BMW fans from Italy don’t necessarily have to visit a dealership to see the latest cars since there’s now a dedicated display area at the Grand Hotel Royal E Golf. It’s located in Courmayeur, a town and commune in the northern part of the country, near the foot of Mont Blanc. It’s called Spazio BMW and builds on the success of the House Of BMW in Milan, which gathered more than 15,000 people between December 2021 and January 2023.
Located in the gorgeous Italian Alps, Spazio (Italian for “space”) BMW will be active until next April during which several models are going to be showcased. At first, the XM plug-in hybrid SUV was displayed before being replaced by the fully electric i7 xDrive60. It’s more than just a display area as visitors can test drive a variety of vehicles – including M models – on the road and even on snow or ice.
Should you prefer to check out the newest cars at a traditional dealership, BMW is actively working on a new retail corporate identity. One showroom that already has the fresh look can be found in Melbourne, Australia, and will be followed by other locations. BMW USA has announced its Retail Next concept which will revamp approximately 25 dealerships in the initial phase.
The BMW Group’s retail network in Europe will be subjected to significant changes in the coming years with the adoption of a direct-sales agency model. MINI will lead the way in 2024 while BMW will follow suit in 2026. While dealers will still be involved to finalize the sale and earn a fixed fee, customers are going to be invoiced directly by the automaker. In other words, there will be no more room to haggle.
BMW expects online sales to become more and more popular in the coming years but brick-and-mortar retailers will remain a crucial component.
Source: BMW
