PAUL Wakeling Mitsubishi at Campbelltown in Sydney’s outer southwest has become the first dealership in Australia to roll out Mitsubishi Motors’ new global customer identity program.

The new global visual identity design was unveiled in July 2018 and is designed to complement the global brand tagline, ‘Drive your Ambition’.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is rolling out the new retail design across 5000 dealerships globally.

The new-look Sydney facility is located in a prominent location on Mill Road, Campbelltown. It features what Mitsubishi describes as a signature ‘Dynamic Slope’ on the exterior facade, presenting the Mitsubishi brand as “robust and dynamic”.

During the day the new design boasts bold lines in a black, white and grey colour scheme with red accents. However, the design is highlighted in the evening when the brand signage and the pylon are illuminated with LED lights.

The new showroom has been built on an existing longstanding location for the Wakeling Group and is timed to capitalise on strong population and economic growth in the Campbelltown-Camden area.

The project is effectively a knockdown and rebuild of the old showroom on a 4000-square-metre block. Service and parts are on another location. Used cars are next door.

The new showroom houses up to eight vehicles and includes a three-car delivery bay.

The dealer principal of Paul Wakeling Mitsubishi, Scott Wakeling, told GoAutoNews Premium that the process from concept to finish took about two years.

“We used a local builder. Mitsubishi rolled out the new global signage program during the process so we adapted some of our designs and we worked pretty closely with Mitsubishi on the way through,” he said.

Paul Wakeling Mitsubishi sells around 1000 cars a year.

“The area is growing,” Mr Wakeling said. “Southwest of Sydney is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country so there is a lot of good urban fringe development.

“Construction of the second Sydney airport is not too far away from us as well. We are really in a great demographic and we have been here for 30-odd years so we have a very good loyal customer base.

“We cover a large chunk of the Camden and Campbelltown area and we are expecting an additional quarter of a million people by 2035. That will basically double the volume of people in the area in that 20-year window.”

Mr Wakeling said the Mitsubishi product line-up was a great fit for his demographic.

“The Triton is popular and the SUV range fits the local demographics very well. It is pretty broad. We have some farmers and hobby farmers and then we have industrial as well as residential. So it is a really good mix,” he said.

Mr Wakeling said the new design has been attracting a lot of attention.

“It is the first of its kind with the new CI program. We have had visitors from all around the globe and people from around Australian as well,” he said.

Paul Wakeling Mitsubishi has installed a 10kW solar system to the roof of the dealership to offset CO2 emissions from electricity consumption and also collects stormwater onsite to service the facility’s restrooms and irrigation.

“We have solar panels on all of our buildings and we really find it to be beneficial,” Mr Wakeling said.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) said in a statement: “The dealership interior is designed to offer customers a seamless customer experience in a high-quality retail environment.

“When customers enter the showroom, the spacious floorplan allows 360-degree access to the vehicles on display and the option for customers to explore the Mitsubishi range at their leisure with new interactive touchscreens.

“There is also a customer lounge and dedicated vehicle delivery bays to ensure that customers experience exceptional service across all touchpoints.”

MMAL deputy director for marketing and operations Derek McIllroy said: “The uniform design ensures that customers have a consistent experience when engaging with our brand, whether it be at pop-up stores in shopping centres, exploring our website or visiting one of our showrooms.

“We are very excited to continue the rollout of this new visual identity to other Mitsubishi dealerships and service centres across Australia over the coming years,” he said.

Deputy director for sales Tim Hore added: “We know that our customers want a consistent brand experience, but that every customer likes to shop in different ways, with different levels of support and assistance.

“Our flexible new format includes the introduction of new touchscreen technology in addition to low display heights that offer a clear line of sight to their nearest customer experience staff member or service staff. This means we have more opportunities to support them with their research and vehicle customisation,” Mr Hore said.

Paul Wakeling started in 1985 with a single Holden franchise and five staff.

The Paul Wakeling Motor Group today operates six new-car brands including Holden, HSV, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ram and Volkswagen, as well as two used-car yards. It has more than 165 employees.

By John Mellor