A new Subaru dealership is rising on Colorado Springs' far north edge, near the U.S. Air Force Academy, as Omaha-based Baxter Auto Group pushes further into the Pikes Peak region. The roughly 65,000-square-foot project, valued at $28.8 million, sits on about 12 acres in the city's Northgate area and is expected to open in early 2028.
The Northgate project will be Baxter Auto Group's third local dealership, according to the Gazette, which reported the build-out includes a 61,359-square-foot primary sales and service building alongside a separate 2,856-square-foot employee-only car wash. The outlet also reported that Subaru awarded Baxter the Colorado Springs franchise nearly two years before its October report. Grow Omaha, which first flagged the expansion for Omaha-area readers, reported that the new store is expected to expand Baxter's regional operations.
The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department pegged the project's value at $28.8 million and noted that the chosen site is unusual for the industry. In a statement to KKTV, the department described the location as not the normal spot for car dealerships, pointing to its placement near the Air Force Academy rather than a typical auto row.
A Decade of Steady Growth in Colorado Springs
Baxter's local footprint didn't appear overnight. The company purchased Lexus of Colorado Springs in 2016 and later relocated that store to the city's northeast side, the Gazette's reporting shows. Six years later, in 2022, Baxter acquired Larry H. Miller Toyota of Colorado Springs and rebranded it Toyota of Colorado Springs — a deal that, per the same report, reflected the company's stated focus on growing specifically in the Colorado Springs market. Baxter's own website lists those two stores, Lexus of Colorado Springs and Toyota of Colorado Springs, as its existing dealerships in the city.
The Lexus purchase also had a construction chapter of its own. Omaha-based construction firm Boyd Jones partnered with Baxter to build a new 37,000-square-foot Lexus dealership in Colorado Springs as part of that earlier expansion, according to the company's project portfolio, which notes the finished facility included a showroom, service center and car wash.
How Big Is Baxter, Exactly?
Figures on the size of Baxter's overall footprint vary depending on when they were reported. The Gazette's 2026 coverage states that Baxter today operates 19 dealerships across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wisconsin, while the outlet's 2022 report put the count at 23 dealerships across Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska at that earlier point. The company's own site describes more than 60 years of experience serving Midwest drivers through dealerships in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas, and the Gazette reports that Baxter represents eight manufacturer brands overall, including Subaru, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen.
Other Deals Reshaping the Local Car Market
Baxter isn't the only auto group that has recently shaken up Colorado Springs' dealership landscape. Centennial-based Summit Automotive Partners acquired Freedom Honda in Colorado Springs from California-based Piercey Automotive Group around the same time as Baxter's 2022 Toyota purchase, renaming it Groove Honda, per the Gazette's reporting. That report also noted Summit retained all 65 Freedom Honda employees, including General Manager Bret Peterson.
The Northgate area is seeing other commercial activity as well. A Brinkerhoff restaurant is under construction nearby, outside Ford Amphitheater next to Texas de Brazil, in a separate $3.5 million project, according to KKTV's reporting on permitting activity in the area.
