Martin Management Group is opening a trio of local “Thrifty Car Sales” locations — including at the former Planet Ford site, the company said Tuesday, Jan. 5.

An announcement from Martin said Planet Ford merged with Fairfield Ford. And a Ford spokesman, Steve Kinkade, said Tuesday that Planet Ford consolidated with Lincoln Mercury of Dayton to form “Thrifty Car Sales of Centerville.”

Martin owns all three dealers — Planet Ford, Fairfield Ford and Lincoln Mercury of Dayton, Kinkade said.

“Fairfield Ford remains open,” Kincade said. “We have no plans to close Fairfield.”

But Planet Ford and Lincoln Mercury of Dayton have new identities.

The newly named Centerville dealership operates at 2601 E. Alex-Bell Road, where Planet Ford operated.

“I can confirm the consolidation of Planet Ford,” Kinkade said. “This was a mutual decision between Ford and the dealer and was undertaken with a collaborative approach.”

“Due to (the) recent economic downturn, Ford developed a consolidation plan for the Ohio market in which Planet Ford would merge with Fairfield Ford,” Martin said in its own statement. It added that Fairfield Ford “will continue to provide for both the Ford sales and service needs of Planet Ford’s customer base.”

On Martin’s Web site, Luxury Cars of Dayton is listed as doing business at the same location as Lincoln Mercury of Dayton, 1575 Miamisburg-Centerville Road. Lincoln Mercury of Dayton’s Web site went to Luxury Cars of Dayton Tuesday.

There will be a Thrifty Car Sales of New Carlisle at 2135 Ohio 235, where Martin Chevrolet did business, Martin said. There also will be a Thrifty Car Sales of Dayton on Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Martin said. It was unclear Tuesday whether the Thrifty Car Sales of Dayton was the same site as Luxury Cars of Dayton.

Thrifty Cars Sales is a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. based in Tulsa, Okla.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com