SAN FRANCISCO -

As CarMax reportedly took the next step in expansion plans, Penske Automotive Group expanded its stable of foreign franchised dealerships Tuesday with the appointment of a new Nissan store and a new Infiniti rooftop in the heart of downtown San Francisco.

Officials highlighted the new dealerships are located on Van Ness Avenue, what they consider one of the Bay Area’s most famous and well-traveled automotive retail corridors.

Nissan of San Francisco and Infiniti of San Francisco are located in the Ellis Brooks Building, which opened for vehicle sales in 1935.

Penske mentioned the eight-story, 200,000-square-foot complex is one of the largest automobile retailing locations in the United States.

The group noted the building was completely renovated to provide distinct representation for each brand, and features multiple levels of indoor new and pre-owned vehicle display, service, maintenance and retail parts area, separately branded showrooms, front entrances and signage.

Additional features of the new dealerships include:

—An efficiently engineered, multi-level building layout, thoughtfully conceived to provide customer convenience, including more than 400 vehicle display and parking spaces

—Convenient and free “off street” customer parking in the building’s covered mezzanine level, including five vehicle delivery bays.

—22 service bays and six vehicle detailing bays.

—Nine electric vehicle charging stations.

—Separate full floors of new and pre-owned vehicles for each brand

—Individual, brand-specific customer lounge areas, a central café bar, interior new-car delivery areas, and free wireless Internet access throughout the building

—State-of-the-art graphics highlighting Nissan and Infiniti products

—Open and inviting sales consultant offices and staff that will ultimately be equipped with e-tablets to provide quick and accurate information to customers shopping in each dealership

—Dedicated service drives and service write-up areas for each brand

“I’m very pleased to offer the Nissan and Infiniti brands in world-class, state-of-the-art dealerships in San Francisco,” stated Penske Automotive Group chairman Roger Penske.

“Our new facilities are unrivaled within the city offering an array of automotive services, including sales, service, parts, vehicle preparation and delivery areas all under one roof,” Penske continued.

The automakers believe the opening of the new dealerships will help contribute further to Nissan and Infiniti’s sales and market share gains in the U.S. market.

In 2011, the Nissan Division posted its best-ever U.S. sales year — up 17.3 percent over the previous year — and Infiniti continues to gain ground. Nissan North America previously reported its March sales total of 136,317 units versus 121,141 units a year earlier, an increase of 12.5 percent, and a record for any month in the company’s history.

“Infiniti and Nissan products and brands directly align with San Francisco’s unique customer profile, making this effort a strategic element of our plan to grow sales volume in the U.S.,” noted Brian Carolin, senior vice present of sales and marketing for Nissan North America.

“The 100-percent electric Nissan LEAF has already surpassed 11,000 sales in the U.S. alone.  Along with the forthcoming Infiniti LE all-electric luxury sedan, we will make a defining statement in a region known for innovation and technology leadership,” Carolin continued. “We are excited to be represented in such a dramatic way by a leading retailer like Penske Automotive Group in this pivotal market.”

New CarMax Store in Nashville Market

CarMax indicated when it reported its fiscal year financial statement that the used-vehicle dealership chain was going to add nine more stores, including another one near Nashville, Tenn.

According to a report in The Tennessean, CarMax intends to unveil its third rooftop in the market on June 9.

The newspaper account said CarMax purchased a dealership facility at 4075 Mallory Lane in Franklin, Tenn., for $7.2 million. The report indicated the company is looking to fill 60 positions at this store, including personnel for sales, the business office, inventory, service advisors, auto technicians and purchasing.