HICKORY — Capital Automotive Group of Raleigh says it has acquired Cloninger Ford of Hickory and Cloninger Ford of Morganton as part of a larger purchase of six Larry Cloninger dealerships and a Salisbury collision center.
The family-owned group announced the deal Sept. 30. Besides the Hickory and Morganton Ford stores, the acquisition list includes Toyota of Florence in Florence, South Carolina; Cloninger Toyota, Cloninger Ford, and Cloninger Honda in Salisbury; and Cloninger Collision Center in Salisbury.
In the company release, Larry Cloninger said he has known Tim Michael and the Michael family for more than 40 years and trusts them with the stores and employees. Tim Michael said the friendship spans more than four decades and that Capital takes the handoff seriously.
Lindsey Michael Longo of Capital Automotive Group said the transition is about keeping the people and local relationships already in place while adding resources — summed up in the Cloninger slogan the company says it will carry forward: “Just Better.”
Capital Automotive Group says its roots go back to the 1985 purchase of Capital Ford in Raleigh by Chester “Junie” Michael, Tim Michael, and Hubert Parks. The Sept. 30 release does not list a purchase price.
Source note
Tip that surfaced this story: local news report. Verified independently from the Capital Automotive Group announcement “Capital Automotive Group Announces Acquisition of Larry Cloninger Dealerships, Continuing a Legacy Built Over Generations,” distributed Sept. 30, 2026 via Send2Press Newswire (https://www.send2press.com/wire/capital-automotive-group-announces-acquisition-of-larry-cloninger-dealerships-continuing-a-legacy-built-over-generations/).
