AUBURN – Hoping to ride the popularity of Maine’s favorite pickup truck, Lee Auto Malls is adding its first Chevy dealership to its operation.

Lee Auto Malls is buying Augusta Chevrolet-Cadillac on State Street. The Sept. 15 purchase will expand the auto mall dealerships to nine, extending from Saco to Topsham to Norway.

“We bought it in part because we believe there is a strong volume potential of Chevy cars and trucks in Maine, so it made sense in our plan to acquire a Chevy franchise,” said John Isaacson, chief executive of Lee Auto Malls.

The popularity of the Chevy Silverado pickup – the state’s most popular truck – helped drive the decision, said Isaacson.

The Augusta dealership has about 300 new and used vehicles in stock. Isaacson said he expects the acquisition will put the company’s total sales volume at 10,000 per year – the largest in Maine.

“This is part of our plan to expand over time, which we’ve been executing for the past 10 years,” said Isaacson.

Micah Malloy, marketing director for Lee Auto Malls, said the company had lost its No. 1 standing in sales volume in the past couple of years because of the strength of Chevy vehicles.

“Now that we’ve added a volume franchise like Chevrolet, that should put us back on top,” he said.

The dealership was founded 68 years ago in Auburn. It sells and services new and used vehicles, including GMC, Oldsmobile, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Scion, Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicles.