Owen Toyota was voted as Australia’s best regional dealership and New Town Toyota, in the Perth suburb of East Victoria Park, won the metropolitan category.

In announcing the awards, the AADA said these ‘outstanding facilities and attention to detail’ have made them stand out from the rest.

“Very honourable mentions need to go to the other dealerships which also impressed the secretariat and came close to winning their respective categories,” the association said.

“They are Motorama Toyota Moorooka, John McGrath Kia in Canberra, Burnie Mazda, and Dubbo City Toyota and Lexus.”

Mark & Dean Owen

Owen Toyota is a second generation family owned and operated dealership that has been servicing Griffith and the surrounding area since 1974.

The business was founded by Lester Owen and is now operated by his sons Mark and Dean who with local architect Peter Budd brought their life-long vision of a dealership to life in 2009.

Mark Owen told GoAutoNews Premium that: “We wanted to make the design work well, not just for our customers, but also for the comfort and productivity of our staff.

“You don’t have the best-looking dealership unless it is well maintained, so credit has to go to our cleaning and maintenance staff who keep our facilities as-new.”

Unknown to them, it was Owen Toyota’s brand manager, Sarah Taranto, who entered the dealership into the AADA competition.

“I knew Mark and Dean were a bit modest to enter so I went ahead and did it without them knowing,” she said.

On reflection, Dean said the fact it was a unique-looking building gave it a chance of a win.

“I think what helps to make the dealership still look new is that it has a character and theme that doesn’t age over time, and that seems to appeal to people,” Dean said.

The dealership was architect-designed to complement the Griffith rural landscape and highlight the town’s prominent wine industry, with inspiration coming from regional eco-resorts that Mark and Dean visited.

The structure was mindfully constructed with natural materials such as stone, spotted gum timber and Aussie corrugated iron. The dealership covers more than 1.6 hectares and features a spacious floorplan, elevated curvaceous ceilings and plenty of natural light, and a front reception counter incorporating the design of a wine barrel.

The gardens feature Australian native gum trees, mondo grass, birds of paradise and features a raised rock platform to showcase new models.

The front awning resembles a homely veranda, designed to provide shelter for 40 customer vehicles from the hot summer sun and winter rains – a feature that Mark said was important to customers when dropping a car for service or when appraising new cars.

“We pride ourselves on having an inviting and comfortable atmosphere”, Mark said.

“We have a Toyota scent that makes the dealership smell great, along with ambient audio/video throughout, but what I’m really chuffed about, and what our guests have commented on too, is how large and clean our customer bathroom facilities are … we even pipe ambient music into there.”

Owen Toyota is a stand-alone Toyota dealership that has 40 employees with personalised office spaces for managers and department ‘hubs’ for office staff.

The employee lounge features a full kitchen, pool and table-tennis tables and gym equipment.

The dealership boasts a fully equipped state-of-the-art 19-bay mechanical workshop with rapid repair body and paint facilities.

“Even though the dealership is 14 years old, we employ two full-time people to maintain gardens, clean inside and out, perform maintenance tasks and run customers to and from the dealership,” Mark said.

The AADA told all the dealers who entered the competition: “You certainly made choosing winners very difficult. Your dedication and pride in your facilities are a testament to the care and commitment you provide to your customers.

“We have really enjoyed hearing from our members and seeing the range of dealerships on show around Australia,” the AADA said.

By Neil Dowling