Dealership showroom reopens after a polish
ONE of Cairns’ most prominent car dealerships has cruised into a new era after the completion of a multi-million dollar facelift.
The new-look Pacific Toyota and Lexus of Cairns showrooms at 235 Mulgrave Rd are now open.
Dealer principal Shannon Marshall said the upgrades, worth more than $5 million, were aimed at improving the “purchasing experience”.
“We’ve got a really good supporter base and, I believe, two of the best brands in the market,” he said.
“And now we’ve got the facilities to better represent these brands.”
The improvements include new individual delivery bays; a larger showroom floor, allowing for up to 20 vehicles to be displayed; an interactive touch screen system and new children’s entertainment area.
The parts and service department was also upgraded.
Mr Marshall, who bought the dealership in 2014, said customer feedback had so far been “really positive”.
“The whole sales area was pretty much rebuilt,” he said.
Keir Constructions was the principal contractor for the project.
Mr Marshall was upbeat about the Cairns new car market, citing growing positivity in the local business sector as a potential sign of things to come.
“Cairns seems to be in a really good spot … and we want to capitalise on that,” Mr Marshall said.
“And now we have a good facility for selling luxury brands.”
Mr Marshall said January rain had slightly delayed the reopening of the Mulgrave Rd showrooms. It comes during a purple patch for Australian new car retailers, with last month’s sales figures setting a new all-time record.
Toyota notched up 216,292 sales for the 2016-17 financial year – an increase of 4.6 per cent from the previous 12 months.
Toyota Australia’s executive director of sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the company and its dealers were experiencing the “strongest demand since the height of the mining boom” for its vehicles.
“Multiple sales records confirm that Toyota is continually anticipating changes in market conditions and fiercer competition by introducing innovative new vehicles and re-imagining existing models while overhauling our entire approach to meeting the needs of our guests,” he said.
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