Clay Cooley Auto Group

What Clay Cooley Auto Group does

Clay Cooley Auto Group is a privately held automotive retail group headquartered in Arlington, Texas, operating multiple new-vehicle franchise dealerships in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The group's subsidiaries include Clay Cooley Ford (Arlington, TX), Clay Cooley Chevrolet (Texas), and the formerly Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram store in Arlington, which was acquired and rebranded in November 2024. The group sells new vehicles from Ford, Chevrolet, and Stellantis brands (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram) alongside a sizable pre-owned and certified pre-owned inventory spanning Ford, Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Jeep, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Chevrolet. As of the source data, Clay Cooley Ford alone lists 929 vehicles in inventory, including 780+ new Ford units.

The group's revenue model is a standard franchise-dealership construct with three primary streams: (1) one-time vehicle sales (new franchises plus used/CPO inventory), (2) transaction-fee service and maintenance (oil changes, alignments, diagnostics, A/C service, brake work) priced via tiered service specials (e.g., $49.95 Weekday Happy Hour oil change, $64.95 'The Works' package, $89.95 four-wheel alignment, $99.95 standard diagnostic), and (3) parts-and-accessories sales. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through physical storefronts supplemented by a digital layer on dealership websites (inventory browsing, online trade-in appraisal, service scheduling). Customer base is comprised of individual vehicle buyers in the DFW metro — Fort Worth, Irving, Grand Prairie, and Arlington — with no disclosed enterprise, fleet, or commercial accounts.

The business runs on standard dealership-management and inventory technology with no proprietary technology stack, patents, or AI capabilities disclosed. The group appears to be family/individually controlled with no parent company, private-equity sponsor, or institutional investor disclosed in the source data. The most significant corporate action in the disclosed record is the November 2024 acquisition of Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, which added a third OEM franchise line and expanded North Texas operations.

Name

Clay Cooley Auto Group

Website

https://claycooleyford.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Clay Cooley Auto Group is a privately held DFW-area automotive dealership group operating Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram franchises with new, certified pre-owned, and used vehicle sales, plus service and parts, serving individual buyers across North Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Sales: Sale of new Ford vehicles and pre-owned/used vehicles from multiple brands including Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, and Jeep. Transaction-based revenue from vehicle purchases.
2. Service and Maintenance: Vehicle maintenance and repair services offered at the dealership. Revenue from oil changes, brake service, tire rotation, diagnostics, A/C service, and other mechanical work. Discounted service specials available.
3. Parts and Accessories: Sale of vehicle parts and accessories for repairs and customization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clay Cooley Auto Group operates multi-brand automotive dealerships in North Texas, primarily selling new Ford vehicles and pre-owned vehicles from multiple manufacturers including Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Jeep, Nissan, and Volkswagen. The group also operates full-service automotive maintenance and repair departments offering oil changes, brake service, diagnostics, A/C service, and wheel alignment. It acquired Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in November 2024 to expand its regional footprint.

Product overview

Clay Cooley Auto Group operates as an automotive retail group with multiple dealership brands, primarily Clay Cooley Ford in Arlington, Texas. The product portfolio includes new Ford vehicle sales, certified pre-owned and used vehicle sales across multiple brands (Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Jeep, Nissan, Volkswagen), automotive service and maintenance, trade-in appraisal tools, and service specials. The group has expanded through acquisition, including Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership. The core offering centers on vehicle sales supported by digital tools for inventory browsing, trade-in valuation, and service scheduling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New and Pre-Owned Vehicle Sales Direct sales of new Ford vehicles and pre-owned vehicles from manufacturers including Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Jeep, Nissan, and Volkswagen to individual consumers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
• Vehicle Service and Maintenance Full-service automotive maintenance and repair services for vehicle owners, including oil changes, brake service, tire rotation, battery testing, A/C service, wheel alignment, and diagnostics offered at the dealership service center.
• Parts and Accessories Sale of vehicle parts and accessories for repairs, replacements, and customization through the dealership parts department.
• Trade-In Appraisal Online valuation tool that estimates the trade-in value of a customer's existing vehicle prior to purchase of a new or used vehicle from the dealership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded North Texas presence following Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram acquisition

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge RamcoreOthers · 9 November 2024Clay Cooley Auto Group acquired Don Davis Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership in Arlington, Texas. The acquisition led to rebranding and expansion of the group's operations in North Texas, strengthening customer service and regional presence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AutoNation: Largest U.S. automotive retailer, operating ~300+ dealerships across 19 states and multiple OEM brands. Direct competitor for multi-brand new and used vehicle sales, service, and parts in the same broad dealership category as Clay Cooley, though at vastly greater scale.
• Group 1 Automotive: U.S. and U.K. multi-brand automotive retailer with 200+ dealerships. Comparable business model (franchised new vehicle sales, used vehicles, service, parts) and similar active M&A expansion approach that targets regional dealership groups.
• Ken Garff Automotive Group: Large privately held U.S. dealership group operating 60+ stores across multiple states. Comparable to Clay Cooley as a private multi-brand group with similar OEM franchise mix and emphasis on service/parts revenue.
• Lithia Motors: One of the largest U.S. auto dealership groups with 300+ stores and aggressive M&A roll-up strategy. Operates the same multi-brand new/used vehicle + service + parts model as Clay Cooley, with the same playbook of acquiring regional dealer groups to expand footprint.
• Hendrick Automotive Group: Largest privately held U.S. dealership group with 140+ franchises. Closely comparable to Clay Cooley as a private, family-controlled multi-brand group pursuing similar growth-by-acquisition strategy in regional U.S. markets.
• Sonic Automotive: Major U.S. franchised dealership group with ~140 stores and a significant EchoPark used-vehicle standalone brand. Competes directly with Clay Cooley in new vehicle sales, service, and parts, with added exposure to the digital-native used vehicle segment.
• Asbury Automotive Group: U.S. franchised dealership group operating ~150 new vehicle dealerships. Highly comparable multi-brand franchise model with new and used vehicle sales, service, and parts, plus significant recent M&A activity.

Emerging players

• CarMax: Largest U.S. used vehicle retailer with a national store and online platform. Not a direct new-vehicle competitor but directly competes with Clay Cooley's used vehicle business and represents the secular digital shift reshaping the dealer model.

Regional players

• Morrie's Automotive Group: Privately held multi-brand dealership group primarily serving the Minneapolis/Midwest U.S. market. Comparable multi-brand franchise model but operates in a different geography, providing a useful regional benchmark rather than direct head-to-head competition.

Broad incumbents

• Berkshire Hathaway Automotive: Subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway operating ~80+ dealerships across the U.S. Comparable franchised dealership model; benefits from parent balance sheet that enables patient capital deployment and resilience through industry downturns.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Clay Cooley Auto Group