New Albany's Coyle Dodge on Chrysler hit list

Evening News

Chrysler LLC wants to eliminate roughly a quarter of its 3,200 U.S. dealerships by early next month, saying in a bankruptcy court filing Thursday that the network is antiquated and has too many stores competing with each other.

Chrysler, in a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, said it wants to shed 789 dealerships by June 9. Many of the dealers' sales are too low, the automaker said, with just more than 50 percent of dealers accounting for about 90 percent of the company's U.S. sales.

Thursday's filing may signal the end to one of the longest-operated businesses in downtown New Albany. Coyle Dodge Inc. - located at 513 E. Spring St. - was one of the dealerships listed in the 40-page court document. Coyle has been in New Albany for more than 50 years.

Coyle was one of 10 Dodge dealerships in Indiana on the hit list. Neil Huffman Dodge in Louisville also was on the list.