There is a reason Robbins Toyota has been Texarkana's biggest new-car franchise over the past year, and it comes as no surprise to locals who have been doing business there for more than half a century.
"It's our approach to the customer," General Manager Charles Pankey said.
Providing customers what they want, how they want it is the not-so-secret formula fueling a 60% increase in sales and a 35% increase in service business since last year at Robbins, the second-oldest Toyota dealership in Texas.
"We're a family business with family values, and we put honesty and integrity first," owner Susan Robbins said. She is the daughter of the late Eddie Robbins, who started the dealership in 1966 at a Texas Boulevard location. The business also operated on Summerhill Road for a time before moving to its current location, 6233 Mall Drive.
The building may be relatively new, but the Robbins Toyota staff is flush with on-the-job expertise. The dealership's parts and service professionals-including a parts director who has been there for 40 years-have more than 100 years of combined experience, and other key members of the team have been working at Robbins for 17, 18, even 26 years.
Robbins Toyota's deep Texarkana roots also show in its community involvement, including sponsorships of the annual Fourth of July celebration Sparks in the Park; the Twice as Fine Texarkana Wine Festival benefiting Alzheimer's Alliance; Hospice of Texarkana's Jeans and Bling fundraiser; and Texas Collegiate League baseball team the Texarkana Twins among other events and organizations.
By itself, that long-standing connection with the city is enough to keep customers coming back. Many Robbins service department customers, for example, have been loyal for 20 years or more and will not have their cars worked on anyplace else.
But combine love of Texarkana with some of the most advanced, popular vehicles on the road, and it is no wonder that for three years straight, Robbins has won the Texarkana Gazette's Readers' Choice Award for best new-car dealership.
Toyota's 2019 RAV4 and 2020 Corolla have been completely redesigned for the driver who wants it all: high performance, new technology, versatility, comfort and great looks. There are even hybrid versions available for the first time, at prices surprisingly close to the traditionally powered models'.
Other popular Toyotas include the bestselling Highlander SUV, Tacoma and Tundra pickups, and the Sienna minivan.
All of Toyota's models benefit from the company's emphasis on developing new technology, exemplified by a recent commitment to invest $4 billion dollars in a robotics and artificial intelligence research institute to create safer vehicles. Japan has even chosen Toyota to develop a lunar-surface vehicle for a 2029 manned mission to the moon.
What that means to the average driver is technology such as Toyota's standard safety systems. For example, the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is designed to help detect a vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist in certain situations and is capable of automatically applying the brakes.
Another safety system helps keep a driver in their lane. With new Road Edge Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist is designed to issue both an audible alert and visual warning on the vehicle's Multi-Information Display screen. If the system determines that the driver is not taking corrective steering action, the Steering Assist function is designed to initiate and provide gentle corrective steering to help keep the vehicle in the lane.
Toyota technology also means fun, with available 800-watt JBL nine-speaker audio systems with available 8-inch touchscreen dash displays. Apple CarPlay compatibility is standard and works with iPhones so drivers can get directions, send messages or make calls with their voices through Siri Eyes Free, as well as listen to music-all while staying focused on their drive.
Whichever Toyota a customer picks, Robbins offers multiple options so they can get the buying experience they want.
A top-notch sales staff is available for those who want to come in and talk, but for those more interested in doing business online, robbinstoyota.com offers complete capability. Customers can evaluate their trade-ins, check their credit and use the site's payment calculator. They can schedule a test drive, choose their cars' options and features, and complete the sale without leaving home.
Robbins Toyota will even deliver new cars to customers, which is becoming more common as more people from outside Texarkana make Robbins their car-buying destination, Pankey said. In the past, people often would leave Texarkana to find car bargains elsewhere, but Robbins' combination of volume-dealership pricing and small-dealership service has reversed that. Now customers come from all over the Four States Region and beyond to shop at Robbins, another reason for its recent growth.
The dealership also offers a full-service car rental business, so potential sales customers can take the latest models home for extended test drives. Robbins sells pre-owned cars, too, and certified pre-owned Toyotas feature a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
Look for even better deals than usual during Toyota's Your Summer Starts Here sales event May 1 through June 3 and the Toyotathon event in late November.
It all adds up to one of Texarkana's most popular auto sellers and most successful businesses of any kind-and it all begins with a commitment to the customer. For more information visit robbinstoyota.com or call 833-524-7277.