Volvo Cars of Honolulu is still in limbo and not selling new cars while it waits for a paperwork mix-up with the state to sort itself out.

The local franchise dealer has been sitting on $6 million in new-car inventory for more than a week because its distributor, New Jersey-based Volvo Car USA LLC, filed incomplete paperwork with the Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board of Hawaii.

But there could be a silver lining. William Nhieu, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, said late Friday afternoon that “documents requested by the DCCA for this application were received.” Nhieu said he didn’t know when they would be reviewed and said whether the local Volvo dealership could sell vehicles currently is “a legal gray area and up to interpretation.”

John Martinho, general manager and vice president of Volvo Cars of Honolulu, said he doesn’t want to risk getting sued and is waiting for a definitive determination because a letter from the Hawaii vehicle licensing board to the distributor said Volvo Car USA “is not authorized to distribute motor vehicles in this state.”

“We’re still left unclear,” he said. “We understand that we’re not involved with the licensing issue, but we don’t understand if we are allowed to negotiate on new vehicles based on what we interpret the Hawaii Revised Statutes to be.”

Delta to begin Seattle-Lihue service

Delta Air Lines is starting a nonstop flight between Seattle and Lihue on Dec. 21.

The flights on the Boeing 757 aircraft will add 63,510 air seats annually to Kauai, generating an estimated $77.9 million in direct visitor spending for the island, and $9.1 million in tax revenue for the state, according to George Szigeti, chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

“Delta’s expansion of service to Kauai from its Pacific Northwest hub speaks to the confidence the airline has in the Garden Isle to drive demand from travelers in the greater Seattle area and nationally,” Szigeti said.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaii Opera Theatre has named Kevin Takamori director of fundraising and major gifts. His 25 years of experience include work as director of development at Hawaii Pacific University, development director for Hawaii Arts Alliance and managing the alumni travel program for Harvard University.