Carl Black Automotive Group

What Carl Black Automotive Group does

Carl Black Auto Group is a privately held, multi-rooftop automotive dealership group operating as an authorized franchisee of General Motors' Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC brands. The group sells new vehicles, certified and pre-owned vehicles, and commercial fleet units, supported by in-house finance, service, and parts departments, across six dealership locations in the southeastern United States: four in Georgia (Kennesaw, Roswell, Hiram), one in Orlando, Florida, and one in Nashville, Tennessee. Current inventory spans 1,374 vehicles, including 1,097 new units across Chevrolet (440), Buick (89), and GMC (568) nameplates, with EV models such as the HUMMER EV and BrightDrop vans included in the lineup.

Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time new and pre-owned vehicle sales, transaction-based finance and insurance products (including GM Financial financing plus proprietary add-ons like the $1,195 Carl Black Care Package and the $299 Brake Plus system), and ongoing service and parts revenue handled by certified technicians using OEM parts. Pricing is set per-unit at the retail level, with a standard $799 documentation fee, and new vehicles range from approximately $23,495 (Chevrolet Trax LS) to over $100,000 (GMC HUMMER EV SUV). The go-to-market motion is a traditional enterprise field-sales / retail storefront model: walk-in traffic at physical rooftops, supplemented by online inventory search, a payment calculator, and a value-your-trade estimator on carlblack.com, plus a dedicated commercial channel via the Work Truck Solutions integration for fleet buyers.

The technology stack is standard for the dealership vertical: an online inventory and lead platform, GM manufacturer integrations for incentives and captive financing, plus commodity integrations with Work Truck Solutions (commercial inventory), Mapbox (mapping), Botdoc (secure document exchange), ComplyAuto (privacy compliance), and reCAPTCHA (anti-bot). No proprietary AI/ML, mobile app, public API, patents, or external funding events are disclosed in the available data. Customer segments are split between individual consumers (primary) and commercial/fleet buyers (secondary), with no named enterprise anchors and no disclosed concentration in any single account.

Name

Carl Black Automotive Group

Legal name

Carl Black Auto Group

Website

https://carlblack.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Carl Black Auto Group is a privately held GM franchisee operating six Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC dealerships across Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee, selling new, pre-owned, and commercial vehicles plus finance, service, and parts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Dealership

NAICS

Automobile Dealers (4411)

akta.pro primary industry

Garage Liability & Dealers (Auto Dealers, Repair Shops) (FSAJABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

New & Used Auto Purchase Loans (FSAKADAA), Vehicle Protection & Add-on Product Financing (Warranties, GAP, Service Plans) (FSAKADAL)

Keywords

• Automotive dealership group
• New vehicle sales
• Pre-owned vehicle sales
• Commercial fleet vehicles
• Vehicle service and parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Kennesaw

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: Sale of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and pre-owned vehicles. One-time transaction revenue from individual vehicle sales to consumers and commercial fleet buyers.
2. Finance and Insurance Products: Financing services for vehicle purchases through GM Financial and other lenders, plus F&I products including extended warranties and protection plans.
3. Service and Parts: Maintenance and repair services, body shop services, and sale of genuine OEM parts and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Carl Black Automotive Group is an authorized Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC dealer group that sells new, certified pre-owned, pre-owned, and commercial/fleet vehicles across six dealership locations in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. It complements vehicle sales with in-house Finance, Service, and Parts Centers, offering consumer and commercial financing, certified maintenance and repairs, OEM parts, and add-on protection products such as the Carl Black Care Package and Brake Plus Rear-End Collision Deterrent System.

