Vicksburg’s brand new Honda and Toyota dealerships are one step closer to completion.

During a morning break in the rain, Cannon Motors of Mississippi CEO Michael Joe Cannon, Gov. Phil Bryant and local elected officials wielded their golden shovels to officially break ground on the new location for the Cannon Toyota of Vicksburg and Cannon Honda of Vicksburg dealerships, which will share a lot on North Frontage Road near RiverHills Bank.

“We just felt like Vicksburg was the right place for us. The city and county had open arms, which played a large part in it as well. We just felt like this is a great opportunity for us, especially being right on the I-20 corridor with all the other car dealers here,” said Cannon, who took the reigns of the dealership franchise that spans the state from his father. “It’s a great day for us as a company and a great day for Vicksburg and Warren County.”

The two dealerships are moving to one lot after both being purchased by Cannon Motors within the past few years. Cannon said being on the I-20 corridor with the other dealerships provides new opportunity to match the new buildings.

“When all these other guys are spending advertising dollars along with us, it drives everyone to one location, and we feel like with Honda and Toyota, we’ve got two of the best franchises there are,” he said. “We’re not going to get them all. We understand that, but feel like being here on this corridor with these other guys spending advertising dollars, we felt like it was a win-win. Plus a new facility does a lot of things. It boosts the economy. It boosts the moral of your people, so we’re excited about it.”

The project, he estimated, would be a more than $7 million community investment and take approximately nine months to complete.

As for the dealerships’ current buildings, Cannon leases the Honda facility, and plans for the current Toyota dealership post-relocation are still uncertain.

“We’re exploring any option, whether that be selling that facility or putting something in there,” Cannon said of the Toyota dealership. “We’re not just going to let it sit there and be vacant.”

Cannon also said they plan to increase the number of employees at the dealerships by 25 percent.

“We’re excited about being here,” he added. “This corridor is one of the finest in the state of Mississippi.”

 

As people pass by whether they’re from this area or from Jackson or Louisiana, why would they go anywhere else?”