By August, Bentley and Rolls-Royce owners in the Tri-Counties will no longer need to drive to Beverly Hills for service or to buy a new model. Thousand Oaks officials confirmed June 11 that the city has secured a dealership for both luxury brands at its auto mall.

“We’re absolutely thrilled. This is a great addition to the business community,” said Scott Mitnick, city manager of Thousand Oaks. “It’s terrific for the community in general and for the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall in particular.”
The dealerships ― to be called Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Westlake and Bentley Motor Cars Westlake ― are expected to open in a temporary location in August, with a full showroom open by year’s end. They are expected to employ about 26 people and provide the northernmost sales and service point between L.A. and San Jose.

Mitnick said the dealers chose Thousand Oaks because of the improvements made to Thousand Oaks Boulevard near the auto mall – one of the last redevelopment agency projects the city competed before the agency was dissolved by the state – and in part because of the area’s demographics. With city budgets under pressure around the state, the competition to lure luxury car dealers, and the sales taxes that accompany them, has become intense.

“They shared with us that they had been looking at a number of cities in the region, but they liked us because of the synergy they observed. The liked the diversity of high-income neighborhoods, whether it’s Sherwood Ranch or Westlake,” Mitnick said.