Fallon Auto Mall investing in the future

Fallon Auto Mall is betting $1.5 million on the future of auto sales in this military town an hour east of Carson City.

The dealership is remodeling its showroom and creating a new service center with a three-lane, enclosed drive-in entrance.

“It’s quite a project,” said Tim Mitchell, general manager of Fallon Auto Mall, which sells and services new Fords and Toyotas, and used cars. It’s designed “to better serve our customers with a much nicer waiting room and much better service driving in” that’s unique in the area.

Service customers will pull into a garage to enter the waiting area, avoiding the elements, be they summer heat or winter snow.

Fallon Auto Mall originally opened in 1954. Chris Henning is the third-generation of Hennings to own the dealership.

The auto mall has long worked to attract customers from Reno and Carson City by advertising better prices than city dealerships can offer. Like other industries, automotive sales are also seeing an increase in Internet transactions.

Customers from Reno and Carson City no longer have to drive out to Fallon to see what the dealership has on the lot, Mitchell said, which has increased its customer base.

The current showroom and service center building is about 30 years old, he said, and in need of a remodel both for the comfort of customers and staff and also to comply with Toyota and Ford image requirements.

Completion of the major remodel is expected in March.

In the meantime, business continues to be good, Mitchell said, with the sales staff all working out of the used-car offices and additional mobile offices set up to handle customer needs.

“People in town seem to be excited about (the remodel),” Mitchell said. “It’s not every day a business spends the kind of money we’re spending to improve customer service.”