Swift Dodge Sacramento will close permanently after 42 years of operation. The dealership was named after Chuck Swift and continued to run under his son Bob Swift until Bob's death on October 21. At one time, Swift Dodge was the No. 1-ranked Dodge dealer in Northern California.
When the financial crisis hit the Big Three U.S. automakers, much was made of the potential trickle-down effect of their demise. Chrysler and G.M. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and amid their restructuring their relationships with manufacturers and dealers were disrupted.
The trickle-down theory fits what happened to Swift Dodge. Chrysler owned the Dodge brand and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 30. Although Bob Swift declared that Swift Dodge was going to stay open, without new inventory that position became untenable. Now, not only has Sacramento lost an iconic business, but Swift Dodge's employees are out of their jobs at a time where finding similar employment at other car dealerships may be the toughest it has ever been. In the last year, more than a dozen Sacramento-area car dealers shut down.
Swift Dodge's lease at 2301 Arden Way expires on December 31 and Colliers International has yet to find a new tenant for the 2.5 acre property. The vacated lot will be one more example of how one company's bankruptcy can change the face of communities thousands of miles away.
