The auto industry may be slowing these days, but the ultraluxury car market in Calgary just keeps cruising along.
The Dilawri Group of Companies, in conjunction with Aston Martin North America, Bentley Motors Inc., and Spyker Cars, has announced the opening of the ultraluxury automotive dealership, Distinctive Collection, in Calgary.
The dealership is in the Calgary Auto Mall, at 150 Glendeer Circle S. E., and features a 27,700-square-foot facility that houses three distinct, boutique-style showrooms and an expansive, state-of-the-art service facility.
The Bentleys range in price from $225,000 to $350,000, while the price for Aston Martin is $130,000 to $350,000 and Spyker is $209,000 to $220,000.
The dealership ushers in three elite automotive brands under a single roof and positions Calgary as a destination of growth for the luxury auto market in Western Canada.
"Calgary's importance to the automotive sector is growing markedly on both a national and international level," said Tony Dilawri, Distinctive Collection's owner and retail principal. "It's a market to be taken seriously, particularly when it comes to its long-term potential."
International executives with the three luxury brands were in Calgary on Thursday for a celebration to mark the opening of the dealership. Its doors will open to the public today.
Carsten Preisz, vice-president of sales and marketing for Spyker of North America, said, "We are now in a phase, in spite of the economy, of growth."
In the past six weeks, it has sold six cars in North America. He called the Calgary market "promising."
"In the last two or three years, the amount of inquiries that we have received from Canada indicates to us that there is not only general interest in the product because it's very quirky and very cool and sexy and all that, but there's a legitimate base of clients that are legitimately interested in understanding the product and considering what they're going to purchase next," said Preisz.
Julian Jenkins, vice-president and general manager of Aston Martin North America, said Calgary is a market the company has been monitoring for some time.
"I think certainly what we've seen is a significant uplift in terms of purchase of luxury goods . . . and as a consequence of that it naturally brought us to looking to this market and looking for partners," said Jenkins, adding the company is "very excited about this market."
Christophe Georges, president and chief operating officer of Bentley Motors in North America, said the company"has a lot of expectations in this market in Canada and in Calgary, in particular."
"The economy in Canada is less affected today than in America,"he said. "The situation is much more stable in Canada. You have some great natural resources in Calgary. . . . We are quite confident in the economy of Calgary because of the resources and the way Calgary has developed in the last few years."
In four dealerships across the country, Bentley sold 146 vehicles last year, 28 of them in Calgary.
mtoneguzzi@theherald.canwest.com
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