McLarty Daniel plans to add Lincoln brand in Bentonville

McLarty Daniel Ford plans to add premium brand Lincoln to its mix of vehicles when it opens a 46,000-square-foot facility to replace the dealership’s existing building at 2609 S. Walton Blvd. in Bentonville.

Construction is underway on the $10 million dealership on the 10.4-acre lot where the existing dealership is, and work is expected to be completed in November or December, said Russ Daniel managing partner for McLarty Daniel.

“We’re extremely excited about the potential to add Lincoln to our lineup,” Daniel said. “It’s a true luxury brand.”

Buyers have not been able to purchase new Lincoln vehicles in Northwest Arkansas for nearly a decade after Bob Maloney Ford Lincoln Mercury went out of business in Rogers. Vance Ford Lincoln in Miami, Okla., is the nearest Lincoln dealer and is more than 50 miles away, according to the Lincoln website.

McLarty Daniel Ford has yet to sign the contract to offer the Lincoln brand, but it looks to be a “full-service Lincoln dealer,” Daniel said. When it opens, the new dealership plans to offer between 500 and 600 new Ford and Lincoln vehicles, as well as more than 300 used vehicles. The new dealership will replace a 35-year-old building. “It will be a lot more efficient to us,” he said.

The existing dealership will remain open until the new facility opens. Once the new dealership is completed, the existing dealership will be torn down for parking.

McLarty Daniel is a company of RML Automotive Holdings, which is based in Dallas and Little Rock, and has 25 car dealerships representing 54 franchises and seven collision centers in the South Central, Southeast and Midwest. The $1.6 billion automotive company recently partnered with companies of Jerry Jones, owner the Dallas Cowboys, and Johnelle Hunt, philanthropist and co-founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, to purchase three Northwest Arkansas dealerships from privately-owned Everett Automotive Group. As a result of the deal, RML Automotive doubled its holdings in Northwest Arkansas from three to six dealerships employing 600 people.

Along with the Ford dealership, the company has McLarty Daniel Buick GMC in Bentonville, McLarty Daniel Chevrolet in Springdale, McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Bentonville, McLarty Daniel Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Springdale and McLarty Daniel Nissan in Bentonville.