JAGUAR LAND ROVER FREEPORT OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Jaguar Land Rover Freeport, on Long Island, NY has just re‑opened its doors after a year‑long makeover to new Jaguar Land Rover ARCH design standards.

Jack Weidinger, Dealer Principal, and Weidinger Auto Group owner, explains how the new 35,000 sq.ft. dealership will build on his “customer first” philosophy.

How important a milestone is this new facility for the Weidinger Auto Group?

It’s huge. My family has been selling Jaguar vehicles longer than any other dealership in the United States; my grandfather started the Jaguar business 78 years ago, setting‑up Hempstead Jaguar back in 1938 (Which later became Jaguar Great Neck). Not only are we now re‑opening our Jaguar business, we are also re‑establishing Land Rover on the South Shore of Long Island for the first time in nine years. That is very exciting for us. It’s also exciting that we are one of the very first dealerships in the U.S. to adopt Jaguar Land Rover’s new global ARCH design template.

When did work start on the new building?

The first shovel went in the ground in April last year, so it has been a remarkably quick transformation. Early on, we wrestled with the decision on whether to modify and renovate our existing property, or start from scratch. The store sits on a relatively small piece of property on Sunrise Highway in Freeport, so we needed to maximize every square foot. Thankfully we went with the clean‑sheet approach, which really allowed us to build in the kind of efficiencies we were looking for, that we believe our customers will welcome.

What will customers notice most about the re‑design?

We’ve incorporated a completely new design that has given us a very different look and feel from before. Jaguar Land Rover’s global ARCH design is extremely clean, fresh and modern, and I think our customers will appreciate this very sophisticated look. They’ll also immediately notice the additional space; our new 15‑car showroom has doubled in size and we now have rooftop parking for around 100 vehicles. We hope this new facility will build on the “customer first” philosophy started by my grandfather, and will provide customers with a retail experience that’s as luxurious as the vehicles they’re investing in.

How has the dealership’s service facility changed?

We now have a new three‑lane service drive‑in area. Customers will now drive in from the street into an enclosed, climate‑controlled area that will be heated in winter and cooled in the summer. That should give a great first impression. Also, we’ve incorporated expansive glass doors into our new 22‑bay service department, so customers will be able to look into the shop, watch our technicians at work, and see how clean, brightly‑lit and efficient the area is.

How do you see the new facility helping build sales?

Our Jaguar sales actually went up while we were under construction and working out of what we called our “luxury mobile office” at one end of the property. That’s because Jaguar has such an exciting product line‑up right now, especially with the Jaguar F‑PACE. Land Rover has been absent from the South Shore market for almost nine years now. The new facility will show luxury vehicle buyers that the Land Rover brand is back in a big way and ready to be there for them. Our timing for taking on the Land Rover business could not be better, with the all‑new Discovery and the remarkable new Range Rover Velar about to go on sale. The facility will allow us to make the most of these exciting new vehicles launching soon.