Lexington, NC -- From a money loser to a money maker - - the American auto industry is back, and it's most evident in Chrysler.
The company reported its first profit in six years.
Just more than two years ago, Chrysler told nearly 800 of its dealers to close.
Two of them were right here in the Triad.
Stearns Chrysler in Graham and City Motors in Greensboro shut down.
14 closed across the state.
M&L Motor Company in Lexington is one of the Triad dealerships that survived the downturn.
It's a far cry today from the nearly empty lot that worried loyal customers during the recession.
Managing partner, Bill McNulty said they found themselves needing financing when Chrysler's financial arm went away in the bailout.
"I guess you could say in no man's land that's not where we wanted to be, but the community stayed behind us. The employees stayed in. Everybody remained committed to making it happen, and we survived," explained McNulty.
The car dealer found a local bank to loan to them and new Chrysler, dodge, ram, and jeep models started rolling in.
Sales jumped a whopping 300% from 2010 to 2011.
WFMY News 2