AUDI Centre in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal held a ground-breaking ceremony on Wednesday to mark the start of construction on a R20 million showroom.
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Roland Egger, chief executive of Barloworld
Motor Retail,
plants an acacia tree on Wednesday during a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of a R20 million Audi dealership in Pietermaritzburg. |
Ryan Delaney, dealer principal, said the 1 500 square-metre centre
would display 13 vehicles and 20 new jobs would be created.
Architect Lucas Nel told The Witness the interior
would remind people of the embankment on an autobahn, with floor planning and
windows all designed to ensure an optimum buying experience bathed in bright
light.
Nel said that while the new building would be four times bigger
than usual to accommodate the rise in new models, it did not leave a bigger
ecological footprint, as the building would harvest rainwater for the car wash
and use sensors for on-demand lights and air-conditioning and energy-efficient
glass for shop fronts.
Roland Egger, chief executive of Barloworld Motor Retail, said that
while Audi’s older showrooms resembled hangars, the new terminal design would
symbolise that Audi as a brand was really taking off in South Africa.
Audi SA dealer developer Hassan Salie said the investment was made
possible because of the commitment of the staff, which saw Audi PMB selling more
than 20 cars a month.
Sales of new vehicles increased 15,6% in June, and the National
Association of Automobile Manufacturers expects this trend to continue on the
back of historically low interest rates, more affordable cars and pre-emptive
buying by consumers in response to the weaker exchange rand. — WR.
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