'Premier' look redefines Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealerships

[Flybrian]

Premier Buick-Pontiac-GMC Dealership Opens
Carl Black Buick-Pontiac-GMC Unveils New Design
3.1.07

STUART, FLA. - The first all-new Buick-Pontiac-GMC showroom in the United States will open its doors here Thursday.

After being destroyed by hurricanes Francis and Jeanne in 2004, Carl's Buick-Pontiac-GMC at 2445 S.E. Federal Highway has put the finishing touches on a completely new, modern exterior and interior design.

"I'm proud to participate in this great occasion," said John Larson, general manager of GM's Buick-Pontiac-GMC divisions in Detroit. "Carl's is part of a growing number of dealerships that have combined the three brands under one roof. He is also one of the first to invest in an all-new facility image design."

KENNESAW, GA. – The first all-new Buick-Pontiac-GMC showroom in Georgia will open its doors here Friday.

Carl Black Buick-Pontiac-GMC at 1110 Roberts Blvd., opens with a completely new, modern exterior and interior design.

“I’m proud to participate in this great occasion,” said John Larson, general manager of GM’s Buick-Pontiac-GMC divisions in Detroit. “Carl Black is part of a growing number of dealerships that have combined the three brands under one roof. Dealer Mike Bowsher is also one of the first to invest in an all-new facility image design.”

Channel Strategy

In 2002, GM announced a strategy to group the Buick, Pontiac and GMC brands into one preferred distribution channel. Currently, about 1,600 dealers are aligned, and together they sell about 65 percent of the volume for the three brands.

“We believe this provides a competitive advantage for our dealers,” Larson said. “The Buick- Pontiac-GMC channel allows GM to optimize each brand by developing distinct yet complementary vehicles that reduce product overlap, broaden the appeal of each model and reach new customers.”

Each brand in the channel has it own defining characteristics:

• Pontiac: Athletic, bold designs with great performance
• Buick: Premium vehicles that offer classic, timeless designs, and exquisite levels of craftsmanship and high quality
• GMC: Professional Grade trucks, SUVs and crossovers engineered to provide superior capabilities and innovative features.

New Facility Design

The Buick-Pontiac-GMC team worked with dealer input, GM Design Staff and a nationally recognized design firm – Pavlik Design Team of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – to come up with the design. The new showroom exudes a clean, modern feel, with distinct areas for the three brands.

The dealership’s exterior features a black, white and gray color scheme, constructed of brushed metal panels with bright metal inserts, and black metal accents.

The interior design includes a modern balance of light cherry wood and a ceramic tile floor. The interior also takes several of the visual design elements from the exterior and incorporates them into the interior, such as the arch over the receptionist’s desk.

The overall result is an efficient facility design program that provides Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers with consistent brand identification, as well as a modern and pleasing environment for their customers.

[ellives]

Beautiful pictures. I hope the strategy works.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Maybe, I'm jaded since I work for GM, but sounds like John Larson/GM speak for yadda yadda yadda!

[Bimmer325]

Awesome. Looks like they even have the Solstice Concept and GMC Graphyte in stock!

[ocnblu]

The renderings look cool. I guess this decor will spread BPG wide. I wonder how much pressure GM will put on the dealers to complete these slick renovations.

[pow]

That's nice. The closest PBG dealer here looks like a trailer park.

[big blue]

If by some miracle the majority of BPG dealers could look like those illustrations above, then GM would have the starbucking, trendy shoppers stopping by just to visit a "hot spot" of a car dealer. Of course...right now it's a fairy tale of a dream. Come on GM, make a pre-emptive strike against your competitors and start getting known for your dealerships AND your cars.

[CSpec]

That's one big Solstice.

[Cory Wolfe]

I doubt this look will work for 90% of existing dealerships unless they plan on doing a major overhaul.

[mustang84]

Sure beats the 1970s wood-panel B-P-G dealership in my hometown.

[Croc]

Very derivative and bland. Sterile. And GM only wishes its brand reps dressed in suits and it had random hot chicks by the custom rims displays...

[hyperv6]

About 80% of the dealers in this part of Ohip have already built new or upgraded dealers in the last 4-8 years. I can see them doing this upgrade in the future since most of the work here is already done. Most already had GMC and Buick in them anyway.

The funny part is one dealer in Rittman Ohio is one that just built a new building and dealer. There name is "Premier Pontiac".

