Customers Drive Jaguar to Make Dealership Changes

When Jaguar Cars North America announced last year that it would build a prototype dealership in Mission Viejo, the company promised that it would listen to the community (for Jaguar, that’s the community of relatively well-to-do folks who buy its cars) as it planned the facility.

It apparently has, and is making several big changes because of what it is hearing.

Lawrence Williams, Jaguar’s national franchise development manager, said that the company was flooded with suggestions after unveiling plans for the South Coast Motorcars dealership at a reception for prospective customers this year.

It seems that Jag’s plans for a very modern design didn’t sit well with the people it wants to sell to--so the plans went back to the architect.

“We’ve changed the exterior look from contemporary to an elegant mission style,” Williams said. In addition to the stucco-and-tile-roof facade, the new building will eliminate the big plate-glass windows common to almost every car dealership in the country.

Jaguar buyers already know what the cars look like--and don’t fancy being on view to the rest of the world as they do their shopping.

The second change of plans, Williams said, has to do with the timing of a satellite dealership facility for the Newport Beach area.

Jaguar had planned to open the main dealership--Williams calls it a “gallery”--in Mission Viejo first, then follow with a smaller gallery in Newport Beach.

“We thought Newport people would drive to Mission Viejo for a while, but frankly, we’ve learned that’s not the case,” he said.

“Perhaps as the Mission Viejo Mall adds some destination tenants and the San Joaquin Transportation Corridor gets more popular it will happen. But right now, the Newport Beach people told us, they want a place in Newport Beach,” Williams said. “So we will be opening that gallery roughly simultaneously with the Mission Viejo gallery.”

Opening day too has been changed--but that had to do with Mother Nature, not the Newport crowd. Seems that the wet winter slowed construction plans and the combined Jaguar-Aston Martin dealership won’t be opening until early next year, instead of late this year as planned.

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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