How long have the glass palaces got
Discussion
The big fancy main dealer premises in every two horse town , huge overheads and more and more people seeing cars simply as how much a month they are on PCP!! how sustanable is it for the bread and butter marques to insist on a mini version of the firms corporate headquarters just to sell some white goods type car brand??? will people always want to see and sit down in a showroom to be sold a physical car or will the website and a service /delivery industial unit type operation take over??? at least at the lower end of the new car market...
Where I live Audi recently closed their showroom... And moved into a 300 car palace other side of town.
The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
Matt UK said:
Where I live Audi recently closed their showroom... And moved into a 300 car palace other side of town.
The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
Tonbridge? The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
If so Merc have just had a new place built and landrover had there place refurbed
Matt UK said:
Where I live Audi recently closed their showroom... And moved into a 300 car palace other side of town.
The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
same here. mini opened across the road and is even bigger.The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
they have just opened a huge flashy jeep show room right in between a fiat dealer and a subaru,isuzu jeep dealer. who were both selling jeeps. bet they are happy
Some manufacturers (Honda & Hyundai spring to mind) are taking franchises away from smaller family owned franchises and awarding them to the 'big boys' who can afford to construct them a glass palace. Sadly despite the initial appearance, the insides are still populated with the typical brain dead staff that one normally finds in dealerships.
If more consumers were actually awake, the glass palaces' days would be numbered. However, we know that most of them only look at the monthly payment and assume they will never fall on hard times. They're generally the same types who think you HAVE to take a car to the dealership for servicing or the warranty gets cancelled.
If more consumers were actually awake, the glass palaces' days would be numbered. However, we know that most of them only look at the monthly payment and assume they will never fall on hard times. They're generally the same types who think you HAVE to take a car to the dealership for servicing or the warranty gets cancelled.
cb010 said:
Some manufacturers (Honda & Hyundai spring to mind) are taking franchises away from smaller family owned franchises and awarding them to the 'big boys' who can afford to construct them a glass palace. Sadly despite the initial appearance, the insides are still populated with the typical brain dead staff that one normally finds in dealerships.
If more consumers were actually awake, the glass palaces' days would be numbered. However, we know that most of them only look at the monthly payment and assume they will never fall on hard times. They're generally the same types who think you HAVE to take a car to the dealership for servicing or the warranty gets cancelled.
This ....If more consumers were actually awake, the glass palaces' days would be numbered. However, we know that most of them only look at the monthly payment and assume they will never fall on hard times. They're generally the same types who think you HAVE to take a car to the dealership for servicing or the warranty gets cancelled.
Pesty said:
Matt UK said:
Where I live Audi recently closed their showroom... And moved into a 300 car palace other side of town.
The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
same here. mini opened across the road and is even bigger.The mini showroom bolted onto BMW shut also... Mini tripled in size as it moved into the old Audi unit and BMW are filling the old mini annex.
From what I can see, they're getting bigger!
they have just opened a huge flashy jeep show room right in between a fiat dealer and a subaru,isuzu jeep dealer. who were both selling jeeps. bet they are happy
powerstroke said:
The big fancy main dealer premises in every two horse town , huge overheads and more and more people seeing cars simply as how much a month they are on PCP!! how sustanable is it for the bread and butter marques to insist on a mini version of the firms corporate headquarters just to sell some white goods type car brand??? will people always want to see and sit down in a showroom to be sold a physical car or will the website and a service /delivery industial unit type operation take over??? at least at the lower end of the new car market...
They are an integral part of selling a product a certain way. I think the way to look at this is that if you are in the business of selling a tool to get a person from A to B then you can run a sales operation like that of CarGiant and those types of business who just pack a load of stock outside and have a basic building that is divided into individual sales processing units. However, if you are selling a lifestyle product, a product which allows you to go surfing in winter, drive through fields on fire, frees you from the mundanity of your work life and makes you hugely attractive to the opposite sex then such an amazing product must be sold from an equally amazing location. The car manufacturer cannot spend millions on marketing a lifestyle product only for a potential buyer to end up under the arches as Dave's auto emporium, the customer must go to a location that further projects this products statement of awesomeness.
So I see your logic and tend to agree but so long as manufacturers utilise aspirational marketing techniques to promote their brands then they will need to maintain these shop fronts.
However, what would be interesting to know is what % of purchases over the last decade have moved away from physical locations to online? I get the feeling that far fewer people test drive new cars these days but rather decide which brand projects the image that they desire and then just go online and have it delivered to the door?
I think we see it in very many areas that people no longer shop by quality but by label/price and this is a major cultural shift. And maybe this phenomenon will lead to physical sales centres becoming a relic of the past?
HTP99 said:
Probably the same company.
Not sure I doubt it.The Isuzu/Chrysler/jeep place has Been there forever little family run place called burrels. Pretty sure not for them I've spoken with the owner of that place a lot. They have about 5 cars in stock these days
The fiat/ Suzuki place might be but they are stoneacre and the new jeep place is pentagon.
Could burrels,pentagon,stoneacre be the same company?
Not sure how this new place is going to survive they have about a billion cars in stock. Never seen many jeeps around here hopefully that will change. Place definitely catches your eye, some very nice looking cars right along the front, large perimeter they have lots of space.
Edited by Pesty on Wednesday 6th January 09:01
Charlie1986 said:
Tonbridge?
If so Merc have just had a new place built and landrover had there place refurbed
Certainly sounds like it.If so Merc have just had a new place built and landrover had there place refurbed
Used that Merc place in the past. I can see where they got their money from to build their little extension (£900 for a service!!!!!)
Needless to say I got rid of it and will not have that marque again (not just because of the price of servicing I will add - now that would be silly).
If only BMW had moved to Tunbridge and kept Mini in Tunbridge Wells. It would have meant I could have walked to BMW for parts and the recent repairs.
smashie said:
Certainly sounds like it.
Used that Merc place in the past. I can see where they got their money from to build their little extension (£900 for a service!!!!!)
Needless to say I got rid of it and will not have that marque again (not just because of the price of servicing I will add - now that would be silly).
If only BMW had moved to Tunbridge and kept Mini in Tunbridge Wells. It would have meant I could have walked to BMW for parts and the recent repairs.
Hence why I went to Volvo in Hildenborough I can drop the car off and walk the dog home in 5 mins. When I had the BMW I used to take to cooper in Sevenoaks before they shutdown and moved to Tonbridge which now has moved to TW.Used that Merc place in the past. I can see where they got their money from to build their little extension (£900 for a service!!!!!)
Needless to say I got rid of it and will not have that marque again (not just because of the price of servicing I will add - now that would be silly).
If only BMW had moved to Tunbridge and kept Mini in Tunbridge Wells. It would have meant I could have walked to BMW for parts and the recent repairs.
TW have some big places now besides Audi all that are newish buildings.
On another note did you ever see the garage opposite the Merc place what had a lot of classics what's now gone to be replaced by another garage im led to believe.
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