Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
PHARR, Texas — Bert Ogden Auto Group opened its BMW of Pharr dealership on Aug. 20, 2026, expanding the company’s presence in the Rio Grande Valley with a facility at the corner of U.S. 281 and Owassa Road.
The company described the dealership as a state-of-the-art facility designed to provide a new automotive buying experience. Robert Vackar, chairman of the board and dealer principal; Janet Ogden Vackar, chairwoman of the board and president of marketing; and Natasha del Barrio, chief executive officer, participated in the opening.
“This is our pinnacle dealership,” del Barrio said in an interview. “They are the star of the show, especially today.”
Bert Ogden Auto Group acquired the BMW brand in 1990. BMW initially operated at the corner of Jackson and Hackberry in McAllen, sharing the property with the current Bert Ogden Nissan McAllen store, the company said.
The BMW operation moved to North 10th Street in McAllen by the late 1990s after outgrowing its original property. Del Barrio said the brand remained with the company despite doubts about whether it could succeed in the region.
“It’s a brand that many people in the industry and across the country thought could not be successful in the Rio Grande Valley,” Del Barrio said. “We’ve proved them wrong, and we are exceeding Austin, we’re exceeding San Antonio, and it really comes down to the amazing way that these gentlemen and ladies treat customers.”
Del Barrio said Pharr’s growth, business environment, and location influenced the decision to build the dealership in the city.
“The city of Pharr is rapidly growing,” she said. “We see a big future for the city of Pharr. They’re so business-friendly, and it was just time. It was time to have a Bert Ogden store in the city of Pharr.”
The new dealership replaces BMW’s previous location at 10th Street and Fern Avenue in McAllen. Del Barrio said the former facility met BMW’s design requirements but looked like a traditional automobile dealership.
“This is a whole new level of styling and sophistication,” she said. “It’s a very different atmosphere. It was modeled after a Manhattan boutique hotel, and so it’s just really comfortable. It’s the kind of place you want to come, stay, and hang out.”
Del Barrio said the new site also provides easier highway access. She described the former McAllen location as a strong site that could become busy and congested.
“Being able to get out to the highway and be more accessible to customers was definitely a benefit for us,” she said.
Del Barrio said the company expects the investment to provide additional product and service options for customers, create jobs, and support community involvement.
“We really like to get involved in the communities where we work and where we service and where we sell,” she said. “I’ve always said one of the most beautiful things about this organization is how involved we’re able to be with philanthropic efforts.”
She said each additional dealership and customer expands the company’s ability to support the community.
“With every new dealership, every new footprint, every new customer that becomes part of the family, it just enables us to give back more and more to the community,” del Barrio said.
Asked about the company’s next expansion, del Barrio declined to provide specific details but said additional projects were under consideration.
“We do have some things in the works,” she said. “We are looking at several different locations, and I think by this time next year, we’ll probably be talking about a couple of new entities.”
