Dealers in Western Canada are employing creative use of showroom space to get new vehicles before the public. New vehicles have been popping up in the lobbies of recreation centres while the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. is looking at putting vehicles in the lobby of hotels during its spring car show.
In Calgary the Dilawri Group has opened a high-end auto showroom for luxury vehicles plus an accessories retail outlet in the downtown core. The concept remains the same — placing vehicles close to the potential buyer.
The Dilawri showroom, which will display the group’s most expensive vehicles, is a former Holt Renfrew store which was vacated by the clothing retailer 18 months ago. It currently houses 14 vehicles, representative of Bentley, Aston Martin, Fisker, Mini, and BMW brands. Tony Dilawri, whose corporate offices are near the showroom, said: “A lot of our customers are actually located within this five-block square.”
