Vic Bailey Automotive Spartanburg sold to Kentucky-based Hudson Automotive Group

Bob Montgomery, Spartanburg Herald-Journal
·2 min read

A Kentucky-based automotive group announced it has purchased a longtime Spartanburg car dealership.

Hudson Automotive Group announced Tuesday that it had acquired Vic Bailey Automotive's five Spartanburg dealerships, rebranding them to Volkswagen of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Honda, Subaru of Spartanburg, Ford/Lincoln of Spartanburg and Mazda of Spartanburg.

Hudson Automotive Group announced it will acquire Vic Bailey Automotive's five Spartanburg dealerships.
Hudson Automotive Group announced it will acquire Vic Bailey Automotive's five Spartanburg dealerships.

Also included in the transaction is a collision center on the campus of the Vic Bailey Mazda Subaru dealership.

“We are very honored and excited to add the Vic Bailey Automotive dealerships to our growing portfolio in the Southeast," Hudson Automotive Group President David Hudson stated. "These are great brands in a market that we like and know very well and will expand our footprint in the Upstate along with Spartanburg Toyota and Lexus of Greenville.”

Hudson Automotive Group was founded in 1948 as a single dealership in Providence, Kentucky. It has since grown into a multistate, multi-franchise organization with nearly 3,000 employees and 49 dealerships throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee.

Vic Bailey III, president of Vic Bailey Automotive
Vic Bailey III, president of Vic Bailey Automotive

Vic Bailey Automotive was established in 1969 by the late Vic Bailey Jr. His first store was Vic Bailey Lincoln Mercury on West Main Street in Spartanburg, according to the company's website.

In the 1980s, Vic Bailey Automotive moved to East Daniel Morgan Avenue in downtown Spartanburg, where three of the four stores are located today. The Volkswagen dealership is on Reidville Road near Interstate 26 on the west side of Spartanburg.

This year, Vic Bailey Automotive was awarded Best of Spartanburg Community's Choice awards for new car dealerships and oil change services.

Over the years, the automotive group has supported many organizations in Spartanburg, including Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, Healthy Smiles, the Charles Lea Center Foundation, the Spartanburg Humane Society, the University of South Carolina Upstate, Wofford College, SPACE, PAL and the Spartanburg Regional Foundation.

Vic Bailey IV delivering meals for Mobile Meals of Spartanburg during the 2020 Share the Love Event.
Vic Bailey IV delivering meals for Mobile Meals of Spartanburg during the 2020 Share the Love Event.

“We are grateful to our loyal customers, as well as our dedicated employees who have made our business such a huge success," stated Vic Bailey III, president of Vic Bailey Automotive. "The Hudson Automotive Group has a great reputation, and we know that our legacy of dealerships will be left in good hands.”

Hal Foster, grandson of founder Vic Bailey Jr., said the transaction became official Monday, Dec. 4. He said he is now general manager of Spartanburg Mazda and Subaru.

Foster said most of the employees will be retained by the new owner. He said he is now general manager of Spartanburg Mazda and Subaru.

"The same smiling faces that have been helping you are still going to be part of things that we were in the past," Foster said. "I'm excited to go to work with the Hudson Automotive Group."

Bob Montgomery covers Spartanburg County politics and growth & development. Reach him via email at bob.montgomery@shj.com. 

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Vic Bailey Automotive in Spartanburg sold to Kentucky company