MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERSHIP HEADING FOR AUTO CENTER.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer VALENCIA - If there were such thing as a coming of age for a young auto mall, it's happening here and now. Mercedes-Benz is opening a dealership at the Valencia Auto Center, which is the city's top generator of sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. revenue, and Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover See LANRover. are likely on the way. ``I'm excited about it - the demographics are showing that it's needed here,'' said Don Fleming Don Fleming is the name of:
``The whole purpose of having dealerships here is so that people can do cross shopping instead of going to the Valley to do their cross shopping.'' Mercedes officials agree with Fleming, saying Santa Clarita is ripe for the luxury market. Mercedes-Benz has 11 dealerships in Los Angeles County, the closest to Santa Clarita being the Keyes dealership in Van Nuys and the Stiegler dealership in Encino. In early 2005, Valencia will become the next home to the aristocratic German automobiles. ``There is a certain economic stability and a certain affluence there,'' said Geno Effler, director of public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most for Mercedes-Benz USA. ``And there are growth opportunities from a business viewpoint and a population viewpoint that makes it an ideal place to have a Mercedes-Benz dealership.'' Recent population projection studies indicate that the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. will triple in size over the next 25 years. It is one of the final places within commuting distance of Los Angeles that has space for significant residential development. As a result, median housing prices surged to a record high of $400,000 in August, creating a wealthier and wealthier population. It is those factors that have luxury-car dealerships salivating to get their product into the valley. ``They'll all be here if they can,'' Fleming said. ``The demographics are such that the money is here to afford luxury cars.'' Fleming said a Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover dealership has also expressed interest in opening in Valencia. Fleming's Acura and a neighboring Lexus dealership are two luxury dealerships that have already found success in the region. But despite the market for more expensive cars, environmental groups claim that continued expansion of the auto mall could be disastrous for the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
The Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment is appealing a lawsuit it filed against The Newhall Land and Farming Company The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state. meant to halt the dealership's expansion. The expansion is planned in front of the William S. Hart PONY Baseball and Softball PONY Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people grow into healthier and happier adults, primarily through the organization of baseball and softball leagues. Complex and brings with it improvements to the youth facility. But protesters say the deal isn't worth it. ``When we have a water problem because we've paved over all of our (water) recharge areas, our future residents will shake their heads at the City Council who approved a Mercedes dealership instead,'' said Lynne Plambeck, president of SCOPE. Nicholas Grudin, (661) 257-5255 nicholas.grudin(at)dailynews.com |
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