Hotel or Resort? Is This The Future of Luxury Dealerships?

It's a car dealership that resembles an upscale hotel more than the Spartan auto shops of the past.

The new Lexus of Bellevue, which opened this week at the site of the old Bellevue City Hall, greets visitors with chandeliers, earth-tone furniture and a baby grand piano. A walk through the showroom passes flat-screen TVs, a deli, an escalator, and facing downtown Bellevue, a set of artificial putting greens.

It may be fancy, but it also reflects a new reality, the owners say: Customers won't put up with sleazy salesmen and basic décor anymore. Today, dealerships need to cater to customers shopping or waiting for repairs, sometimes with children in tow.

"My job is to make sure I've accomplished every need you have," said Michael O'Brien, who owns Lexus of Bellevue and four other car dealerships in the Seattle area.


Read Article

JUGNU - 7/20/2007 11:36:28 AM

+1 Boost

Looks good.

btw Nowadays there are lot of New Toyota/Lexus showrooms being built in Middle East.
Futtaim motors and Saud Bahwan motors (Dealer of Toyota and Lexus in UAE and Oman respectively) both are one of the biggest dealers of Toyota and Lexus and both are building some of the biggest and most expensive showrooms.

JUGNU

M53R - 7/22/2007 12:18:11 PM

+1 Boost

They built a huge Toyota/Lexus dealership right next to my workplace in Ajman.

cdoke - 7/20/2007 11:49:37 AM

0 Boost

Well, I'd be inclined to agree were it not for the suspended ceiling with fluorescent lights.

Having said that this is a step in the right direction. However, I would like to see more pictures so I could understand just how different it is.

indifferent - 7/20/2007 12:22:32 PM

-1 Boost

why?
most people dont want to go to dealerships anymore. Whenever my family or I go to the Lexus dealership, we spend 10 mins at the service department. If you call in early, they have a loaner car waiting for you. Just give them your keys, sign a couple of papers and get on with your life.

I think the smartest thing any car company did was what GM did with one of its brands. Doing all the deals online and then just going in the dealership to sign papers is where the future is. Who wants to waste a whole day trying to buy a car? after i decided i want car X, i want car X. I dont want to sit around and look at a piano. Buying cars (after test driving) on the internet is the future. Dealerships will be a thing of the past.

Agent009 - 7/20/2007 2:08:29 PM

0 Boost

In a way I tend to agree,

After research and test drives of the competitors was over we did the last deal over the internet and we simply drove up, looked at the car and we in an out in 30 mins.

Very painless. The salesman was not an adversary but basically a coordinator of the transaction.

M35MT - 7/20/2007 2:55:38 PM

+1 Boost

I spent 7 hours buying my last car. That's why I went from 2000 down to nothing down, and a 40 less a month on the payment.

I think it was worth it...

supermoto - 7/20/2007 1:17:59 PM

-6 Boost

Wow, that looks like a great place for grandma and grandpa to hang out!

It obviously shows who they're marketing to. Not the young and hip crowd, that's for sure.

Will_ - 7/20/2007 5:14:37 PM

0 Boost

They should be considering you taught them how to...

EnnNorak - 7/21/2007 12:59:04 PM

+1 Boost

Yep! I'm a grandpa and I visit showrooms like that without buying anything. It's generally a free auto show and it gives me an opportunity to test the skills of car sales staff -- I inevitably end up training them rpoperly by pointing out the real strong points of the product that they never knew about because the factory training they received concentrated on trivial emotional marketing bullshit.

Will_ - 7/20/2007 1:39:34 PM

+3 Boost

The young and hip can go over to the BMW dealerships to watch magicians. Lexus is a premium luxury brand selling premium luxury vehicles. This is totally appropriate. You wouldn't want to buy a Bulgari watch in a Walmart would you?

Agent009 - 7/20/2007 2:10:28 PM

0 Boost

No Walmart sells "Bullgary" watches right beside the "Alfine" stereos.

While it is nice to have these ammenities, someone is paying for the upkeep, and I dare say it is the customer.

Agent009 - 7/20/2007 2:11:15 PM

0 Boost

Will_ I thought you were young and hip too...

USAWON - 7/20/2007 4:02:49 PM

-2 Boost

You have to wonder about people who mention Lexus in the same sentence with BMW and Mercedes. If I want an overpriced Toyota I will drive over to the nearest Lexus dealership for one.

Will_ - 7/20/2007 5:12:55 PM

+1 Boost

I wonder more about ignorant people in denial that think Lexus isn't competition to BMW and Mercedes.

I read somewhere either in a business magazine or online that todays "young and hip" generations are becoming more and more affluent, and in turn have developed a finer taste in all things luxury. "New money" rich kids are trying harder than ever to emulate "old money" geezers, and I think luxury retailers are taking notice. How many young rappers now have Phantoms? To conclude my point before I get carried away, Lexus doing this to their dealerships wont deter young people as much as it will attract affluent young and older people alike.

BMW4me4ever - 7/20/2007 5:45:54 PM

-2 Boost

Frisk .. that is funny. I see what you mean when I see a guy driving a Lexus RX350 around, since about 90% of them sold in US are to women. I can see the frustration.

headphones - 7/20/2007 5:55:16 PM

+1 Boost

doesnt surprise me, after "L IS for luxury..."

[sarcasm heavily used for those who cant detect it.]

Monk - 7/20/2007 7:35:13 PM

+1 Boost

not bad..
I live about 15 min from this dealer
Even though my family hates Lexus, I wouldn't mind going over there and playing some Chopin (hopefully it's a Steinway, not a Yamaha or Kawai - Borzendorfer and Steinway sound better

EnnNorak - 7/21/2007 1:08:29 PM

+1 Boost

I doubt it's a Steinway as that would use up too big a chunk of the interior decorating budget. Instead of appealing to customers who seek class beyond their means, they should get more practical in showroom design by making sure that all floors have adequate electrical outlets with a safe cover that is flush with the floor so that the battery charge in showroom vehicles can be properly maintained with a trickle charger. It just annoys the hell out of me when i try to operate a power seat and the salesman apologizes for having had to disconnect the battery because it got discharged.

Lexus - 7/21/2007 2:35:08 AM

+1 Boost

That why I love Lexus dealer, treating their customer like a true king.

david989 - 7/21/2007 7:11:58 AM

+2 Boost

Lexus customers are smart, they are like kings.

JUGNU - 7/21/2007 2:39:54 AM

-1 Boost

exactly what i mean to say,xerokool

looks good for a US dealer but still weak compared to the Lexus dealerships in Japan and Middle East.

JUGNU

BMW4me4ever - 7/21/2007 9:59:00 AM

0 Boost

smoke and mirrors 101. Why would anyone want to spend more time in a dealership than they have to, unless you have a ridiculous amount of extra time and such. If I want to go play golf or putt, then why wouldnt I just go to a golf course ( being outside ) or I could go to the Lexus Dealer. lol .. If I drop my car off, it is not that difficult to have them shuttle to the local mall or driving range or I could stay indoors at the Lexus dealer. smoke and mirrors 101

autopro - 7/21/2007 11:52:35 AM

+1 Boost

This is part of a major plan from lexus,they didn't want to increase their sales,an suffer in service so they are bilding multimillion dealerships.With all the new product coming the leader in luxury sales is about to slay everyone.Say whatever you want but the numbers don't lie,and their about to pull away even more.