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New state-of-the-art dealership signals auto market coming back strong

Nov 6, 2022 | 12:37 PM

NANAIMO — Nanaimo is now home to the largest Mitsubishi dealership in Canada.

At almost 34,000 square feet, the custom build by West Coast Developments has several features including the 70-car underground parade with car elevator, fully covered double-lane service drive thrus, a 10-bay service shop, an eight-car showroom, and a rooftop patio.

Last month, Nanaimo Mitsubishi celebrated the completion of the project that was seven years in the making. The grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility drew from as far away as Toronto – notably, the President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Canada Kenji Harada.

It was the first ribbon cutting ceremony the top executive has ever carved out time in his schedule to attend. Dealer Principal Justin McElhone appreciated the gesture, “To have the president of Mitsubishi Motors Canada take the time to fly in along with the team was pretty special in itself, we were happy to celebrate it with everybody.”

It goes without saying that upgrading from the original space into the modern dealership has many differences that are impossible to miss. The reaction from the public has been very positive, with many people stopping by just to see what the buzz is about.

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With a customer lounge complete with a cappuccino bar, many customers are in no hurry to leave. McElhone describes what people can expect, “It’s got that

family feel but with the scale and presence of a much larger city dealership… people want to come and spend time with the staff in the lounge, it’s a great environment.”

The new dealership isn’t impressing only the public; it’s a hit with the Nanaimo Mitsubishi team too. McElhone explains, “Everybody has their own offices now, and proper training facilities upstairs in the boardroom. It’s definitely elevated everybody’s game and made it easier for us to help give them the tools to succeed.”

Many of the current staff have been there since planning began in 2015, and have been involved along the way. “I definitely used a lot of their input and consulted them on a lot of things that we were changing.” McElhone continues, “This has been years and years of planning and making sure that we do it right. And finally seven years later they’re able to see it come to fruition, so I think it’s been a pretty incredible experience for the staff to be a part of the build.”

Inviting everyone to stop by to see the new space, McElhone concludes, “We’re very grateful to everybody in Nanaimo giving us their support. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without them. It’s been pretty amazing to see.”