Carter Cadillac opened its doors yesterday in Calgary.
Seeking to go toe-to-toe with other manufacturers which insist on specific buildings for their luxury brands, Cadillac has opened a dedicated store right in the heart of oil country. Deploying Cadillac’s new brand architecture, Carter Cadillac opened its doors yesterday in Calgary.
“We’ve noticed an increased interest in luxury vehicles in the west,” said Jay McKeen, managing partner, Carter Cadillac. “Calgary is the highest volume market for Cadillac in Western Canada, making it the perfect location for this new dealership.”
Catering to a fussy customer base is no mean feat. Many shoppers who are looking to spend big bucks on a luxury car or SUV do not care to rub elbows with the commoners buying a second-hand Chevy Cobalt. This helps to explain why Lexus seeks to distance itself a bit from the Toyota buying experience and Acura chooses to build stand-alone locations. Unique brand architecture for dealership design can serve as a marketing tool to further reinforce Cadillac’s core values.
This is not Cadillac’s first crack at a stand-alone store but it is one that utilizes their snazzy new brand architecture. The dual-showroom facility is built to house new services, including a virtual reality showroom in line with Cadillac’s focus on technology and solar-powered electric vehicle fast-charging stations keeping pace with Cadillac’s move toward an all-electric future.
The new building features 50,000 square feet of developed space over three storeys, designed to maximize indoor showroom area – an important consideration given our famous winter weather. An upper showroom offering Cadillac’s V-Series high-performance vehicles will include a neat display of vintage Cadillacs. Paying homage to one’s roots is a great idea.
In theory, this approach should also improve the experience a Cadillac customer receives when it is time to bring their vehicle in for maintenance. The dealership’s concierge offers a full-service experience to allow for seamless vehicle ownership, including pick up and return for vehicle servicing. This is light years away from the muddy floors and burnt coffee offered up at your author’s local GM dealer.
An influx of new product – particularly the XT4 and XT5 crossovers – have buoyed the brand’s sales numbers, with the company claiming 2018 to be its best in its 116-year history. If Cadillac wants to maintain that growth by hoovering customers from other luxury brands, they need to offer the top-notch customer experience expected by these clients. A stand-alone store like Carter Cadillac is the ticket for doing so.
The dealership is creating up 30 new full-time positions in the Calgary market, with expected growth of up to 40 positions by the end of this year.
Keyword: Cadillac Opens Stand-Alone Calgary Dealer, Introduces New Brand Architecture