Our History
World War II veteran James Lee purchased a small Ford dealership in Elm City, NC in 1953. James had a son, John Lee, in 1959, who worked at the dealership from a young age doing everything from cleaning toilets to light mechanical work. He continued to learn the lessons of hard work as he worked in the tobacco fields for local farmers.
John Lee attended Campbell University on a partial athletic scholarship. When John was 20 years old, his father (and founder of Lee Motor Company) died from lung cancer. John transferred back home to Wilson to attend Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College, and to run the dealership. He graduated from college in 1982 with a business degree.
He and his wife, Lynn, have turned that small Ford dealership in the Wilson, NC area into several dealerships of different automotive brands in multiple states united under the Lee Motor Group umbrella. Brands include: Ford, Nissan, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM, Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia.
John Lee saw the shift that was occurring in the automotive industry in the early 1980s when it was clear that foreign auto makers were capturing the attention of the American market. In 1982, the group was awarded the open point for Datsun (now Nissan) after John Lee was persistent with his outreach to the regional office. At age 26, in 1986, John set his sights on an open point for Hyundai in Fayetteville, NC, which is now consistently one of the top Hyundai dealerships in the Carolinas. In fact, Lee Hyundai was the third largest Hyundai dealership in the United States in 1988.
In 2002, Lee Motor Group added the first Kia franchise in Charleston, SC. From 2004-2013, LMG added multiple Kia stores along with a CDJR store throughout various states. Each of the dealerships have been award-winning stores for sales and service. In 2023, Lee Motor Group opened Kia Country of Hilton Head in Bluffton, SC.
We are extremely proud of our history, as we have been in continuous operation since 1953 serving our local communities.
John Lee highlights his employees and partners in his success, saying, "These achievements would not be possible without great people."
To read more about John's background and success in the automotive industry, check out this article from Digital Dealer.
