West Herr buys Transitowne Hyundai and moves it

West Herr Automotive Group has acquired Transitowne Hyundai and moved the dealership about 2 miles up Transit Road, to Clarence.

Terms of the deal were not announced. West Herr now has 26 dealerships in its group. This is its first Hyundai dealership.

West Herr over the weekend relocated the Hyundai dealership to a newly renovated, 23,000-square-foot facility at 5485 Transit Road in Clarence, just south of Roll Road. West Herr Hyundai opened Monday at its new home.

Transitowne Hyundai was at 7420 Transit Road in Amherst, across from the Eastern Hills Mall. The property itself was not included in the sale to West Herr.

West Herr had been using 5485 Transit Road for vehicle storage since reacquiring the property in 2015 from Auction Direct USA, which had closed. West Herr had sold the property, formerly home to its Saturn of Clarence dealership, to Auction Direct in 2010.

West Herr said its Hyundai dealership will have 25 employees and is expected to sell 1,800 new and used combined vehicles each year.

"Everyone at West Herr is committed to carrying on the tradition of providing quality sales and service that Jim Hillery and the Transitowne team have been known for through the years," said Scott Bieler, West Herr's president and CEO.

The Buffalo Niagara region's four Hyundai dealerships – including the one West Herr just bought – through November this year sold a combined 2,449 new vehicles, according to the Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association. That total ranked 11th among all brands in the region.

West Herr last month bought a dealership in Rochester, adding to its presence in that market.