To take advantage of the growing interest in buying or leasing used cars directly from the car company, BMW Canada will build a two-story, 36-vehicle Pre-Owned Centre at its Whitby headquarters.
The company will also nearly double the size of its parts distribution centre at the same location, partly to deal with the upcoming arrival of the Mini and partly to handle a general increase in demand for replacement parts.
Hendrik von Kuenheim, President and CEO of BMW Canada., explains that, since 1995, sales of BMW parts and accessories have increased almost 50 percent in order to accommodate higher car sales and an increase in parts business in Canada. Essentially, more new cars means more used cars means more replacement parts.
The Pre-Owned Centre will take over the building that started life as the home of the Land Rover marque, which BMW subsequently sold to Ford. This addition will be part of what von Kuenheim calls the BMW Experience Centre, which is a dealership for new car and motorcycle sales.
There'll be room for 36 cars, two wash bays, a delivery bay and administrative offices in the 1,486-square-meter facility, von Kuenheim says.
Since 1995, he says, BMW pre-owned car sales have increased 215 percent. And since the implementation of the new Certified Series program late last year, sales are up even further (37 percent, to be exact) over the same period last year.