Brand New Audi Terminal for Brighton, Melbourne

MELBOURNE – December 22, 2009: Audi has opened the largest new ‘Terminal’-style dealership in Brighton, Melbourne, known as Audi Centre Brighton.

This brand new dealership, located at 869 Nepean Highway, Bentleigh VIC, is a completely new single-storey development, built according to Audi’s global ‘terminal’ architectural design.

This stunning facility houses 21 new vehicles, with underground parking for customers and a full mezzanine level for dealership administration.

Construction of the $11 million facility began at the end of 2008 and was completed five months ahead of time in December 2009.

With its striking, folded honeycomb-pattern brushed aluminium façade, the dealership clearly reflects the brand’s global architecture which is gaining momentum in Australia following the opening of several high-profile developments including the Audi Lighthouse in Zetland, Sydney. The curved windows and curved surfaces inside the striking silver-clad showroom recall the dynamism of Audi’s long and successful motorsport history.

Audi Centre Brighton will now move forward with the construction of a new Aftersales and service facility on the adjoining site to the new Terminal at Bentleigh. The existing dealership facility located at Elsternwick will now become the home of the dealership’s Audi Approved Plus pre-owned vehicles.

Dealer Principal, David Piva, will head up the new Terminal, along with a satellite facility in Mornington.

Piva said the dealership, owned by Linfox founder, Lindsay Fox, would be a fitting representation for Audi in the Melbourne marketplace, citing the German luxury brand’s success in Australia over the past five years as one of the key reasons for the decision to invest in the new development at Bentleigh.

“Sales of Audi in our prime market area in Brighton and the Bayside area have been growing rapidly in the past 12 months. In order for us to continue to be successful, we needed a larger facility to house the numerous new Audi models which will arrive here in the coming months and years,” David Piva said.

Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, says Audi is extremely pleased to see another new Terminal dealership open in Australia.

“This project, along with many others which are under construction around the country, represents Audi’s growing strength in Australia. It is part of our strategic development plan that first commenced in 2007,” Mr Hofmann said.

“In fact, by the end of 2010 virtually every single Audi dealership will have undergone a complete rebuild, or refurbishment in line with our medium term growth strategy. The total investment will be around $170 million .”

“With five years of record growth behind us, we need to ensure that our dealer network is large enough, and representative of Australia’s fastest-growing luxury brand. As we head towards 2015, our model range will increase from 27 to 40 new models and our dealerships must be able to showcase these vehicles for customers.”

The Audi terminal was originally designed by the company’s master architects, Allmann Sattler Wappner and interpreted for the Brighton site by architects Era2000.

Audi Centre Brighton officially opened its doors on Monday 21 December 2009 – just in time for the festive season