Sacramento’s Von Housen sells Mercedes showrooms to Envision


Longtime Sacramento auto dealer Von Hausen Automotive Group has sold three Mercedes-Benz dealerships to Envision Motors in Southern California.

Family-owned von Hausen’s flagship Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento and its sister showrooms in Rocklin and El Dorado Hills were signed in December. Von Housen owner George Grinzewitsch Jr. said it had won a record car group.

Details of the deal were not disclosed, but Grinzewitsch confirmed reports on Friday that the Rocklin and El Dorado Hills site and associated land had been purchased for $47.5 million. The sale of von Hausen’s Sacramento property closes next week, Grinsevich said.

Grintsevich said the family was not actively looking for a buyer when Envision called in July. Although the local distributor group had no brokers and did not list locations in the Sacramento area, Grinzewitsch and Envision CEO Simon Sarriedine have developed a long professional relationship through the automaker.

“I have known Simon for many years through Mercedes-Benz. .”

The sale of von Hausen will be completed by Elk Grove’s longtime auto dealer Lusher Auto Group to Canada’s Knight Group in October and John L. Sullivan’s Sullivan Auto Group showroom to Lithia Auto Group in early 2022. It follows what was done. For years, the guards of the Sacramento auto market, where dealerships were a household name on radio and television.

Envision executives did not immediately seek comment on the transaction, but in a statement announcing the sale, Envision said:

Envision has expanded rapidly since Sarriedine and Chief Operating Officer Frank Zarabi founded the company in 2018. Von Housen’s acquisition brought the Envision Motors portfolio to his 14 dealerships in less than five years.

Envision Motors is a distributor in Southern California, Arizona and the Bay Area that sells Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Jaguar, Ford and Toyota.

Grintsevich’s father George founded the von Hausen Automotive Group in 1958. Grintsevich the Elder became a Mercedes-Benz dealership in 1961. Soon after, he opened what would become Mercedes-Benz of Sacramento. His father and son operated a showroom in Sacramento until they sold it in 2004. Young Grintsevich bought back the capital’s dealership in 2009. By then, he had opened a Mercedes-Benz in Eldorado Hills, and in 2009 he also opened Mercedes-Benz in Rocklin.

“We are extremely grateful to the wonderful people who have made up the Von Hausen Automotive Group team and who have been with us for over 30 years,” Grintsevich said in a statement announcing the sale. “They really are the best of the best in the auto industry.”

But Grinzewitsch didn’t quit the car business or say goodbye to Sacramento.

In an interview with the industry and trade weekly Automotive News, he said that he and his son George III, general manager of Sacramento and vice president of the Automotive Group at Mercedes-Benz, “found attractive opportunities in certain markets. and is actively pursuing new automotive franchise opportunities.” West.

“I’m 61. George is 28 and he’s vice president. We’d like to explore some opportunities,” Grinsevich told The Bee, adding that his son George will be managing the day-to-day operations of his new venture. Added that it will run.

In the meantime, Grintzewich intends to remain active in Sacramento’s business, real estate, and philanthropic endeavors, and recently pledged to serve on the board of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council for another year.

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Darrell Smith is an Elk Grove reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked for the Palm He Springs, Colorado He Springs, Marysville newspaper. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville and Elk lives in Grove.




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