A nearly five thousand square metre building going up on Highway 97 in Kelowna is about to become the new home of Kelowna Infiniti Nissan.
The dealership’s general manager says its current building doesn’t have enough display space and offices, and the lot is jam packed with cars.
“You certainly realize quickly you’re out of space, you need better facilities,” Cordelle Rich, GM of Sentes Automotive Group, said.
Infiniti Nissan has seen growth at an amazing rate.
“In 2014 we saw our business grow by 50 per cent in one calendar year,” Rich said.
The first ever Porsche dealership in Kelowna and the Okanagan is also going up on Highway 97. Kelowna Hyundai also announced plans to build a larger dealership at the former site of Buy Direct Truck Centre.
When Kelowna Hyundai opened up five years ago, it sold 420 new vehicles and 250 used ones in its first year of business.
In 2016, 820 new vehicles drove off the lot, along with 750 pre-owned ones.
“I think the biggest reason is the number of people continuing to move to the Okanagan,” Sam Ghessesow, GM of Kelowna Hyundai, said.
According to the latest census, Kelowna is the sixth fastest growing city in Canada with more than ten thousand people moving here in the past five years.
“As Kelowna grows, and the market continues to grow, we’ll see more and more dealerships popping up,” Ghessesow said.
Car sales are one of the strongest indicators of an economy’s overall health, according to economists.
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