Following an investment from Abu Dhabi Motors, BMW has opened its largest showroom in the world in the Middle East.

In 2011, BMW had its greatest sales year ever in the Middle East, recording more than 18,000 BMWs and Minis sold. What better way to celebrate the good year than with the opening of a huge showroom.

The showroom will permanently display 70 cars, and 10 motorcycles for existing and potential customers to view. Also on display will be the latest and greatest models from BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Mini.

More than 450 staff members will work at the dealership selling cars, as well as a significant service area that is capable of servicing 120 vehicles at the same time.

The top selling vehicle in the region? The 7-series of course, accounting for 24% of total sales. Other popular vehicles were the 5 series (23%) and X6 (14%)

BMW is happy with the commitment from the region saying “The investment in this impressive and unique facility that makes the world’s biggest BMW Group showroom, is testament to the continued opportunities that lie ahead in Abu Dhabi and in the region”

GALLERY: Abu Dhabi BMW Dealership

Most luxury car dealerships have a style that befits their high-end clients, however Cadillac had lagged behind in this area.

Most Cadillac dealerships are usually a part of a GM store where more affordable makes are also sold.

Now things are about to change, as Cadillac franchises are about to get a look of their own and should help attract new, wealthy clients, rather than those who are in the last stages of their lives.

The new look will feature premium materials like English Oak, matte porcelain tiles and brushed stainless steel accents to give the dealership a richer feel. Customers will also benefit from a modern customer lounge with a coffee bar.

The new design is the work of Gensler Architects, who worked with Cadillac to achieve this new look. GM says they plan to have over 200 of their dealerships to adopt the new look within two years.

Suburban Cadillac of Ann Arbor, MI. is the first to adopt the new look. Their general manager Mike Mosser said “If you want to compete in the luxury market, you have to create the right environment for customers. The new showroom greets potential buyers with a look and feel that puts us at the top of class in the luxury market.”

A Honda dealer in Vancouver, Canada who wanted to show support for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks was forced to remove the team’s logo from their showroom.

Kingsway Honda manager Doug Lum told the CBC that the NHL informed Kingsway Honda that the use of logos constituted copyright infringement and had to be removed immediately. Lum cited Honda’s sponsorship as the NHL’s official car, and noted the irony of the legal reprimand.

Lum said that he didn’t plan to fight the NHL’s demands, but had the lettering altered to read ”Go ‘nucks GO.”

[Source: CBC]

The California New Car Dealers Association is accusing Chrysler of operating a factory store illegally in the Los Angeles area. The showroom, dubbed Motor Village L.A., was designed to boost Chrysler’s profile and show off their revised product lineup, as well as the new Fiat brand.

The dealer group filed a petition with the California New Motor Vehicle Board, asking for an investigation and disciplinary action against Chrysler, including a possible revocation of their business license. The dealer group alleges that proprietor Howard Drake lacks any financial stake in the business, making it illegitimate. Motor Village also is within a 10 mile radius of other independently owned Chrysler stores, which violates California law.

In a statement, Chrysler spokesman Ralph Kisiel said “looks forward to discussing the matter with the Department of Motor Vehicles.”

[Source: Automotive News]

The last time McLarens were sold in North America (not counting the Mercedes McLaren SLR, of course), a company called Ameritech was importing the McLaren F1 on the sly.

For the launch of their new MP4-12C supercar, McLaren is going all out. As the rendering shows, the new showrooms will be ultra-modern, stark affairs designed to appeal to the wealthy, sophisticated clientele who are apt to buy a McLaren over a nameplate that will impress the opposite sex.

The first six locations announced are Auto Gallery in Beverly Hills, CA, Park Place in Dallas, TX, Miller Motorcars in Greenwich, CT, Price Family Dealerships in San Francisco, CA, Lake Forest Sportscars of Chicago, IL and Dew Luxury Motor Cars in Tampa Bay, FL. McLaren is expected to announce their representatives in Philadelphia, Orange County, Toronto and Miami shortly. Despite the expected price tag of between $225,000 and $250,000, the cars should have no trouble finding owners in these markets which are chock full of finance types, professional athletes and inherited money.

If you’ve ever driven on Interstate 95 north of Fort Lauderdale, you’ve doubtlessly seen Champion Motors in Pompano Beach, Florida, home of the world’s largest Porsche dealership. Unfortunately, the dealership also suffered a Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, and its recovery story in Portfolio magazine gives the layman an interesting look into how dealerships operate.

Dealerships must keep an inventory of cars, and use whats called floor-plan financing for this. Essentially, it’s a fancy name for a loan provided by the bank to cover the cost of buying inventory from the manufacturer. At the time, Champion was getting credit from VW Credit, due to Champion’s Audi franchise sharing real estate with the Porsche showroom.

However, VW Credit cut back the repayment time from 10 days after a vehicle’s sale to 3 days, a move that caused major headaches for Champion, as the cutback came in the middle of 2009′s economic downturn. Undoubtedly, the large and expensive inventory Champion must carry exacerbated the problem.

The Portfolio article explores what happens during the bankruptcy, but also details the various maneuvers used by Champion to shed their dead weight (in this case, an Audi franchise) and re-emerge as a leaner, more profitable business. The article also details how dealership financing works, an interesting topic for those who have overlapping interests in business and cars.

[Source: Portfolio]