Volkswagen of Mount Prospect motoring to Palatine, making way for Nelson Automotive

Cars aren't the only things moving off the lots for some suburban auto dealers.

Volkswagen of Mount Prospect will soon become Volkswagen of Palatine, relocating next month from its current home at 333 W. Rand Road to a new facility at 1951 N. Rand Road.

Meanwhile, Nelson Automotive, a used car dealership at 1801 Busse Road in Mount Prospect, will move to the former Volkswagen lot on Rand Road.

Kyle Weck, general manager of the Volkswagen dealership, said he expects the new Palatine location to open in early November.

Kyle's late father, Chuck, and longtime business partner Steve Napleton bought the Mount Prospect dealership from the Autobarn Dealer Group in 2019 with the intention of moving to Palatine.

"We love our Mount Prospect community. I think that they've treated us well," Weck said. "And we've done our very best to make sure that we have been a good member of the community."

However, he said, the Palatine location will be part of a cluster of dealerships along Rand Road near Lake-Cook Road. It will feature what he called a state-of-the-art facility, including a white frame building with a glass front and bright LEDs.

Eric Nelson, president and CEO of Nelson Automotive, said his dealership will move to the Rand Road site in Mount Prospect as soon as Volkswagen gets the occupancy permit for its new location.

"There are not a lot of quality used car options in that neighborhood. So we feel good about that," Nelson said of the move.

"Right now, we've got three service lifts, and over there we're going to have 20. So it really opens up our ability to recondition things more efficiently," he added.

Nelson said his business, which also sells cars online at www.heycars.com, does approximately $15 million in annual sales, including to out-of-state customers. The move will allow the dealership to broaden its offerings, he added.