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...Heritage Nissan is moving this weekend, and the dealership is ready to unveil its sparkling new facility to the public Monday.
Heritage Nissan, part of the Heritage Auto Group that includes Honda, Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealerships, is moving from its location at the corner of Martha Berry Highway and John Davenport Drive to its new home on Veterans Memorial Highway east of Ga. 53.
The move from the old location, which has housed Heritage Nissan since the early ’90s, will provide much more space and amenities for both customers and the dealership’s employees.
“This new location should double our inventory space, and we’ll be able to house well over 200 new vehicles,” said Gary Loyd, the general manager of Heritage Nissan. “The new facility is state-of-the-art. For the consumer, the location will provide easier access in and out, and we’ll have spacious new offices, showrooms and a new air-conditioned workshop. It will be a great work e
The new, state-of-the-art building provides easier access, bigger offices and showrooms, as well as air-conditioned workshops. By Ken Caruthers / RN-T |
nvironment for our employees.”
Access to the old Heritage dealership has been hindered in recent years by a tight intersection, limited on-site parking and road construction to widen Martha Berry Boulevard.
“The new building will have very easy access, and we have an excessive amount of parking,” Loyd said. “I think our customers will really like our new service and parts area. It will be a nice, climate-controlled environment, and they will be able to pull right in to a sheltered area during inclement weather.
“I think the design of the building is really nice,” he added. “When you walk in the front, there’s no confusion — it’s easy to find the sales, service and parts areas. It has a very open, airy showroom and service area, and I think the whole setup is very customer-friendly.”
Loyd said the sales staff will benefit from having a much larger new-vehicle inventory on site.
“We can only house 70 or 80 vehicles on our current lot,” he said. “As a result, we’ve had to store inventory all over — next to our service building, on the Heritage Auto Supercenter lot and even some behind the Heritage Honda building.”
Loyd emphasized that the Heritage Auto Supercenter, the pre-owned section of the dealership that is housed in its own building, will remain in its current location off Martha Berry Boulevard.
“The Supercenter will continue to operate on its own,” Loyd said. “We’re still part of the same group, but the new dealership location will have some of its own pre-owned inventory. This (Martha Berry location) has been a great area, and it will still be a good access point for the Supercenter.
“Both locations will now be able to carry a larger selection and be able to offer a lot more buying power with pre-owned vehicles.”
The new location for Heritage Nissan has also afforded Loyd the chance to add to his staff to meet the expected growth at the dealership.
“As far as employment, we’ve had to add six or seven new employees, and I think we may still need to add several more,” he said. “We’ve seen traffic increase more along (Veterans Highway), and we’ve heard about other businesses wanting to locate around there.
“I think this will be a great location for us to be in.”
It may seem like an odd time for a dealership to grow and expand, with doom-and-gloom economic forecasts by national experts. However, Loyd feels like the auto industry is making some changes that will lead to recovery and growth in the near future.
“A lot of people in the industry feel like the bottom of the auto recession was in the last quarter of 2007,” Loyd said. “The industry predicted we’d see an upswing about mid-year of 2008, and we’ve really seen that the last two months.
“Sometimes, you see attrition in the business and some dealerships close, but sometimes that’s part of the cycle. We feel that locally, we’re seeing a good upturn in the business.”
Loyd said with increases in gas prices, consumers are changing their preferences and expectations in their auto purchases.
“With people looking more carefully at their disposable income, they have gone away from more extravagant things and looked at their needs for everyday driving,” Loyd said. “All the manufacturers are gearing toward that, looking at carrying more economic vehicles.
“There’s been a migration to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, but now people are asking for more amenities in those,” Loyd explained. “We’re seeing that all over the industry. People don’t always want just the basic, entry level car, they want leather, premium sound systems and more features.”
Concerns about fuel costs have also affected the trade-in market.
“In terms of marketability of trade-ins, the demand isn’t as high right now in the SUV market,” Loyd said. “We’ve seen people buying trucks on more of a need basis, if it fits their work or their lifestyle.”
Loyd added that rising fuel costs have led manufacturers to focus more on efficiency with new models.
“Manufacturers are looking at researching alternative fuels, and we’ve also seen hybrids grow in popularity,” he said. “The difference in a vehicle that gets 30 mpg compared to one at 15 mpg can be $200 a month or more, and that’s big for consumers.”
Loyd said he’s been excited about the move to Nissan’s new facility, but he said just like locating to a new residence, it can be tiring and frantic at times.
“It’s definitely been an educational experience,” Loyd said with a laugh. “In a lot of ways, it’s just like moving into a new home.”
