Philpott Motors History

Philpott Motors came into existence when Mr. W.F. "Bill" Philpott purchased Dale Motor Company in 1950. On Port Neches Avenue, the store was originally located on the corner beside the current Post Office. It was a block away from the Chevrolet store in downtown Port Neches in what was a very busy small town business district.

In the mid 1960s, the store moved from that location to the corner of Port Neches Avenue and Magnolia. As the store continued to grow, Bill's only son Eddie became involved in the operation. When Mr. Philpott died unexpectedly during the store's years on Magnolia, it was Eddie who took over control.

The store then moved to Nall Street in Port Neches and the dealership purchased the Toyota franchise and became what is referred to as a "dual" dealer.

Growing and prospering, we soon added a Collision Shop and a Government & Commercial Fleet Department. Due to changes in consumer travel patterns, it became necessary that we move to a major thoroughfare in Southeast Texas.

In 1998, we moved to our current location on U.S. Highway 69 in Nederland, Texas. Since our relocation, we have continued to grow and have made additions and remodeled the dealership on four difference occasions.

In April 2002, we acquired our third franchise, Hyundai. Housed in a separate facility approximately one-quarter mile north on Highway 69, we have met with considerable success with this up-and-coming import line.

In 2001 we were purchased by a company out of Charlotte North Carolina, Sonic Automotive. SONIC the name is an acronym for Sales, Opportunity, New, In, Concept.

 

Sonic was formed in 1997 with five dealerships on Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1998, Sonic entered new markets in Ohio, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.1 year later, it acquired dealerships in Texas and California. Since the company's founding, Sonic has experienced phenomenal growth, as today Sonic operates over 100 dealerships spread across 15 states and 26 major metropolitan markets.

Sonic represents approximately 30 different automotive brands with the majority of our dealerships being luxury and import brands. Sonic is ranked number 339 in the Fortune 500 list of the top global companies, ahead of brands like Dole Food and Yahoo. Sonic Automotive is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: SAH).