Vescovo sells Toyota dealership to Viva Auto Group of El Paso

“It’s the end of an era,” Vescovo Toyota owner George Vescovo said Tuesday morning, Dec. 14.

He sold the dealership at 780 S. Valley Drive to Viva Auto Group of El Paso, with the change in ownership taking effect Dec. 13.

Vescovo said he will remain as general manager of the dealership, but it’s the first time since the 1960s that a member of the Vescovo family, including his father and both grandfathers, has not owned a car dealership.

“It’s absolutely an honor to serve the community and I’m really optimistic that Viva will continue to do so,” Vescovo said.

Among many other contributions to the community, Vescovo donated at least 10 vehicles to Las Cruces Public Schools for its annual Count Me In car giveaway to support student attendance.

Here is Vescovo’s Dec. 13 message on his Facebook page:

“It’s time for the sun to set on Vescovo Toyota. Vescovo Toyota served the Las Cruces community for almost 40 years.

“In 1982, Paul Vescovo purchased Desert Motors Toyota and renamed it Las Cruces Toyota. His son, George Vescovo, started managing the dealership in 1999. Then, in 2013, George Vescovo became president and dealer principal of the dealership and renamed it Vescovo Toyota of Las Cruces.

Under George Vescovo’s leadership, the dealership experienced tremendous growth. Vescovo Toyota built a new state-of-the-art facility on 7.2 acres in 2018 (at 780 S. Valley Drive). Vescovo Toyota has been the top-volume new-vehicle franchise in Las Cruces for several years. In 2021, Vescovo Toyota earned DealerRater New Mexico Toyota dealer of the year and was voted the best new car dealership as well as the best used car dealership.

Moving forward, we hope Viva Auto Group success in serving Las Cruces as the local Toyota dealer. We are very thankful they are choosing to hire nearly all of Vescovo Toyota's employees.”