A car dealership whose owners are calling it the largest Nissan outlet in the country recently opened in Texas where, as is well known, everything is said to be bigger.
In this case, it may well be true. Central Automotive Group’s Central Houston Nissan recently opened on a 16-acre parcel along the 610 loop and celebrated its grand opening June 12. The dealership building spans 162,500 SF.
Built by Harvey Construction, the dealership was designed by Kirksey Architects, and has some customer-focused features that are likely to be interesting to car buyers. Those features include two coffee bars, a refreshment area, three lounges, an entertainment center, and a children’s play area.
Other unique amenities of the dealership include a climate-controlled service drive, said to be singular among Houston auto dealerships; a collision center staffed with professionals certified in aluminum repair; and lifetime loaner vehicles.
“This facility will allow us to provide our customers an unprecedented level of service and a buying experience that is second to none,” said Fernando J. Somoza, platform president and managing partner of Central Automotive Group. “We look forward to the reaction of both our existing and new Nissan customers. The facility itself is stunning, and we’re incredibly proud of the work that has gone into this project.”
The dealership is sort of its own micro-economy, in that it employs so many directly and indirectly. With more than 200 employees, Central Houston Nissan is the main hub for Central Automotive Group, which includes three other Nissan dealerships and other locations as well.
The Houston-based Central Automotive Group is a family owned firm that services and sells Cadillacs and Nissans in Texas. It has 10 locations representing 14 franchises in Houston, San Juan and Austin, Texas. The company has been in business for more than 40 years.
Related Stories
| Aug 5, 2013
Top Retail Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Henderson Engineers top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest retail engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Aug 5, 2013
Retail market shows signs of life [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Retail rentals and occupancy are finally on the rise after a long stretch in the doldrums.
| Aug 5, 2013
Top Retail Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Shawmut, Whiting-Turner, PCL top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest retail contractor and construction management firms in the United States.
| Jul 31, 2013
Hotel, retail sectors bright spots of sluggish nonresidential construction market
A disappointing recovery of the U.S. economy is limiting need for new nonresidential building activity, said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker in the AIA's semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, released today. As a result, AIA reduced its projections for 2013 spending to 2.3%.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 18, 2013
Koolhaas plan selected for Miami Beach Convention Center redevelopment [slideshow]
The master plan by OMA's Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu beat out a submission by Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group for the massive redo of the Miami Beach Convention Center.
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 17, 2013
Retail store openings at five-year high
Analysis by RBC Capital Markets shows that U.S. retailers are planning to open 42,757 stores over the next 12 months, and some 83,700 locations over the next two years, both five-year highs.
| Jul 15, 2013
Developer plans to convert historic Kansas City high-rise to mixed-use with 55 new apartments
An $18 million redevelopment proposal would convert a historic Kansas City high-rise into a commercial/residential property.
High-rise Construction | Jul 9, 2013
5 innovations in high-rise building design
KONE's carbon-fiber hoisting technology and the Broad Group's prefab construction process are among the breakthroughs named 2013 Innovation Award winners by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
