Sim Fryson Acura Set to Open in WV
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Sim Fryson Acura Set to Open in WV
Sim Fryson Acura, the area's newest car dealership, will celebrate with a grand opening party from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Fryson, a veteran auto dealer and native of Dunbar, has completely remodeled the property at 131 MacCorkle Ave. S.W. in South Charleston that formerly housed the Joe Holland Chrysler dealership.
"We've had a complete metamorphosis of the facility, both in service and sales," Fryson said. "About 26,000 square feet of space has been completely redone." Purchase of the property and the remodeling represent a $3 million investment, he said.
The party will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a feature benefit presentation on each of the six model lines offered by Acura.
"It's more or less a salesman's walk-around, where we highlight the features of the automobile and the benefit of that feature," Fryson said.
Fryson is especially enthused about AcuraLink, which he described as "a real-time, computer-generated information system that gives you weather and traffic. It can tell you if there's a traffic situation to avoid and route you around it."
The 6 model lines offered by Acura range from the entry-level TSX, a four-door sedan, to the TL, an intermediate sedan, to Acura's flagship car, the RL.
There are 3 sport-utility models: the RDX; a larger version called the MDX; and a new entry, the ZDX, "which is like something you've never seen before," Fryson said. "It's a four-door sports coupe with a 3.7-liter, 300-horsepower engine."
Acura is Honda's luxury brand, and prices range from $29,000 to $46,000. The equipment one adds could take the top price to more than $50,000.
"It's in the luxury class, but the thing about these cars that's so attractive is longevity," Fryson said. "Very little maintenance is required after the sale.
"We have cars come in with 250,000 miles and very little maintenance. Our cars are very inexpensive to maintain. That's why we're attracting a lot of customers from other segments of the market.
"One of the exciting things about our cars is they are all five-star crash rated, which is the most in the industry," he said.
"This segment is unique in that Acura was introduced in 1986, ahead of Toyota's Lexus and the Nissan Infiniti," Fryson said. "It was ahead in the luxury segment. It took only eight years to reach the 1 million sales milestone. It took Mercedes 25 years to meet the million-car sales milestone after it was introduced in the U.S. market."
Fryson's dealership is the only Acura store in West Virginia. There had been an Acura store in Beckley.
"The manufacturer is elated because they have long wanted the dealership to be closer to the capital of the state," Fryson said.
The dealership's sales hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Fryson is a devout Seventh Day Adventist, so the dealership is closed on Saturday.
Service hours are 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Service Department is closed Saturday and Sunday.
Fryson is starting with 18 employees. "We're headed toward 25, maybe 30, as we grow it," he said.
Fryson grew up in a family of 8 children. He started working in the auto business at Keith Bateman's auto sales lot in Nitro in the mid-1970s while he was a student at West Virginia State College. He later became the 1st black sales person at C&O Motors and the 1st black business manager of an auto dealership in the state.
He went to work for Joe Holland in 1978 and, a few years later, Holland got Fryson into General Motors' dealer development academy. Fryson owned dealerships in Fulton, N.Y.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Ithaca, N.Y., before settling in Ashland, Ky., in 1994.
In late 2005 Fryson sold his Mercedes-Honda, Nissan and Mazda dealership in Ashland and stepped back from the business. He acquired the Acura dealership late last year.
"I came back to this area because I believe in it, I love it," he said. "I'm proud to say I'm from here."
Contact writer George Hohmann at busin...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4836.
Oderint dum metuant.
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Lake Wylie
I think this is in Charleston, WV, not Charleston, SC.
Fryson's dealership is the only Acura store in West Virginia. There had been an Acura store in Beckley.
"The manufacturer is elated because they have long wanted the dealership to be closer to the capital of the state," Fryson said.
"The manufacturer is elated because they have long wanted the dealership to be closer to the capital of the state," Fryson said.
^ 
It's in South Charleston, WV
http://simfrysonacura.com/Departments.aspx
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=131+Ma...&z=16&iwloc=r2
Title updated... and moved to proper regional forum
It's in South Charleston, WV
http://simfrysonacura.com/Departments.aspx
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=131+Ma...&z=16&iwloc=r2
Title updated... and moved to proper regional forum
Last edited by juniorbean; Jul 22, 2010 at 10:00 AM.
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rockyboy
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Jan 25, 2016 06:00 PM
acura, ashland, businessman, charleston, charlseton, dealership, dunbar, fryson, happened, motors, profile, rating, sim, sims, south, wv
