TORONTO -

Mercedes-Benz Canada is divesting all of its corporate-owned dealerships in the Greater Toronto Area, the company said Tuesday.

Taking on ownerships of the dealerships, which are collectively referred to as the Toronto Retail Group, are the AWIN Group of Dealerships and Zanchin Automotive Group.

AWIN and Zanchin are teaming up for the new ownership group, which will jointly own all the TRG dealerships. The group will determine the specific management structure at each of the stores, upon completion of the ownership transfer.

“We are excited that the AWIN and Zanchin teams have come together to further strengthen their connection to Mercedes-Benz in Canada,” Mercedes-Benz Canada president and chief executive officer Eva Wiese said in a news release.

“This move will allow Mercedes-Benz Canada to focus its efforts and resources on supporting a strong, independent national dealer network that includes the Toronto Retail Group — a network that can act with even more speed and agility to deliver the highest level of customer experience,” Wiese said

“We know that the AWIN/Zanchin group will continue to represent the three-pointed star with distinction, while benefiting greatly from the incredible team of Toronto Retail Group employees. Mercedes-Benz Canada truly looks forward to establishing this next chapter with AWIN/Zanchin in the months and years to come as we introduce Canadians to the next wave of incredible Mercedes-Benz vehicles.”

TRG includes the following dealerships:

  • Mercedes-Benz Downtown
  • Mercedes-Benz Markham
  • Mercedes-Benz Thornhill
  • Mercedes-Benz Maple
    • Mercedes-Benz Maple Van Centre
  • Mercedes-Benz Midtown
  • Mercedes-Benz Mississauga
    • Mercedes-Benz Mississauga Van Centre
  • Mercedes-Benz Etobicoke

Joe Zanchin is founder and CEO of Zanchin Automotive Group.

In the release, he said: “This is an incredible moment for myself, my family and our executive team. I could not be prouder of the Zanchin Automotive Group and the growing partnership with Mercedes-Benz Canada, a brand that represents the very best in engineering, quality, and performance. I welcome our new Mercedes-Benz stores, our new customers and most importantly our new employees who will continue to put our customers first.”

Sylvester Chuang, co-founder and chairman at AWIN Group of Dealerships, added: ““As quoted by Disney, all of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. We are incredibly excited to achieve our dream of an expanded partnership with the Mercedes-Benz family. We are passionate about our automotive business and with the trust of Mercedes-Benz, this great opportunity is allowing us to expand our AWIN dealership family. We will work closely with Mercedes-Benz Canada to continue delivering the world-class customer experience everyone expects from the three-pointed star, as well as AWIN's philosophy of putting people first.”