New five-acre, 15 million-pound Audi Centre of Excellence in Scotland rewrites the car retailing rulebook
-New 56,000 square-feet Audi retail venue opens to the public in Glasgow on Monday October 11 at 8.00am – VIP opening party scheduled for Thursday November 25
-New location for Lomond Audi, which moves from Kyle Street, Glasgow to Braehead (off M8/A8) and is renamed Glasgow Audi
-£15 million premises combines extensive sales and service space with outdoor off-road test track, cafés, kindergarten, 160-seat restaurant, museum, art gallery and conference facilities for up to 178 delegates
The world’s largest Audi retail venue is set to become a new Scottish landmark when it officially opens for business in Glasgow on Monday October 11, 2004, dedicating 56,000 square feet to a premium customer experience that is pure ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’.
This ultra-modern new landmark Audi retail centre, located in Braehead just off the M8/A8 and minutes from Glasgow’s airport and city centre, is to be formally ‘christened’ by a VIP opening reception for customers and celebrity friends of Audi on Thursday November 25.
Set in five acres of landscaped grounds incorporating 300 parking spaces, the three-storey, 110ft high building will be the new home to Glasgow-based dealership Lomond Audi, which in the process will be renamed Glasgow Audi in line with the brand’s latest network policy.
Once it is fully on stream in six weeks time, the German prestige brand’s new flagship site will offer plentiful new and used sales space and an exceptionally accommodating service area with 23 inspection bays, but it will go far beyond this. Customers will also be able to visit an Audi museum housing legendary Audi models such as the R8 Le Mans prototype racer, browse in a spacious art gallery that will showcase up-and-coming artists and enjoy regular fashion shows, film premiers and bespoke special events.
An Audi brand experience
Internet access will be offered in the free internet bar, and breakfast, lunch or a quiet coffee will be available in the bistro-style Le Mans Café. While adults relax in the café, children will be able to safely let off steam in the TT Children’s Play Area, which incorporates a miniature racetrack, PlayStation consoles and a two-tier climbing frame. Adults will also have their own play space in the grounds of the Centre in the form of a purpose-built off-road track where the allroad quattro and forthcoming Q7 Sports Utility Vehicle will come into their own.
Glasgow Audi will also offer extensive and fully equipped conference facilities for hire by independent local and national organisations. The largest of the Centre’s three dedicated state-of-the-art conference rooms is located on the Avus deck on the top floor of the building and will be capable of accommodating up to 140 people.
During corporate events delegates will be able to enjoy lunch or dinner from a full à la carte menu in the 160-seat silver service restaurant on the top floor, dedicated specifically to conference and event use.
The Centre will also be a place of learning, housing its own Audi Academy training facility which will help Audi employees from all over the UK to familiarise themselves with the latest techniques and processes.
Commenting on the new Centre of Excellence, Managing Director of Audi UK Kevin Rose said: “Glasgow Audi combines a new name with an exciting new approach to retailing that fully represents the brand’s core values, and will allow us to develop further our service to our Glasgow customers. It is not only an extraordinary showcase both for Audi cars and for the philosophy of Vorsprung durch Technik, but also a £15 million vote of confidence in the powerful future of the Audi brand in Scotland.”
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