Building Front-End Image for Luxury Cars

The value of Orange County’s market to a purveyor of luxury automobiles is being underscored by the yearlong, identity-building campaign that South Coast Motorcars is mounting.

Ground hasn’t been broken for the dealership and auto spa, which will sell and care for Jaguars and Aston Martins. But it already has amassed a mailing list of several thousand movers, shakers and big spenders and is building awareness with a series of elegant mailings and publicity events.

The dealership--being built by Jaguar Cars and Aston Martin Lagonda of North America as a “prototype flagship” for the luxury car makers’ future U.S. retail sites--already has sponsored a classic car exhibit in Newport Beach, bestowed pricey packages of silver plated trinkets from Tiffany & Co. on hundreds of people who participate in various market and opinion surveys and is dressing half of South Orange County in knit shirts embroidered with the South Coast Motorcars logo.

In the biggest splash so far, though, the dealership announced last month that it was providing a $25,000 grant to underwrite the next year of exhibits at the Orange County Museum of Art’s sculpture garden.

“This is very significant to us because it enables us to continue presenting three-dimensional works from our permanent collection of California artists,” said Joan Van Hooten, director of development for the year-old museum.

It is also significant for South Coast Motorcars, which made the announcement at a lavish cocktail reception attended by more than 300.

Building image--and public awareness of that image--is what it’s all about. And Jaguar is determined that everyone who counts will know all about South Coast Motorcars by the time the dealership opens late this year.

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John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturing for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com.