Automotive News - October 17, 2016 - Supplement - S41

OCTOBER 17, 2016 ❙ 41 GAUDIN PORSCHE, LAS VEGAS TEST DRIVES, LAS VEGAS STYLE Porsche dealership offers customers track experience Printed in Automotive News July 11, 2016 David Undercoffler undercoffler@crain.com dealership test drive is a just a test drive: a couple of turns, maybe a quick jaunt on the highway, a few more turns and a return to the dealership. But what if the test drive involves a 580-hp supercar: Ⅲ Swaying undecided Porsche's 911 Turbo S? A car shoppers like that is barely waking up at with laps on the end of the on ramp; a nora racetrack mal test drive serves only as a tease. Fortunately, Gaudin Porsche in Las Vegas has an ace up its sleeve: the SpeedVegas track six miles away. SpeedVegas, the latest track experience business in Las Vegas, sells per-lap seat time in some of the latest supercars on the market. Just before SpeedVegas opened in April, Gaudin Porsche General Manager Jim Mooradian worked out a crucial partnership with it. The arrangement gives Gaudin access to the 1.5-mile track for two to four on-demand laps with high-value clientele who are on the fence about a Porsche or undecided between models. "Porsche is always talking about brand experience," Mooradian told Automotive News. "Knock their socks off. Give our customers something that they've never experienced before. So what a great idea to marry up with SpeedVegas." The five-year contract also gives Mooradian six weekend days a year for six hours each. He plans to use these to host customer-appreciation events or demo days for his clientele at the 10-acre site. Mooradian sold SpeedVegas the three Porsches it has in its lineup: a 911 GT3, a Cayman GTS and a Cayman GT4. More GT3s are planned. The dealership will service the vehicles during their lifetime. A sibling dealership, Gaudin Ford, sold SpeedVegas three Ford Transit vans for customer transport. All the vehicles came at a slight discount, but Mooradian wouldn't disclose how much. A A Porsche Cayman on the SpeedVegas track, which is just six miles from Gaudin Porsche. " "Porsche is always talking about brand experience. Knock their socks off. Give our customers something that they've never experienced before. So what a great idea to marry up with SpeedVegas." " Jim Mooradian Gaudin Porsche "I took care of them," he said. "I certainly had to reflect relationship in the price." As part of the deal, Gaudin pays SpeedVegas an undisclosed monthly stipend for the access. Customers of SpeedVegas who fall in love with a Porsche are referred to Gaudin - the only Porsche dealership in the area - but not on a commission basis. Gaudin also supplies SpeedVegas' merchandise shop with Porsche gear and gets a cut of the sales. Though the partnership is relatively new, Gaudin is already seeing the benefits. Not only has it contributed to a handful of sales, but being able to give customers that experi- ence - which they then spread by word of mouth - is invaluable, Mooradian said. His salesmen love it, too. No one would argue against track time in a Porsche 911, but it also gives his guys an extra selling point to close a deal that a rival dealership can't match. Plus, the track time allows customers to take their time testing various trim levels or features on high-performance sports cars that matter to well-heeled buyers, allowing them to end up satisfied with how they ordered their cars and thus more likely to come back. "These are $100,000 decisions," Mooradian said. "They're done over a three- or fourmonth period." c

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