Medlyn dealership has ties with Chrysler cut

Chrysler Corp. cut its ties with 789 of its dealer franchises Tuesday, including Medlyn Motors on Elm Street.

Five other New Hampshire dealerships were also affected.

Medlyn’s Jeep dealership, which has been a local institution for nearly a half century, has 10 employees, and most have been with the business for two decades, owner Ed Medlyn said recently.

The dealership’s longevity and reputation, however, did not keep it off Chrysler’s “rejected list.”

On Wednesday morning, Medlyn’s lot was filled with vehicles, while inside technicians were busy working on cars.

When asked how he was coping the day after his franchise was terminated, Medlyn declined to comment Wednesday.

Chrysler Corp. told a bankruptcy judge Tuesday that it would extend until Monday its program to help terminated dealers send unsold vehicles to other dealers. Time will tell how this promise plays out.

Last month, after Chrysler announced that it would be ending franchise agreements with about a quarter of its dealers nationwide. Peter McNamara, president of the state Automobile Dealers Association, said that the group planned to help the affected dealerships.