Superior Nissan in Mission Hills closed its doors the evening of Feb. 24. A representative of the store wrote in an email that the five stores owned by Superior Auto Group closed simultaneously at 6 p.m. that night. Superior Nissan is reportedly the second largest employer in Mission Hills. The company’s website, superiornissanofmissionhills.com, is no longer active. While the phone at the office has yet to be shut off, there is no answer. Superior Auto Group had done financing with Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp. “They had a lot of financing problems that started a while ago,” said Fred Standish, director of corporate communications for Nissan North America. Standish said that Nissan tried to help the company repair its financial problems. “Unfortunately it didn’t work, so we moved to protect our brand and interest in the property and reclaimed our assets, including the vehicles.” Although it has been affected by the recession, Nissan North America is performing better than many of its competitors. “Our sales have been failing a little bit less than the rest of the industry, so we’re actually gaining market share,” Standish said. The Mission Hills Neighborhood Council is scheduled to address the impact the closure will have on the community at its next meeting.
