DePaula Auto

What DePaula Auto does

DePaula Auto Group is a privately held, multi-franchise automotive dealership group headquartered in Albany, New York, operating three co-located dealerships on Central Avenue: DePaula Chevrolet (785 Central Avenue), DePaula Ford (799 Central Avenue), and DePaula Mazda (1586 Central Avenue). Founded in 1980, the group sells new vehicles from three manufacturer franchises alongside used and certified pre-owned inventory, with a combined active stock of 902+ new vehicles, 220+ manufacturer-certified pre-owned units, and 62+ used vehicles. Its customer base is split between individual retail buyers in the Albany metropolitan area (including Schenectady, Troy, and Colonie) and a secondary fleet and commercial buyer segment served through dedicated Chevrolet and Ford commercial departments.

The company's revenue model is a classic automotive dealer stack: front-end gross profit on new and used vehicle sales, finance and insurance income, parts sales, and service and collision repair. Beyond core retail, the group operates a state-of-the-art collision center, a detailing center, OEM parts departments, and supports end-of-lease services, trade-in acquisition, and direct vehicle buyouts. The technology layer is conventional for a DealerInspire-deployed dealer site: online inventory search, online service scheduling, a KBB-powered 10-Second Trade-In valuation tool, Botdoc for encrypted document exchange, and basic CRM/reCAPTCHA-protected lead capture. There is no proprietary platform or AI model; the differentiation rests on the DePaula Pre-Owned Promise (139-point inspection, 90-day/4,000-mile warranty, free NY state inspections and oil change) layered on top of standard manufacturer CPO programs (Chevrolet 172-point, Ford Blue Advantage Gold/Blue, Mazda 160-point). Fleet financing and consumer payment plans are extended through a partnership with Sunbit, and vehicle history disclosure relies on CARFAX and AutoCheck rather than internal data assets.

Name

DePaula Auto

Legal name

DePaula Auto Group

Website

https://depaula.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DePaula Auto Group is a privately held multi-franchise automotive dealership group in Albany, NY, operating Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda dealerships that sell new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicles and provide service, parts, detailing, and collision repair to retail and fleet customers in the Albany metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. New Vehicle Sales: Sale of new Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda vehicles through three dealership locations. Revenue generated from the markup over dealer invoice price.
2. Used Vehicle Sales: Sale of pre-owned vehicles including standard used and certified pre-owned models. Vehicles include various makes beyond their three primary brands.
3. Vehicle Service & Maintenance: Service centers at all three dealerships offering routine maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations), repairs, and collision repair. Uses OEM parts exclusively.
4. Parts Sales: Sale of OEM auto parts for Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda vehicles.
5. Detailing Services: Professional vehicle detailing including exterior washing, clay bar treatment, paint restoration, waxing, sealant application, ceramic coatings, and interior detailing.
6. Vehicle Trade-In: Purchase of customer vehicles as trade-ins, which are then reconditioned and resold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DePaula Auto Group sells new Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda vehicles through three franchised dealerships in Albany, NY, alongside used and certified pre-owned vehicles, OEM parts, factory-trained vehicle service and maintenance, collision repair, and detailing. The dealerships also provide financing, leasing support, and trade-in valuation services across the Albany metropolitan area including Schenectady, Troy, and Colonie.

