5 minute read
Miles Group opens flagship vehicle dealership on the Shore
The impressive new home of Mercedes-Benz North Shore and Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore.
Aidan Bennett visits the impressive new home for Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroen and Opel on the Shore
One of New Zealand’s leading motor groups, Miles Group, has signalled a real confidence in the North Shore with the opening of a brand new state-of-the-art facility for a number of their prominent vehicle brands during November. The impressive new complex has been purpose-built on land the group owns in Fred Thomas Drive, opposite Golf Warehouse and the driving range. It will be the home of Mercedes-Benz North Shore, as well as Peugeot, Citroen and Opel – and their team of 60-plus people.
It is no secret that I love businesses investing in our North Shore community, so it was with some excitement that I went along for a visit just a week or two after they opened the doors of their new facility.
Prior to opening this new facility, these four iconic vehicle brands were scattered at various locations on the Shore. So it wasn’t surprising that my host, Ben Panettiere, Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore General Manager, was excited to show me around his new place of work. It is something very special, and the result of several years of planning.
Managing Director Craig Innes with his Mercedes-AMG SLS GT3 Race car that is on display in the new AMG showroom.
What is immediately obvious is the scale of the building – you can’t miss it on Fred Thomas Drive. The location, being close to the motorway with easy access to the bridge and Auckland city – as well as Takapuna, Milford, and the Devonport peninsula – is about perfect for a dealership selling high quality motor vehicles. The site is 8,300 square metres, meaning that space is abundant and parking is super easy. That was the case as I drove up to the building.
The dealership is the first of its kind in New Zealand, built to a new world-wide style of Mercedes-Benz architecture – known as MAR2020. It is the second in Australasia, the first being over the Tasman, in Brisbane. "With MAR2020, Mercedes-Benz is defining a new brand appearance at the retail level, and we are thrilled to be leading the way in New Zealand, here on the Shore,” says Managing Director Craig Innes. “Opening this facility with this totally new concept responds to what our customers are looking for in a digital world. At the same time we have dramatically increased our offering for our customers to ensure satisfaction, a prime example being our 18-hoist service department that enables us to increase the number of vehicles we are servicing every day – up to 60 a day. Electric is a big part of the future so we also have 18 EV chargers at the dealership.”
These 18 onsite electric vehicle chargers include three super chargers.
Craig Innes says that MAR2020 design is also responding directly to the fact that for many customers their purchase journey begins online and this concept will provide a
Electric vehicles are front and centre in the Mercedes-Benz North Shore showroom.
There are 18 onsite electric vehicle chargers including three super chargers.
Ben Panettiere, Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore General Manager.
seamless online to offline transition with strong integration of digital elements and technology. Craig and his fellow directors, Bruce Miles and Murray Cleland, have had trips to different parts of the world to understand the new thinking in dealership design. They were convinced that MAR2020 was right.
“MAR2020 is very customer-centric,” adds Craig Innes. “There are no desks in the showroom; it’s totally designed for the customer to be very comfortable and free to look around and enjoy the space.”
There is certainly a different feel about entering the new Mercedes-Benz North Shore showroom. The customer lounge is at the centre of things and there are digital screens all over the place for people to discover the range and digitally build their new vehicle.
The dealership is on two levels, which is how it is cleverly home to the four vehicle brands. Mercedes-Benz has two floors on the northern end of the building. New Zealand’s largest Mercedes-Benz AMG Performance Centre is on level two.
The large service and parts facility – with undercover parking – encompasses the rear of the building, while the Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore operation is located across two floors on the southern end.
A glass vehicle hoist in the middle of the building is a centrepiece that lifts vehicles to the upper floor. Car lovers will enjoy viewing the dealership's Mercedes-AMG SLS GT3 race car that is also on the upper level. This is one of a very limited number made world-wide and will be raced by MD Craig Innes.
“Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore started from humble beginnings, and we have achieved so much over the past couple of years,” explained GM Ben Panettiere, as we wandered through their new home. “These brands are right at home in this superb new location and facilities, with an emphasis on electric and hybrid vehicles. I’m very excited to take what is now the flagship dealership in the country to the next level and provide the best customer experience and service here on the Shore.”
Ben Panettiere has led the establishment of Peugeot and Citroen on the Shore over the past three-four years, while Opel – a huge brand in Europe – is a recent addition.
“The three brands combine very well, providing our customers with very strong options in the hybrid and electric vehicle space,” adds Ben Panettiere. “Opel qualifies 100% for clean vehicle rebates due to half the options being electric and the entire range very fuel efficient.”
Space at the new facility has also given the business the opportunity to double its pre-owned vehicle stock, providing customers with more choice of late model vehicles.
Well done to Craig Innes and his team on creating their fantastic new facility.
Visit Mercedes-Benz North Shore: www.mbnorthshore.co.nz Or Peugeot Citroen Opel North Shore: www.pcons.co.nz