The key point is this is not anything that is going to happen over night but they need to set what is expected for future dealer development to bring this all together. GM is already requiring most dealers to be or relocate on a interstate or major highway. Many still need to relocate so when they rebuild they can do this like directed.

Toyata has much the same look in ther new super dealers as we just got one of the prototypes here. I looks similar but just buiger as it hold Scion and the new trucks too.

[enzl]

Why would any BPG invest in an upgrade? It's beyond rediculous to have GM saying you'll have less product, but you MUST upgrade your facilities. Or, we know Pontiac is rumored to be on the chopping block, please invest in signage and showrooms for a product that may not be there in 3 years time....

Toyota or Honda can insist on these things...it's an insult to businessmen that are struggling mightily to insist on any capital investment without big GM spiffs to do so...and GM doesn't have the cash to do it, so unless there's some more flooding or hurricanes or earthquakes, don't expect this design to appear in your neighboprhood BPG anytime soon.

[FAPTurbo]

Very derivative and bland. Sterile. And GM only wishes its brand reps dressed in suits and it had random hot chicks by the custom rims displays...

[pow]

Very derivative and bland. Sterile. And GM only wishes its brand reps dressed in suits and it had random hot chicks by the custom rims displays...

They're saving creativity for the Saturn showrooms, I'm guessing. By looking relatively new and professional, they think they don't need an original idea or concept.

But I've noticed that GM is generally very weak at branding. Ford (Lincoln-Mercury, Volvo, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, except for Ford) is much better... you can immediately tell just by looking at their autoshow displays, graphics, and brochures.

Edited March 5, 2007 by empowah

[Croc]

Agreed; GM's branding is pretty lacking. The best instance of this is the continual mis-use of that nasal-voiced guy for the Cadillac commercials. Sorry, but that voice-over voice might work for Pontiac, but it kills the Cadillac marketing message.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I think it looks good.

It's not that elaborate, but that's probably because GM knows it's dealers are cash strapped.

A lot of the dealers here are ghetto, but a lot of them are also pretty good looking. GM needs themes for ALL of it's sales channels.

The question is; what are they going to do about dealers with even more franchises in the same building? For example, my local Cadillac dealer also sold Pontiacs and GMCs. They refused to give up Cadillac in exchange for Buick (Because they founded the franchise on Caddy) so they simply bought out the local Buick-Saab franchise from another dealer here.

So, essentially they have one building, with very limited space selling Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saab and Cadillac.

[Flybrian]

Agreed; GM's branding is pretty lacking. The best instance of this is the continual mis-use of that nasal-voiced guy for the Cadillac commercials. Sorry, but that voice-over voice might work for Pontiac, but it kills the Cadillac marketing message.

You mean Gary Sinise? And, dude, the recent ads are completely different.

[Croc]

You mean Gary Sinise? And, dude, the recent ads are completely different.

I have no idea, and the new ads are irrelevant to the point I was making...for several years they used this nasal guy on the voiceovers during much of the Led Zeppelin era of ads. A lot of people commented on the poor choice of VO both on here and in the marketing community.

Another instance of bad branding comes to mind with the "Not Your Father's Oldsmobile" ads.

Edited March 6, 2007 by Croc

[loki]

i don't see this happening anytime soon where i live, our dealers are from north to south, buick, chevy, (imports)and cadi, across a highway intersection (not interstate) pontiac/gmc.

looks nice though

[hyperv6]

Who is to say this is not a good way to weed out many dealers that can not live up to their franchise agreement with GM.

GM already has too many dealers and if the lose some due to the fact that some franchises can't meet the standards. So be it!

I have one rotten dealer here I would love to see go under for a lot of their under handed dealings. This would only help the good dealer here that is building a new building now and give them more buisness that they deserve.

As I have stated earlier some here were close to losing their dealers if they did not relocate to a interstate or major highway.

[Camino LS6]

Carl Black is where my Hawk came from.

The BPG dealer where I got my GTO is a really nice facility, not huge - but up to date and well-maintained. It is located in the triangle of land where two major roads meet as well.

Seems like a busy place.

[bobo]

It doesn't mention anything about a waiting area. I'm assuming there will be cushy chairs, a large-screen flat panel TV, and wi-fi? I recently took my Silverado to the local Chevy dealer for service, and the waiting area couldn't be any more bare bones. They had chairs around a coffee table, and that's about it. Coffee was available out in the shop area. Maybe I've been spoiled by the Lexus dealer.