Product overview

DePaula Auto Group is a multi-franchise automotive dealership network operating three separate dealerships (DePaula Chevrolet, DePaula Ford, and DePaula Mazda) in Albany, NY. The company's core offerings center on new and pre-owned vehicle sales across 902+ new vehicles and 280+ used/CPO vehicles, supported by Certified Pre-Owned programs with manufacturer-backed inspection standards (172-point Chevy, Gold/Blue Ford, 160-point Mazda) and warranty coverage. The product portfolio is organized around vehicle sales (new, used, CPO, trucks, fleet), ownership services (service/maintenance, detailing, collision repair, parts), and transaction support (trade-in valuation, financing, leasing, vehicle selling). Key differentiating programs include the DePaula Pre-Owned Promise (139-point inspection + 90-day warranty), manufacturer CPO programs with powertrain and bumper-to-bumper coverage, and the 10-Second Trade-In valuation tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Vehicle Sales (Chevrolet, Ford, Mazda) Sale of brand-new Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda vehicles through three franchised dealerships in Albany, NY, offering sedans, trucks, and SUVs with combined inventory of 902+ new vehicles.
• Used Vehicle Sales Pre-owned vehicle sales including cars, trucks, and SUVs from various manufacturers, with 62+ used vehicles listed on the main inventory and vehicle history reports for transparency.
• Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Program Manufacturer-backed certified pre-owned vehicles from Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda with standardized inspections (172-point Chevy, 139-172-point Ford Gold/Blue, 160-point Mazda), warranty coverage, and vehicle history reports; 220+ CPO vehicles available.
• Fleet & Commercial Vehicle Sales Commercial vehicle inventory and sales through dedicated Chevrolet and Ford commercial vehicle departments, serving business fleet needs with work trucks and commercial-grade vehicles.
• Vehicle Service & Maintenance Full-service maintenance and repair at three dealership locations using exclusively OEM parts, with online appointment scheduling, certified service technicians, loaner vehicles, pick-up/delivery service, and overnight drop-off options.
• Vehicle Detailing Services Professional automotive detailing including exterior wash, clay bar paint restoration, polishing, waxing/sealant/ceramic coating application, interior vacuuming, leather conditioning, window cleaning, and engine compartment cleaning.
• Collision Center & Auto Body Repair Collision repair using genuine OEM parts with lifetime guarantee on body and paint work, offering free damage estimates, courtesy transportation, and coordination with insurance companies.
• Parts Department Genuine OEM parts sales for Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda vehicles, with online ordering through respective dealership websites for customer pickup or delivery.
• Vehicle Leasing Services End-of-lease assistance including inspection scheduling, vehicle return guidance, lease buyout financing, and lease transfer/swap support for Chevrolet, Ford, and Mazda leases.
• Vehicle Purchase / Sell-Us-Your-Car Program Program allowing customers to sell their vehicles directly to the dealership with a top-dollar guarantee, no purchase commitment required, support for financed vehicles with payoff calculations and equity position analysis.
• Vehicle Financing Services Vehicle financing through partnerships with national and local lenders, plus Sunbit payment plans for unexpected maintenance and repair costs with credit-building potential.

Quantifiable outcome

• 139-point comprehensive inspection on all used vehicles
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chevrolet (General Motors)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDePaula Chevrolet is an authorized Chevrolet franchise dealership selling new Chevrolet vehicles, using OEM parts, and participating in Chevrolet's Certified Pre-Owned program with 172-point inspections and warranty coverage.
• Ford Motor CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDePaula Ford is an authorized Ford franchise dealership offering new Ford vehicles, Ford Blue Advantage Certified Pre-Owned program (Gold and Blue Certified levels), and Ford factory warranty service.
• Mazda North American OperationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDePaula Mazda is an authorized Mazda franchise dealership selling new Mazda vehicles and Mazda Certified Pre-Owned vehicles with 160-point inspection and 7-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
• SunbitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sunbit to provide flexible payment plans for vehicle maintenance and repairs, also helping customers build credit through manageable payment options.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lithia Motors: Large U.S. multi-franchise automotive dealer group. Directly comparable as a publicly listed operator of multiple OEM franchise stores with a similar sales/service/parts/F&I vertical model, though at vastly greater scale.
• Penske Automotive Group: Premier international franchised dealer group with a U.S. retail footprint. Comparable multi-franchise retail model and service/parts vertical; differentiates via heavier premium/luxury brand mix.
• AutoNation: Largest U.S. franchised auto retailer. Closely comparable business model (new/used vehicle sales, service, parts, F&I) across multiple OEM franchises, with overlapping Chevrolet and Ford exposure.
• Group 1 Automotive: Multi-franchise U.S. and U.K. auto retailer operating new/used vehicle sales, service, parts and F&I. Closely comparable vertically integrated dealership model to DePaula's.
• CarMax: Largest U.S. used-vehicle retailer with omnichannel operations. Directly comparable on the used/CPO side of DePaula's business and a key competitive benchmark for used inventory velocity and pricing.
• Sonic Automotive: U.S. franchised dealer group with EchoPark used-vehicle operations. Comparable new franchise retail model plus a used-car digital channel that parallels DePaula's CPO/used strategy.
• Hendrick Automotive Group: Largest privately held U.S. dealer group. Closely comparable as a large private multi-franchise operator with similar sales/service/parts/collision verticals and similar incentive structure around used inventory.
• Asbury Automotive Group: Multi-franchise U.S. auto retailer with heavy Sun Belt concentration. Operates the same sales/service/parts/F&I value chain across multiple OEM franchises.

Emerging players

• Carvana: Online-only used vehicle retailer. Competes with DePaula's used/CPO offering on convenience, financing, and home delivery; a structural threat rather than a direct franchise-store peer.

Broad incumbents

• Berkshire Hathaway Automotive: Parent of Van Tuyl, one of the largest U.S. dealer groups. Comparable multi-franchise retail platform with extensive service/parts operations, with broader geographic reach than DePaula.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/depaula-chevrolet-albany

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DePaula Auto