Automotive News Canada - April 2024 - 16

16
* APRIL 2024
Mercedes-Benz AMG
OMG
The Zanchin
group dealership
showcases
Mercedes-Benz's
new image program
and the first AMG
brand centre in
North America. It's
only the 10th such
location globally
By DAVID KENNEDY
TORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
WITH A HANDFUL OF LUXURY
vehicle models neatly aligned and
illuminated along a second-story
window display overlooking one
of Canada's busiest highway junctions,
Mercedes-Benz Toronto
Queensway has had little trouble
getting the word out that it's open
for business.
" Anybody passing by on the
highway sees it, and they want
to be a part of it, " said Laura
Zanchin, executive vice-president
of the Zanchin Automotive
Group.
The new store at the west end
of Toronto, abutting Highway 427
and flanked by a stretch of the
Gardiner Expressway traversed
by tens of thousands of drivers
daily, covers about 135,000 square
feet (12,500 square metres).
The unofficial opening took
place Feb. 5, and the service
department began operations a
week later.
The dealership is the first
brand centre in North America
for Mercedes-Benz's performance
offshoot AMG, putting it
in esteemed company as only the
10th such location globally. Other
cities include Tokyo, Shanghai
and Seoul.
The opening followed nearly
five years of construction and
an ownership transition, but
after a month fully up and running,
General Manager Jonathan
Pushka said the response from
customers - some local, others
driving in from farther afield to
experience the dealership - has
far exceeded expectations. The
reception, he told Automotive
News Canada on location March
15, has been " unbelievable. "
TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP
Mercedes-Benz Canada broke
ground on the 5.8-acre (2.4-hectare)
site in 2019 before striking
a deal to sell its portfolio of
seven corporately owned Toronto
dealerships in 2021. Zanchin
Automotive Group and the AWIN
Group of Dealerships divided
ownership, with the then-unfinished
Queensway location being
handed off to Zanchin.
The dealership has numerous
elements that set it apart from the
automaker's conventional dealerships
and has space on both floors
carved out for AMG.
The track-ready focus permeates
the AMG showroom, delineated
by black walls and jagged
lines. To complement the stable
of performance vehicles on the
floor, memorabilia-laden display
cases nod to the brand's
Mercedes-Benz Toronto Queensway has 35 service bays, 22
charging stations for electric vehicles and it offers same-day
turnaround for van customers. PHOTOS: DAVID KENNEDY
Aside from being an
AMG brand centre,
the new store is based on
the Mercedes-Benz MAR
2020 image program.
It's the second example
in Canada, following
the recent opening of
Mercedes-Benz Kelowna
in British Columbia.
PHOTO: DAVID KENNEDY
There are numerous elements to separate the new store from
conventional dealerships, and it has space on both floors carved
out for AMG. PHOTOS: DAVID KENNEDY
racing heritage.
To cap off the experience, racetrack
curbing guides new vehicle
owners out of the delivery
area, encouraging them to punch
the accelerator and " clip their
first curb " in their AMG, Pushka
joked.
Zanchin Automotive Group acquired the partially constructed
Queensway location when Mercedes-Benz Canada divested itself
of corporate ownership. Family members, left to right: Andria
Zanchin, executive vice-president; Cathy Zanchin; Joe Zanchin,
chairman; Laura Zanchin, executive vice-president.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
The entire space is the result
of " direct factory involvement, "
he said. " There was a weekly call.
At 8 a.m. I was on the phone with
Germany - and it's all the way
down to the cabinet and where
it's going to be displayed, and
what colour is the paint going to
be. "
The AMG showroom has black walls and jagged lines and there
are memorabilia-laden display cases highlighting the brand's
racing heritage. PHOTO: DAVID KENNEDY
A " subliminal theme " runs
throughout the wider dealership,
Pushka said. Vehicles sit atop
dark tiling, customers walk along
Automotive News Canada - April 2024

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