[scharmer05]

The PBG dealer here in town just opened about a year ago and looks great the way it is, I doubt to see them changing it up anytime soon. The one up in Grand Forks is a all in one GM superstore. They at one time carried everything but Saab, but lost the Hummer dealer after a short while. They just built that store a couple years ago, and since it has to encompass all GM brands I doubt to see them changing it up. Too bad, it looks nice.

[Cory Wolfe]

Who is to say this is not a good way to weed out many dealers that can not live up to their franchise agreement with GM.

GM already has too many dealers and if the lose some due to the fact that some franchises can't meet the standards. So be it!

I have one rotten dealer here I would love to see go under for a lot of their under handed dealings. This would only help the good dealer here that is building a new building now and give them more buisness that they deserve.

As I have stated earlier some here were close to losing their dealers if they did not relocate to a interstate or major highway.

Not all dealers are going to be able to live up to something like that, and not because they're "bad" dealers. Here in Brookville, the dealership is already along a major traffic and happens to be right in town. The perfect location. The problem is, Brookville is a Historic district and the dealer is in a historic building they basically can't touch. For them, the choice would be to either move to a less ideal place and meet those standards or stay in the ideal location and not meet those standards. Considering Brookville gets traffic for the Historic factor alone, I'd pick the latter and say "F*ck GM".

[GMTruckGuy74]

The BPG dealer where I got my GTO is a really nice facility, not huge - but up to date and well-maintained. It is located in the triangle of land where two major roads meet as well.

That wouldn't happen to be Granite Run BPG, would it? I always thought that dealership was a wierd one, to be positioned like it is. Almost a death trap getting in or out of there! (I was there once on a dealer trade back in 2000)

[Flybrian]

For them, the choice would be to either move to a less ideal place and meet those standards or stay in the ideal location and not meet those standards.

And on this note, I was saddened to see Dew Cadillac of St. Petersburg finally move 'out of the city' from their original and beautiful first floor showroom in the heart of downtown to a new 'normal' lot off Gandy Blvd. Sure, its nice and all...but its not the same.

[hyperv6]

Not all dealers are going to be able to live up to something like that, and not because they're "bad" dealers. Here in Brookville, the dealership is already along a major traffic and happens to be right in town. The perfect location. The problem is, Brookville is a Historic district and the dealer is in a historic building they basically can't touch. For them, the choice would be to either move to a less ideal place and meet those standards or stay in the ideal location and not meet those standards. Considering Brookville gets traffic for the Historic factor alone, I'd pick the latter and say "F*ck GM".

I am sure some dealers may get a pass if they are the onely one around in a rual area. We have some here in outer areas like that.

On the other hand GM is not going to lose sleep over losing a lover volume dealer when they have stronger ones in some cities.

My point is GM has too many dealers and this may be a way they can lose them. Just the fact of Buick and Pontiac combining is makeing less dealers.

One trend in this area also is that major dealers are buying many small family dealers and just building one big dealer and closing many others.

All of these and other reasons will lower the dealer network and put them on keel like many of the Toyota and Nissan dealers.

We have also had many Ford dealers close here when bought up by larger Ford retailers.

[PONTIAC06]

The question is; what are they going to do about dealers with even more franchises in the same building?

This is my question... Most of the dealerships out here in Wyoming are selling every brand except Saab and HUMMER. How do they expect them to be able to do a different theme for each of their brands...maybe they should come up with a GM design instead of individual designs for these type of dealerships... I think it looks really nice though...

[daves87rs]

I think those pics are stupid-People aren't stupid enough to think that GM is high class like Macy's (or something)

There should be a standard-but most of it should be up to the dealerships themselves.

I've seen some pretty cool ones, and some who can't disappear fast enough.

Not that it matters too much-Dealerships are buying each other out like crazy....

and a few dealerships are going out of business as we speak.

[daves87rs]

It certainly looks better than the joint where I used to work.

Can you tell it used to be an indoor lumberyard?

The blue thing with windows on the right is a line of cubicles where you deal with the salesmen and all the financing. The red carpet area on the left is that says "Delivery Lounge" is where they are supposed to deliver your new car indoors, but for as long as I can remember it has always been where they store pontoons. Anything would be an improvement over this.

Now that is a stupid set up..I could see a test drive go wrong there....