ABD has learned Johnson Motor Company of Georgia – located at 1122 Walton Way in downtown Augusta – will close its doors this week after nearly 86 years in the automotive sales and service business.
(Pictured above) ABD spotted just one new car and a handful of pre-owned vehicles on the lot that was full of inventory in its heyday.
This publication was the first media outlet to report on the closing in a story on July 15. Owners of the dealership, which opened in 1936 on Telfair Street, chose to close to avoid investing up to $200,000, which would be needed to meet Cadillac’s standards for selling and servicing electric cars. Part of that investment would cover the installation of charging stations and required employee training.
About 20 employees will either lose their jobs or transfer to the Johnson Motor Company of South Carolina located at 490 Jefferson Davis Highway in Graniteville, which will remain open without the requirement to modify its operations to sell and service electric vehicles.
A company representative declined to reveal the exact date the dealership will close, but she says they will release a media statement soon. Once ABD receives that statement, we will pass updates along to our readers.