UPDATED — More than four years after first discussing a possible move, Scholfield Auto Plaza is preparing to break ground on a new luxury auto dealership near the northwest corner of 13th and Greenwich.
President and managing partner Bobby Cuillo says the new showrooms within the newly named Wichita Luxury Collection, A Member of the Scholfield Automotive Group are going on 17 acres behind Home Bank & Trust.
“They’re not going to be over-the-top or ostentatious, but there will be a tremendous amount of thoughtful touches,” Cuillo says. “No detail will be left out.”
Currently, the Lexus dealership is in 16,000 square feet at 11220 E. Kellogg. Next door, Mercedes-Benz, Acura, Porsche and Jaguar share a 30,000-square-foot showroom at 11212 E. Kellogg.
“We’ve outgrown these facilities,” Cuillo says.
The new Lexus showroom will be 26,000 square feet.
Mercedes-Benz is now going to have its own 26,000-square-foot showroom, which will be built at the same time as the Lexus showroom.
“You can see the growth that they’ve projected,” Cuillo says of Mercedes-Benz.
Within two to four years, two other new buildings will be built next to the Lexus and Mercedes-Benz showrooms. Acura most likely will have its own space, and Jaguar and Porshe will share a space.
“From an interruption standpoint … it’s easier to bite off a little at a time,” Cuillo says.
“It just makes better sense.”
Cuillo says construction may start in August, but it could be a little later. “Certainly before the year is out.”
The new showrooms will be across the intersection from Scholfield Buick GMC, which is going on the southwest corner.
At the new showrooms, there will be Starbucks outlets similar to the ones found in Dillons and Target stores.
In the Lexus dealership, there will be a putting green and a multiuse room for cooking demonstrations and salon and spa treatments. Cuillo says he’ll establish partnerships with vendors who can offer his customers diversions while they wait for their cars to be serviced. He does some of that now, but Cuillo says, “This will be on a much grander scale.”
In both dealerships, there will be glass walls at the service areas so customers can watch their cars getting serviced.
Cuillo says building separate showrooms “obviously puts the focus on one brand.”
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