Jaguar Land Rover plans move to Novi from Farmington Hills, with huge new facility
Jaguar Land Rover, on the prowl to expand its territory, will relocate from Farmington Hills to Novi, building an entirely new dealership.
The Novi City Council unanimously approved on April 1 applicant Erhard Motor Sales’ preliminary site plan and special development option, which calls for construction of a 58,663-square-foot facility on 9.5 acres of vacant land on the southwest corner of Grand River Avenue and Meadowbrook Road.
“That piece of property has been vacant forever,” Mayor Bob Gatt said. “It is getting zero tax dollars, and all of a sudden a highly-acclaimed car dealership wants to locate there. It’s a boon for the city in tax revenue and will bring prestige to the city, and kitty corner is largest selling Cadillac dealer in the entire country. It’s good competition.”
Ken Widerstedt, facilities manager for Erhard Motor Sales, said the company purchased the Jaguar franchise that was located in Novi at 10 Mile and Haggerty three years ago, agreeing to build a new facility for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. They began looking for a location along the Grand River corridor and found the Novi property, which they have been working on obtaining approval for all permits and plans for two years.
“It’s a good neighborhood, good location, and part of what Novi calls the gateway east entry to the city,” Widerstedt said. “It gives us more room to do everything.”
He noted that the current Farmington Hills location, about 22,000 square feet on 2.5 acres, was only ever meant to hold Land Rovers. The new location, for which he hopes ground will be broken this fall, has a concept plan that proposes 287 parking spaces for vehicle inventory and 138 spots for employees and customers to park. The facility will triple the number of cars in the showroom, from the current 8 to 24, essential to Erhard Motor Sales’ philosophy that people would always rather look at and purchase cars in the comfort of the showroom.
The company, which besides the Farmington Hills Jaguar Land Rover dealership, also owns a BMW dealership in that city, as well as a BMW dealership in Bloomfield Hills and two auto collision shops, is doing well in the luxury car business.
The company, which besides the Farmington Hills Jaguar Land Rover dealership, also owns a BMW dealership in that city, as well as a BMW dealership in Bloomfield Hills and two auto collision shops, is doing well in the luxury car business.
“Historically, high-end cars are recession proof,” Widerstedt said. “Business is good. We don’t expect to double sales. Sales will grow slowly year after year.”
Jaguar, which is in the midst of redesigns and updates, has a popular electric vehicle line, Widerstedt said, but it is currently Land Rover sport utility vehicles that are their best seller. New models range in price from about $50,000 to $150,000 on the dealership’s website.
Pre-owned is also a popular option and Widerstedt is looking forward to increasing that inventory with the move. Three more approvals are needed from the city, he said. Widerstedt hopes construction will begin this fall on the facility and be completed in December 2020.
Posted By: Hometown Life on April 5, 2019. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
To receive the In The Know from Signature Associates, please click here to be added to our mailing list.
« Back to Insights