Two local car dealers failed to make the list of more than 600 franchises to be reinstated by General Motors Co.
Officials at Henna Chevrolet Cadillac in Aiken and Johnson Motor Co. of South Carolina in Graniteville said Monday they weren't called by the automaker.
"I called our regional manager and verified, and he said that we are not on the list," said Jimmy Scott, the executive manager at Henna Chevrolet Cadillac, which is now a used car lot.
Scott said no reason was given, and he doesn't know the criteria used to determine the 661 dealers that will be reinstated.
Last year, GM told 2,000 dealerships it would revoke their franchise agreements in October as part of its restructuring. The Detroit automaker said it needed to reduce the number of showrooms to keep the remaining ones healthy.
Scott said the Aiken dealership will continue to fight the decision.
"We intend to go to arbitration, and our hope there is to win and get our franchise back. We'll get it back one way or the other, hopefully," Scott said.
The arbitration will be handled through a third party, but he said he doesn't have details on how it will work.
"They'll start probably next month, so we hope we're going to be at the front of the line," said Scott, adding the cost of the arbitration "could be a lot before it's over with."
Johnson Motor Co. owner Duncan Johnson Jr. confirmed his Graniteville dealership also was left off the list to be reinstated.
"There were some people that received calls (Monday), and we were not in that category. But we're continuing to serve our customers every day," Johnson said.
He said he couldn't comment on whether Johnson Motor Co. would seek arbitration.
"That's about all I can say at this point, but we are optimistic of the future of GM in Aiken (County)," Johnson said.
Representatives of the Stokes-Hodges auto group in Thomson, which has closed, could not be reached for comment.
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