New Honda dealership near Bradenton opens, creates 75 jobs

A new Honda dealership has opened east of Bradenton, bringing 75 jobs to the area, according to a statement. Rick Hendrick Honda is located at 5904 State Road 64 East. 

It is the second Honda franchise in Bradenton for Hendrick Automotive Group, which launched Hendrick Honda Bradenton at 5515 14th Street West in 1988. The dealerships are a little more than 9 miles apart.

The newly opened Rick Hendrick Honda features a 56,000-square-foot dealership with more than 300 new and pre-owned vehicles on-site. 

"With the growth in the area, both Honda and Hendrick Automotive Group saw a growing demand further inland," David Harris, spokesperson for Hendrick, says in an email. "There has been a tremendous amount of growth in the number of Honda service customers in that part of Bradenton in recent years, and we felt a new facility would serve that growth through greater accessibility (expanded facilities and parking, more immediate and easier access to highways) and more efficiently. Also, other manufacturers had also established locations in the immediate area, and both Honda and Hendrick Automotive Group felt it was important to have a presence there as well."

Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States, according to a statement, with 96 dealerships nationwide, including six in Florida.

At the new Bradenton location, a service center with 31 bays has been outfitted with the latest tools, technology and diagnostic equipment so Honda-certified technicians can work on vehicles. A customer lounge features free wi-fi, complimentary refreshments, loaner vehicles and free shuttles.

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“Our goal is to raise the bar for what customers can expect from a world-class Honda dealership experience,” Hendrick Automotive Group Market Area Vice President Chuck Colson says in a statement.

“From a more relaxed, interactive atmosphere in the showroom, to shorter wait times and same-day repairs in an expanded service area, we designed this facility with our teammates and customers in mind," Colson says.

Hendrick Automotive Group is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It employs more than 11,000 people at its 96 dealerships, 21 collision centers and four accessory distributor installers in 13 states. Hendrick Automotive Group founder Rick Hendrick also owns Hendrick Motorsports, which operates for race teams in the NASCAR Cup Series.