Two Ford dealerships in Wabash Valley close

By Arthur E. Foulkes
The Tribune-Star

PARIS, Ill. Sun, May 18 2008

— A pair of Wabash Valley Ford dealerships have closed their doors.
Paris (Ill.) Ford Lincoln-Mercury and Sullivan (Ind.) Ford Inc. have stopped doing business. A sign on the door of Paris Ford on Wednesday encouraged customers to visit Terre Haute Ford at 4501 S. U.S. 41.
Given the current market conditions, it was no longer feasible to operate all three Ford stores in the area, said Kevin Beyrer, owner of the dealerships. “We can service those areas just as well, if not better, from [Terre Haute],” Beyrer said.
A spokesman for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., said the car maker is consolidating many of its dealerships around the nation in an effort to return profitability to the struggling company.
The spokesman noted, however, that the decision to close the Sullivan and Paris dealerships was not a company decision, but rather a decision made by the local owner.
Ford Motor Co. announced Wednesday it is selling its Jaguar and Land Rover businesses to India’s Tata Motors. The deal will net Ford around $1.7 billion, media reports say. The company’s stock price has fallen from more than $15 per share in 2004 to around $6 this week. News of the sale to Tata Motors did not immediately help the stock price. Ford share prices fell an additional 2 percent in Wednesday trading.
Ford Motor Co. posted pre-tax losses of $3.5 billion in 2007. The company lost more than $12 billion in 2006.
“We would like to thank all of our customers for your patronage over the past year and wish you all the best,” read the sign in the window of Paris Ford.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.