Automotive News Canada - April 2017 - v2 - 12

* APRIL 2017

DRIVING

DESIGN

For $1,000, fashion
designer Sid Neigum
helps customers
come up with ideas for
their vehicles,
such as this Audi Q7

Bespoke cars speak to exclusive, expensive tastes
By MARK RICHARDSON

It can cost thousands of dollars for a different paint
job because it's no longer part of the assembly-line
process. The paint must be approved, likely tested and
THERE'S A LOW-VOLUME GROWTH MARKET
verified, and the vehicle removed from the line and
in Canada for custom-designed vehicles that are onetaken to a special painting facility.
of-a-kind designs.
If customers have the time to wait for intensive
For $1,000, customers can meet with Canadian
changes, the sky is the limit, from custom leather to
fashion designer Sid Neigum who will help them
exotic woods. This is where designers such as Neigum
come up with ideas for a car to reflect their percome in. "We'll try to guide and give some options,"
sonality, or at least their budget. It's a new service
Wilson said, but when it comes to taste, "There are
offered through Pfaff Autos of Vaughan, Ont. Two of
some customers who produce things we wouldn't othNeigum's designs, a BMW 7 Series and an Audi Q7,
erwise produce, but that may be their personal taste.
have been sold.
They're allowed to order whatever they want, at the
"We're treating it as a differenend of the day."
tiator rather than a major driver of
Mercedes-Benz, however, is not
sales," said Laurance Yap, director
so forgiving.
of marketing for Pfaff Motors Inc.
"Some people, they have money,
"You can buy an Audi or a Porsche
but they don't have taste," says
* A highly bespoke car built by
or a BMW from a number of differJoAnne Caza, Mercedes-Benz
the factory will cost about 50 per
ent dealerships, so we want to give
Canada director of communicacent more than the base car,
people a reason to come to us."
tions. "(Mercedes in) Germany has
says Pfaff's Laurance Yap.
The choices are almost limitless.
kind of put its foot down and said,
"There are options that aren't
'We want to be able to control the
* Rolls-Royce's Canadian Brand
even on the [online] configurator,"
population of cars, and be sure they
Manager, Paul Gilbert, routinesaid Yap. For Porsche, "there are
look good. That you're not putting
ly orders bespoke cars to his
these things called CXX options.
a bubble-gum pink interior with a
own specification from the factoYou tick the box and then the factocaramel exterior, or whatever.'"
ry to sell on the showroom floor,
ry calls you and says, 'What do you
ORIGINAL, NOT GARISH
and they account for half of
want to do?'"
Canadian sales. "There's realSuch factory customization
Mercedes offers an extensive
ly no such thing as a standard
has long been possible for prerange of factory-approved options
mium brands. BMW Individual,
Rolls-Royce," he says.
through its Designo program, all
Audi Exclusive and Mercedes-Benz
created by designers in Germany
* The most popular BMWs to
Designo all offer one-off choices for
to make the car original but not
customize at the factory are M
paint, leather, woodwork and other
garish. "The amount of interior
series performance models.
design elements.
choices: colours, leather options,
Up to 20 per cent of Canadian
trim choices, even paint finishEXCLUSIVITY RULES
orders for M3s and M4s include
es, has expanded into more of a
at least several thousand dollars
"We get people who just want
series-run of options, to give cusof original customization.
something that absolutely no one
tomers that choice without having
else has," said Matthew Wilson,
to go through more of a personalBMW Canada's national manager for
ized delivery process," said David
product planning. "They'll ask us if this (paint) colour Sherrard, national manager for product management.
has been produced yet. They want to know that they
"The company has tried to adapt and respond to
have the only one in the country."
the request for more customization, but to do so in a
It's not a large number - about 100 of the 38,000
way that it can actually be done in series production.
cars BMW Canada sold in 2016 were highly customThe level of customization is certainly there and probized by the factory, Wilson said - but it's considered
ably greater than it was before, but it's being done
a service to drive loyalty to the brand. "The profit,
now in a way that has a lot more benefit to our cusbased on the volumes, is quite insignificant."
tomers and our dealers." - ANC
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

BESPOKE DETAILS

Bespoke Porsche 911 Carrera S designed
by Sid Neigum. At $177,170,
including delivery charges, it's about
$50,000 over the base price, but
guaranteed it'll be the only
one on the block.
( P H O T O S : P FA F F M O T O R S )

Interiors can be made in different colours and
with different materials.

This bespoke Q7 includes custom headlights.

A BMW 7 Series created
by Sid Neigum comes with
one-of-a-kind door panels.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - April 2017 - v2