World’s largest Audi site
October 12th, 2009 by Richard Aucock
AUDI has opened its largest car dealer ever, right here in the UK – after a huge £45m investment by the firm.
The seven-floor, 190,000 sq ft car dealer can pack in 116 display cars, and has a mind-boggling 32-bay service workshop.
Fittingly, celebs including Gordon Ramsay, Keeley Hawes, Ronan Keating, Davina McCall, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Jackie Stewart and Bryan Ferry will all be there for the opening party – after the site’s six-year planning and build schedule.
How big and complex is it? ’Like nothing we’ve ever built before,’ said UK director Jeremy Hicks.
‘It is 100 times more complicated than a normal retail centre. The sheer scale of this project is very emblematic of the increasing significance of Audi, not only in the UK, but globally.’
Sytner Group is running the dealership, situated right next to the M4 in London. 30,000 customers a year are expected to filter through its doors. Which is why more than 100 personnel have been recruited to work there!
The top two floors have even been handed over to create a conference centre; the ‘Audi quattro Rooms’ will host businesses and creative companies. Fittingly, they’ve been decked out with whizzy 103-inch Bang & Olufsen screens.
‘By creating retail premises of this magnitude with this level of sophistication, we are ensuring that our extensive and contemporary line-up of cars gets the showcase it deserves,’ added Hicks.
Facts on the new Audi Centre…
• Area of glazing is 2000 sq m
• 247 car parking spaces
• Front façade is 22m high, angled 12 degrees
• Aluminium sheet roof is one single 40m-long, joint-free constriction
• Inside features a 50m-wide mezzanine
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