Product overview

Carl Black Auto Group operates as a multi-location automotive dealership offering a comprehensive vehicle sales and service platform. The core offerings include new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and electric vehicles (such as the Hummer EV and BrightDrop EV vans), alongside pre-owned and certified pre-owned vehicles across all brands. The company provides complementary services through its Service Center and Parts Center for vehicle maintenance, and a Finance Center for loan and lease options. Online tools including a Payment Calculator and Value Your Trade feature support the sales process. Commercial customers are served through a specialized Work Truck Solutions integration offering fleet vehicles. The portfolio spans six dealership locations across Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carl Black Care Package: Optional vehicle protection package offered on new non-commercial vehicles including Adam's Polishes Paint Care Kit and Aquapel Window Treatment
• Brake Plus Rear-End Collision Deterrent System

Products and services

• New Vehicle Sales Sale of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and electric vehicles (including cars, trucks, SUVs, and the Hummer EV) for individual consumer and commercial buyers across six dealership locations.
• Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales Sale of pre-owned vehicles and certified pre-owned vehicles (inspected to manufacturer standards) across multiple makes and models for individual consumer buyers.
• Commercial Vehicle Sales Sale of commercial and fleet vehicles, including work trucks, pickups, cab chassis, cargo vans, SUVs, and BrightDrop EV vans, targeted at business and fleet buyers.
• Service Center Professional maintenance and repair services performed by qualified technicians for all vehicle makes and models, with online appointment scheduling.
• Parts Center Sale of authentic OEM parts and accessories for vehicle maintenance and repair at dealership parts counters.
• Finance Center In-house financing services offering loan and lease options through GM Financial and other lenders, plus F&I products such as extended warranties and protection plans, for vehicle purchasers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• General Motors (Chevrolet, Buick, GMC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarl Black Auto Group is an authorized dealer for General Motors brands including Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC. The partnership provides access to new vehicle inventory, manufacturer incentives, co-op advertising, and GM Financial financing options.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AutoNation: Largest publicly-traded US automotive retailer with over 300 stores across multiple brands and geographies. Directly comparable as a multi-brand dealer group selling new and used vehicles with finance and service operations, though operating at significantly greater scale than Carl Black's six-store footprint.
• Lithia Motors: One of the largest US dealer groups with hundreds of stores and an aggressive acquisition strategy focused on consolidating regional dealer groups. Highly relevant comparable given Lithia's stated strategy of acquiring profitable multi-store groups like Carl Black in growing US markets.
• Group 1 Automotive: Publicly-traded US and UK automotive retailer operating over 200 dealerships, including GM franchises. Comparable business model as a multi-brand dealer group with new/used vehicle sales, F&I, service, and parts operations across multiple geographies.
• Sonic Automotive: Publicly-traded US automotive retailer with ~140 dealerships including significant GM brand representation. Comparable multi-brand dealer group operating franchise stores with EchoPark used vehicle standalone stores, similar in franchise mix and US Sun Belt exposure.
• Asbury Automotive Group: Publicly-traded US automotive retailer with over 150 dealerships across Sun Belt markets, including significant GM franchise holdings. Directly comparable multi-store dealer group with overlapping geographic exposure to Carl Black's Southeast footprint.
• Penske Automotive Group: Large publicly-traded automotive and commercial truck retailer with global operations including US GM franchise dealerships. Comparable premium multi-brand dealer group with strong commercial truck operations aligned with Carl Black's Work Truck Solutions commercial channel.
• Hendrick Automotive Group: Largest privately-held US automotive dealer group with over 140 dealerships. Highly comparable as a private multi-brand dealer group with similar franchise-based revenue model and substantial scale advantages over Carl Black's six stores.

Emerging players

• CarMax: Largest US used vehicle retailer with nationwide footprint and omnichannel sales model. Comparable in the used vehicle segment where Carl Black sells 327 pre-owned units, but CarMax represents the digital-first disruption to traditional dealership used-car operations.
• Carvana: Pure-play online used vehicle retailer with vertically-integrated reconditioning and delivery model. Represents the most disruptive competitive threat to traditional dealership models like Carl Black, particularly in the used vehicle segment.

Regional players

• AutoCanada: Canadian publicly-traded multi-brand automotive dealer group with US operations. Comparable multi-brand franchise dealer model with similar revenue streams (new, used, F&I, service, parts), though primarily serving Canadian rather than US Southeast markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carl Black Automotive Group