Opened this week | Car dealer expects high-profile Kennewick spot to double sales
Sergio Alvarez aims to double his used car sales after moving his dealership to a new location in Kennewick’s Southridge district.
The Auto Lot, formerly Alvarez Auto Sales, moved into its $5 million new home at 3809 Plaza Way in early February. The newly renamed business is next to the original Pancake House and several hotels that face Highway 395 between Ridgeline Drive and Hildebrand Boulevard.
The new name reflects the new outlook for the Alvarez, who established the business on a much smaller lot near Kamiakin High School in 2010. Alvarez sells later model cars, trucks, SUVs and now, electric vehicles.
The new facility has a 4,000-square-foot showroom, office building and service shop. It is surrounded by parking for up to 300 vehicles — quadruple the capacity of its original location on West Canal Drive.
With the move, Alvarez expanded the staff to 17 and set out to more than double the volume of business, to 100 vehicles a month from about 40.
“The goal is to sell more cars,” said Alvarez.
At 100 monthly sales, The Car Lot would be one of the larger dealers in the Tri-Cities, he said.
The Auto Lot sources its inventory of all makes and models from private dealer auctions that resell vehicles from the Northwest. That’s typically rental cars and trade-ins.
Alvarez and his wife, Stephanie, first considered building a dealership about two years ago. Alvarez said growing the business was a big motivator. The couple wanted to own the real estate and create an inviting place for employees as well as customers. As an added bonus, it is dog-friendly too.
They paid $1.5 million for the property in the fast-developing Plaza Way stretch near Highway 395.
Go to autolotnw.com.
This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 11:40 AM.