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April 5, 2010
www.usedcarnews.com
THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR
Dealer Aims to Attract Luxury Car Buyers with High-End Showroom By Emily Caswell
AUGUSTA, Ga. - Customers shopping for Ferraris, Maseratis and Bentleys expect to do so in a certain kind of environment even if the cars are used. Luxury cars, after all, call for a luxurious showroom. At least that’s the idea behind Augusta, Ga., dealer Gurjit Jalli’s plan to renovate his dealership. Change is nothing new to Jalli. A year ago he converted his wholesale used vehicle business to sell to the public. He said the economy called for that change. “Now it’s an entirely different ball game,” Jalli said. The wholesale business now sells about 100 cars a month, compared to 250 cars a month five years ago and as many as 500 cars a month 16 years ago, Jalli said. Jalli and his staff are in the process of learning to sell to the public. “We learned as we went,” he said. “(We) changed our strategy … our behavior.” Jalli realized he needed a new physical environment to match the new sales environment. So, he’s converting his 4,500-
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square-foot facility on Prince Road to a luxury showroom, where he plans to sell high-end vehicles. Already the site of his wholesale business - Jalli’s OnCar Automotive - Jalli simply moved the tenants in the rest of the strip mall to make the entire mall a showroom, which he plans to have completed by the first half of June. “We are trying to create a ‘wow’ feeling,” said Jalli. He wants the new showroom, which will cost about $500,000, to be inviting to customers and, more importantly, let people know that after 30 years in the Augusta area, he’s not going anywhere. “I want to do it with a taste where people like the car buying experience,” he said. Jalli said the showroom is totally unique to the area. It will have offices, a lounge for customers and between 15 and 20 cars including Ferraris, Maseratis and Bentleys - a sector of the car industry Jalli said Augusta is missing. Currently, he said customers looking to buy those brands travel to Atlanta and beyond. “There’s a lot of money in the Augusta area,” said Jalli. “We hope that these (customers) will have the same confidence to buy the car from us.” Along with luxury cars, Jalli will also sell cars starting at $7,000. In fact, added Jalli, cars in the $8,000 to $25,000 range make CHANGING SCENES: Gurjit Jalli shows off his new store in Augusta, Ga. Jalli added a retail segment to his up an important sector of his business , specializing in high-end vehicles. business. He’ll also continue to run his around and when he is looking Jalli said each car is clearly of negotiation,” he said. wholesale operation for other for somebody, we approach marked with a dollar amount. Jalli plans to host a grand dealers. him,” Jalli said. “We have a very small window opening event this summer. Besides standing out cosmetically, Jalli wants his dealership IN THIS ISSUE to stand out because of its customer service. • A fugitive's run from the law ends at • Disgruntled employee hijacks a starterAlready, the dealership is used-car store. – Page 3 interrupt system. – Page 6 gaining a reputation for being a • NAAA sets out to create a standard for • Tax season is in full swing with more no-pressure type of environwholesale certification. – Page 4 money than ever. – Page 8 ment. “We let the customer walk