Company History
Company History
The Beginning
On January, 6, 1969, in a snowstorm and with only 16 employees, Neil Huffman opened his first dealership, Neil Huffman Volkswagen on Dixie Highway in Louisville, Kentucky.
As business increased, a body shop operation was added in 1971. In 1975, a Subaru franchise was added, Neil Huffman Subaru and in 1979 a new, expanded body shop was built on the Dixie Highway property adjacent to the dealership. That same year Neil added a Nissan dealership opened on Dutchman's Lane in St. Matthews. It rapidly became the largest Nissan franchise in Kentucky.
In 1986, Neil Huffman Mazda joined the group at the Dixie Highway location and the body shop was expanded again with a complete modernization of equipment and processes. In 1989, Neil Huffman Dodge opened on Shelbyville Road.
In May 1995, the group added Neil Huffman Honda, formerly known as Honda Cars of Clarksville, and Neil Huffman Acura at Oxmoor. The Huffman team grew to over 250 individuals and the group enjoyed many years of outstanding growth in sales, service, parts, and body shop operations. A second body shop operation was added at the Nissan dealership in 2001, the Volkswagen and Acura facilities were upgraded in 2002 and the Honda dealership expanded in 2003. In 2004, the Neil Huffman Chrysler-Jeep dealership opened on Shelbyville road. In 2007, Neil Huffman Used Cars on Preston opened.
Click here to read more about the Neil Huffman Auto Group's 50th Anniversary
The Neil Huffman Legacy
With Neil's untimely passing in April of 2007, leadership of the company now rests with his son Dow, his daughter, Kim, and his grandson Shane. Neil's vision of moving forward and leading the way live on with this generation of the Huffman family. In 2009, the group decided to close Neil Huffman Dodge and Neil Huffman Chrysler-Jeep. In 2010, Nissan relocated to the Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep locations on Shelbyville Road. And in 2012 they embarked on a multi-year transformation of the other dealership facilities, starting with renovation of the Dixie Highway campus. A new Subaru sales and service facility was added and the body shop was moved to a completely renovated facility approximately two blocks south of the Dixie. Neil Huffman Nissan was sold in December of 2015 to the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family.
The Neil Huffman Auto Group added to their legacy by extending into Frankfort, Kentucky in December of 2015 with the purchase of Jeff Wyler Honda of Frankfort. In August of 2016, the Group purchased O'Brien Gates Chevrolet-Buick-GMC and O'Brien Gates Nissan, both also located in Frankfort. Neil Huffman Honda of Frankfort, Neil Huffman Chevrolet-Buick-GMC of Frankfort and Neil Huffman Nissan of Frankfort will continue to provide sales, service, parts and accessories for customers with the same distinguished service they have come to expect from their previous owners.
Learn more about the First Family of Louisville Automotive.
As the Neil Huffman Auto Group continues to grow, the mission stays the same: to provide the most enjoyable car buying experience in the region.
Neil Huffman Auto Group
Awards and Recognition
The Neil Huffman Auto Group dealerships have received numerous local and national awards for their business and community involvement; we are proud to be a recognized leader in the Kentucky and Indiana communities where we conduct business.
- Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award Finalist - Neil Huffman
- TIME Dealer of the Year Award Finalist - Kimberlee Huffman, 2023
- AIADA All-Star Dealer of the Year Finalist
- NADA Dealer of the Year Finalist
- Nissan Region Top Ten Sales Dealer – Multiple Years
- Nissan Owners First Award of Excellence – Multiple Years
- Acura Precision Team Award
- Volkswagen Vanguard Society Charter Member
- Mazda President's Award of Honor – Multiple Years
- Honda President's Award Winner – 2006, 2013, 2014, 2022
- Subaru Stellar Care Award Winner – 2015
- LEO Weekly Readers' Choice Award, Best Car Dealer - 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Louisville Business First - Family Business Award Honoree: Large Business of the Year - 2023
