corp. took a more disciplined approach versus many competitors. The manufacturer did not “drink the electric Kool-Aid” too early, he noted.
Out of Wilson’s 18 dealerships, 10 sell Toyota vehicles. Thanks to Toyota’s lineup of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), more than 60% of the cars Wilson Automotive sells are hybrids. Only 3% are electric, he added.
Claremont Toyota is currently the biggest dealership in Wilson’s portfolio by sales, followed by the Riverside and Orange locations.
With revenue of $3.8 billion, Wilson’s firm is the eighth largest privately-owned company in Orange County (see list, page 20).
Not a Very Good Mechanic
Wilson got his start in the automotive industry as a nighttime mechanic while still attending the University of Northern Iowa, although he admits he wasn’t a very good one. His last mistake was forgetting to replace the plug in the oil pan of a telephone company van, which ruined the engine.
After asking for a chance to sell cars instead, Wilson found his knack for sales and became a manager after graduation.
Wilson stayed for one more year until he moved to Phoenix and started again as a salesman at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership; six years later, he owned it. When another Lincoln dealership in Anaheim went up for sale, he sold the shop and traveled to Orange County to check it out.
When he decided against buying the location, Wilson was then offered the role of general manager at Toyota of Orange by the owner in 1982. He also had the option to acquire 25% of the business — which he did.
Then in 1985, Wilson purchased the rest of the Toyota dealership. It was the second largest Toyota franchise in the U.S. at the time, which led the Japanese automaker to approach Wilson in 1990 to open the first dealership for its debut luxury vehicle, Lexus.
“I was nervous because I’d only owned the Toyota dealership for a couple years, had a lot of debt and had never seen a Lexus,” Wilson said. “A luxurious Toyota — some people thought that was an oxymoron.”
Wilson opened Tustin Lexus as his second dealership in California. More than three decades later, Wilson sold the Tustin location and Newport Lexus, which he opened in 2003, to Group 1 Automotive in 2024 for an estimated $300 million.
Now in 2026, Wilson Automotive owns and operates 18 dealerships. The most recent additions include Gardena Honda, which Wilson acquired in 2024, and another in Tepic, Mexico that finished construction last year.
Promoting from within has also been key to growing efficiently, according to Wilson. Several general managers and junior partners at his dealerships started out as salespeople, he added.
“Buying more dealerships doesn’t really improve my lifestyle, it just gives more opportunity for our associates,” Wilson said. “I can’t take care of all those customers that we have. But if I take care of the employees, they’ll take care of the customer.”
As for the future, it’s no longer just Wilson. The automotive group now employs second and third generation family members, including his 25-year-old grandson.
“It’s quite lucky that some of the best people we have happen to be my son-in-law and nephews,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I guess we raised good kids.”
Winning the Deal
When David Wilson started selling cars at 19-years-old, he planned to do the job for the long run.
“Car salesmen had a bad reputation,” Wilson told the Business Journal. “I wanted to change that, and I think I have.”
Orange-based Wilson Automotive operates 18 dealerships as of May and generated revenue of $3.8 billion in 2025.
It is also one of the largest privately held companies headquartered in Orange County. This has been key to changing people’s perceptions of car salesmen, according to Wilson.
“Our business is based on what’s best for everyone,” he said. “Our salespeople have to win the deal. And a good deal is something of value at a good price.”
— Emily Santiago-Molina
