Car buyers on the West Shore won’t have to go far to kick tires as Victoria Hyundai opens a new car showroom within Westshore Town Centre on June 17.
“Victoria Hyundai's expansion into the West Shore demonstrates our belief in the strength of the economy within this growing area,” Jody Dick, general manager of the dealership, said in a statement. “Our decision to position our brand within the Westshore Town Centre is unique to our marketplace and further demonstrates our commitment to deliver our products and services in the most convenient, accessible and friendly manner possible.”
The new facility, occupying 280 square metres close to Winners, will display up to eight new vehicles at a time. People will be able to sit in the vehicles, get sales information and book a test drive. Due to space restraints, test-drives cannot originate from the shopping centre.
Prospective buyers can go to the main dealership on Gorge Road or have a salesman bring the car to their residence.
The new location will not offer any vehicle service or parts sales.
The news was greeted with delight by Langford Mayor Stew Young.
“It is welcome news. I am glad dealers are looking at Langford for their expansion,” he said. “It is a smart move on their part, to recognize that this market is the strongest in the West Shore.”
This is the first time a new car dealership has opened inside a mall in western Canada, said Cole Coates, general sales manager at Victoria Hyundai.
But it isn’t unique in Canada.
A similar satellite dealership has been operating in Cambridge, Ont. That store is one of 57 franchised dealerships run by AutoCanada (which also owns Victoria Hyundai), a publicly-traded franchise automobile dealership group.
