A History

Just Subaru

In November 2017, the Subaru franchise in Rochester, MN split away from the domestic franchise it was once apart of in town. For the past 15 plus years, the people in Southeast Minnesota could purchase a Subaru OR a domestic pickup truck from the same dealer. That was not the way to do it.

The Subaru brand and line of vehicles has grown by leaps and bounds over the years, and it eventually had gotten so popular in Rochester that it needed to become it’s own dealership.

Todd Penz and his team of Subaru experts formed Subaru of Rochester in the recently-built facility located off of south Highway 52 by Fleet Farm and Lowes. This new state-of-the-art facility was (and still is) the perfect setting for an innovative, industry-changing automotive franchise.

Subaru of Rochester continued growing through December 2019 when the owners made a deal to purchase the Buick GMC and Nissan dealers in town–both at the same time.

Adding GM and Nissan to the lineup

Along the other end of Highway 52 in Rochester lies Rochester’s so-called “Car Row”, with a variety of car dealerships including Kia, Nissan, Buick/GMC, Ford, Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Hyundai, and a used car dealership: six car dealers all alongside each other on the East Frontage road of the highway.

The Nissan dealership and the Buick GMC dealership were the stores to change hands though, as the owners of Subaru of Rochester acquired them in a deal with a twin-cities based dealer group. Nearly all of the original team was retained and two new dealerships were formed: Buick GMC of Rochester, and Nissan of Rochester.

“Of Rochester”

You can always tell which dealerships in Rochester are part of the Penz Automotive Group by looking at their name. All Penz stores are “of Rochester”, whereas other dealerships in town have the names “Rochester ____” (insert automotive brand here).

We like to say that our names represent our hyper-local focus and ownership. The Penz family has been in Southeast Minnesota for generations and it is committed to supporting the local community. The Penz dealerships are truly “of Rochester”: locally owned, locally managed, and locally involved.

Love What You Drive

The Penz tagline shows their commitment to their customers. Each dealership, each team, and each individual of the Penz Auto Group is trained and committed to helping people enjoy and appreciate their vehicles. We believe that when you spend time finding the perfect vehicle, when you prepare to own this vehicle, and when you take care of it right–then you will love what you drive.