The Holmes history in the car business traces its roots back to 1930 when Claude Holmes began selling cars in Memphis, Tennessee. He developed such a passion for the industry that he decided he wanted to own a dealership. He came down to Shreveport, Louisiana in 1937 to purchase Allen Ware Pontiac. He later changed the name to Dixie Pontiac, and that's where Holmes Auto Family was born. In 1965, Claude was named Louisiana's First Dealer of the Year. Then shortly after, he acquired Mercedes-Benz in 1969 and Honda in 1970.
Our next location was on Shreveport Barksdale Highway. We moved there in 1974, and shortly after in 1976, Claude's son David began running the business. We sold the Pontiac franchise in 1987 to concentrate on Honda and Mercedes-Benz, and in that same year, David's son Charlton took the reins. Since then we've added Volvo in 1993, moved to our current location in the Bert Kouns Auto Mall (2000), and acquired Jaguar (2000) and Land Rover (2002).
As a third-generation owner, Charlton remains the current dealer principal. He served as the Chairman of the American Honda National Dealer Council and also served on the Mercedes-Benz National Dealer Council for many years.
