Volvo dealership moves, becomes Volvo of Overland Park
For nine months, Doug Kinney worked on closing a deal to buy Hendrick Volvo. The dealership officially became his on Sept. 29.
From there, it took just three more days to move the operation from its previous location at W. 104th Street in Kansas City to Kinney’s Mazda dealership, and on Oct. 1, Volvo of Overland Park opened at 7801 Metcalf Ave.
Of course, it took more time before the move took place to get Overland Park Mazda ready for the influx of more cars and employees.
“It took months to close the transaction,” Kinney said. “More importantly, it took us 45 days to remodel the facility … which was pretty historically fast.
“We are going to build a new Mazda store just on the south end of the property, and then this 44,000-square-foot facility will be all Volvo.”
Kinney, though, is more excited about bringing the only Volvo dealership in Kansas City to his Metcalf location and selling the Volvo lineup of vehicles.
Three years ago, Kinney bought Andy Klein Mazda from Pat Klein and made it Overland Park Mazda.
“Metcalf market in Johnson County is a great place to do business,” Kinney said. “We are the No. 1 volume Mazda dealer in the city and in the district, which is about three states.
“We have done really well here. Volvo is an addition. It is an up-and-coming product. It is the safest car sold in the United States. I’m pretty sure it is one of the safest cars made in the world.
“We see it as a great opportunity for the community and ourselves. Volvo is coming out with some great new products.”
One is the 2016 XC90. The unveiling of the vehicle was last week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
According to Topspeed.com, the XC90 is one of the best-selling models from Volvo since it hit the market in 2002, but until now little had changed with this model. The 2016 XC90 will have brand new styling, a completely reworked interior and a new engine.
“I just went to LA and saw the release of the XC90, which is going to be a phenomenal sports utility,” Kinney said. “They are going to come out with a hybrid which is pretty big.”
Dwayne Pinnell, the new car sales manager at Volvo of Overland Park, concurred.
“There is a newness, a freshness,” Pinnell said. “There is new excitement about the Volvo brand because they are coming out with a lot of great products.”
Kinney said in the next 18 months Volvo will have a brand new product line from top to bottom, which is good for Kansas City and Johnson County.
Kinney and Pinnell make it clear they are interested in attracting consumers throughout the Kansas City area and beyond. It is the same approach Kinney had when he bought Andy Klein Mazda.
“With us being the only Volvo dealership in a few hours of Kansas City, we want to reach beyond the Kansas City metropolitan area with both sales and service with the Volvo brand,” Pinnell said.
New ownership brings new energy and new excitement. Pinnell figures he was one of about 50 employees who followed Kinney from Hendrick Volvo to Volvo of Overland Park.
Pinnell has worked at the Volvo dealership since August, 2012. He believes in the brand.
“It is the heritage,” Pinnell said. “Volvo, as a company, came into existence in 1927 with the mind that people drive cars so they surrounded all their ideology around that. The Volvo brand has been known for years for safety.
“Volvo spends a lot of money to incorporate safety in their vehicles. They make a pretty bold statement that there will be no major injuries or fatalities by 2020. It is their goal.”
Over the next year or two, look for a major transformation at the Volvo and Mazda location at 7801 Metcalf.
“We are going to start in the spring,” Kinney said. “We are in the process of getting permits from the city.
“This location is much more convenient. Eighty to 90 percent of the Volvos that are owned in Kansas City are by somebody from Johnson County, Brookside, Plaza and Midtown Kansas City.”
If you have a story you would like to see in On the Move, email David Boyce at Drive@kcstar.com
This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Volvo dealership moves, becomes Volvo of Overland Park."