SLO car dealership closes suddenly. Here’s what will replace it
New car dealership Coast Nissan on Los Osos Valley Road has closed as of this weekend, according to a post on the dealer’s website.
Sales members at the Porsche dealership next door, which shares the same owner, said the building is being remodeled to accommodate pre-owned Porsches, other high-end sports cars and even some exotics, “including some Ferraris.”
On Monday, workers were busy inside tearing out the showroom’s tile, and the lot was filled with Porsches and Ferraris.
Coast Nissan is owned by the Cardinale Automotive Group, which has 26 dealerships in the West, including the local Porsche dealership and BMW of SLO on San Joaquin Street.
Cardinale posted on the Coast Nissan website that warranty work could be directed to other Cardinale dealerships in SLO. But local Nissan owners who want the carmaker to service their vehicle will now have to travel to San Maria.
The San Luis Obispo Nissan closure comes as a number if other West Coast Nissan dealerships have shut down, including North Bay Nissan in Petaluma last summer; Vallejo Nissan, which converted into a Hyundai location; Nissan of Sacramento, which closed in late 2025; Town Nissan in East Wenatchee, Washington, which closed in March 2026; and Nissan of San Juan Capistrano, which closed with inventory and customer service transitioned to Nissan of Irvine, according to its website.
Like other foreign-made imports, Nissan has been hit by President Trump’s tariffs, including many Nissan cars made in Mexico. A new report says tariffs on Mexico-made entry-level vehicles increase per-car costs by $2,500 to $3,000.
Now Nissan is pressing U.S. officials to ease tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico, citing the need to keep entry-level models affordable as average new car prices hover near record highs.
Nissan’s line-up of cars and trucks have faced challenges from tariffs, higher costs and tough competition not just here but overseas from Chinese exports as well.
Most recently, the company reported a 7.5% decrease in total U.S. sales for Q1 2026. Car sales were way down, but Nissan truck lines improved their sales.
In the most recent quarter in California, Nissan had a 4% market share while Toyota enjoyed an 18% share, according to the California New Dealers Association. Last year Nissan Motor Co. reported a net loss of $4.5 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2025.
To address this crisis, the company is cutting 15% of its global workforce (approximately 20,000 jobs) and closing seven manufacturing plants, according to The Japan Times and Automotive News. The company hopes to return to profitability by fiscal year 2026. It’s not just this Japanese carmaker that is hitting the brakes.
Reports say all U.S. auto sales for March 2026 are projected at roughly 1.37 million units, a sharp drop from the 1.79 million units sold in March 2025.
John Lindt is the editor of the Sierra2theSea.net news site.