Automotive News Canada - January 2018 - 7

7

* J A N U A R Y 2 018

Five-storey dealership houses seven lux brands
New downtown
Toronto store
meets increasing
demand for
high-end vehicles,
says COO
By PERRY LEFKO

TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

LUXURY DEALER GRAND
Touring Automobiles (GTA)
has opened a new location in
downtown Toronto to showcase seven high-end brands,
all with separate showrooms.
In late 2017, GTA moved
from its previous location in
midtown Toronto, where it
was renting property, to land
it purchased. There it built a
five-storey building on 150,000
square feet (14,000 square
metres).
GTA has been growing since Paul Cummings
purchased the company in
2009. The downtown location will be GTA's marquee,
selling Jaguar Land Rover,
Lamborghini, Bentley, RollsRoyce, Bugatti and Aston
Martin vehicles. Each manufacturer has its own showroom decorated in its own
corporate identity. GTA's new
location, built on a sloping
floodplain, is five times the
size of its previous location,
which became outdated when
GTA began expanding in tandem with the rise of the luxury/super luxury automobile
market.
GTA has a second store in
north Toronto, where it sells
Lamborghini, Aston Martin
and Karma.

2015 with a cantilever design
that features a portion of the
building jutting out horizontally toward the Don Valley
Parkway. The parkway is a
15-kilometre highway connecting traffic from the
south end of the city by the
waterfront to the north end,
connecting with other major
roads and thoroughfares.
The downtown building is situated in the luxury automobile district area
of the city, near MercedesBenz, Lexus, BMW and

Audi dealerships.
"We're right beside the
competitors, and being along
the Don Valley Parkway is
tremendous exposure for
our brands," LeRoeye said.
"The number of cars that
drive up and down here
every day is very, very
large, and brands want to
have exposure.
"We'll be more visible,
have more awareness of our
brands, and I think it will
lead to more business."
- ANC

Grand Touring Automobiles' new building houses seven brands
and has rooftop parking that doubles as event space.
( I L L U S T R AT I O N : G R A N D TO U R I N G A U TO M O B I L E S )

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SKYLINE VIEW
GTA COO Mark LeRoeye
said the building is striking
both from the interior and
the exterior, providing a picturesque view of the Toronto
skyline.
"In the City of Toronto, it's
going to be recognized as an
interesting place as well as a
car dealership," LeRoeye said.
"I think this is what gives
you that wow factor. You
want people to go in and
say, 'Wow, this is a beautiful
place.' ... It's not just a square
box."
The designer is Torontobased Plaston Architect.
GTA broke ground on the
new property in September

A MODERN
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WORKSPACE
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DEALERSHIP

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Grand Touring's Mark
LeRoeye says the high-visibility site is an advantage.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - January 2018
