Bmw dealers to invest $300M in the U.S. showrooms

n the middle of the worst recorded car demand in the last ten years, 338 BMW dealers are intent on investing no less than $300 million to smarten up their operations or expand into new areas. According to BMW, this is besides the $2.2 billion already invested over the past nine year.

The profitability of the dealer is critical to the future success of a company’s sales network, permitting for expansion or modernization that will bring in more buyers onto the lots. The investments from BMW dealers are a strong demonstration of confidence in the success of the BMW brand in the US in the future. The carmaker said that by the end of 2009 majority of the 338 dealerships would have gone through modernization with an addition of five new showrooms to open in cities like Boston, Chicago, and Houston. In contrast, Audi said last October that its 270 dealers in the US will be investing about $1 billion in the span of 3 years.
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sector - 4/25/2009 8:52:16 PM

+1 Boost

Good, BMW needs to get with the times if wanting to compete with O'mighty Lexus.

Next stop, interior updates for bimmer interiors

commander104 - 4/25/2009 8:58:51 PM

+2 Boost

i think i agree b/c I don't think I've ever seen Lexus share a showroom with another dealer like where I'm from there's a dealership that sells Hondas and BMWs in the same showroom.

EL34 - 4/25/2009 9:56:31 PM

0 Boost

Here in Orange County, California the BMW dealers are as nice as any dealer I have been to.

The Lexus dealer in Tustin isn't all that nice.

commander104 - 4/25/2009 8:53:53 PM

+1 Boost

bmw/merc dealer by me just built a new dealership but nicest one i've seen is the one in ATL on a hill overlooking the hwy.

atomicbri - 4/27/2009 8:46:33 AM

+1 Boost

I ahve to agree! Global Imports BMW in ATL is a great dealership, modern, and awesome inventory and always enough loaner cars! LOL!

WorldofLuxury - 4/25/2009 9:08:02 PM

+1 Boost

gahhh!!! You're killing the Lexus dealers!

My request to Lexus dealers: Can you guys spend $500M to improve your showrooms and provide services 10 times better than BMW's with prices lower than that of BMW? :P

During these bad times, not many people are servicing their vehicles anymore, and my dealer Long Lexus began cutting down on its amenities. I'm not surprised since an appointment for a vehicle maintenance used to require me to wait almost a month, and nowadays, I only have to wait a few days.

mcpercr9 - 4/25/2009 10:05:42 PM

0 Boost

I would rather have money invested in R&D NOT showrooms. I find dealers worthless in general they add little value we should shift to the german model. Salesmen know nothing about the cars they sell, but I have found few knowledgable service personel. Are pretty showrooms nice? Sure, but I still want to spend as little time there as possible, waste of money. Have factory centers to display the cars, order it on the internet, save a lot of money.

david999 - 4/26/2009 11:40:02 AM

+4 Boost

The BMW dealerships I have frequented are hit and miss when it comes to atmosphere, so this is a good thing. On a side note, the Audi ones have definitely been upgrading themselves, even the VW ones.

Roboto - 4/26/2009 2:47:54 PM

0 Boost

Bleed My Wallet aka BMW wants to get updated??

atomicbri - 4/27/2009 8:48:17 AM

-1 Boost

If you buy a new one... the service does not bleed your wallet for 4 years, 50K miles

TexLandRover - 4/26/2009 9:31:15 PM

0 Boost

So what? ... they probably need to look at MSRPs across the board. Their vehicles are losing out in the value equation. Most the German manufacturers are in "never never land" when it comes to pricing. They have been getting their lunches handed to them by the Asians. The Europeans tend to have an arrogant streak that will get them into trouble eventually. They don't seem to adapt to changing situations. Oh well ... they'll learn their lesson real soon. Just ask GM...

thstone - 4/27/2009 1:15:25 PM

+1 Boost

New Century BMW in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles just built a brand new building in 2006. Its an awesome place!

This is from their website:

Our new facility occupies over 6 acres, is three stories tall, and boasts over 250,000 square feet of floor space. We can store up to 600 cars of any model, option or color for our clients to choose from, and the opportunity to drive home the model they desire. The service department has also been expanded to include 50 service stalls for no-wait maintenance.

Our 11,000 square foot parts department, with the capacity for a much larger parts inventory, also features a 900 square foot lifestyle boutique to display a large selection of BMW accessories and lifestyle products to enhance the BMW experience. Our customer lounge will accommodate 25 people with free wireless internet access, large screen TV’s and lots of room for our customers’ comfort.