Walker Automotive is pleased to announce the groundbreaking of its new 34,000 square foot BMW and Mercedes-Benz showroom and service center at 6655 Coliseum Boulevard. The new facility will be located directly adjacent to Walker Honda.
The current BMW / Mercedes facility is located just off of Macarthur Drive on a common campus with some of Walker’s other dealerships. “This new location and building will enable us to reach more customers with increased visibility,” said Foster Walker, President of Walker Automotive. “We have made a substantial investment in the Highway 28 West / Coliseum Boulevard corridor and are sure that the increased traffic count in the area will lead to increased sales for both of these brands,” Walker continued.
Walker Automotive acquired the Mercedes franchise in 1974 and the BMW franchise in 1985. The new facility will have separate showrooms and service facilities for both brands. The new building boasts large glass panels with sleek metal trim on the outside and extending throughout the building. The customer lounges will offer a dramatic improvement over the existing facility and are designed for comfort and to reflect Walker’s attention to customer satisfaction. The service department will be increased to a total of twenty-two service stalls creating greater customer convenience and allowing room to grow into the future. “We are increasing space and therefore the number of employees that we will need to staff the new building. We will bring all of our existing employees but also plan on adding additional sales and service staff before opening,” Walker said.
The building designer and architect is Redline Design Group of Charlotte, North Carolina. Red Line is an automotive specialist with both Mercedes and BMW and is recognized in the industry as an expert in dealership planning, design and consulting. “Both Mercedes and BMW have exacting design standards for their facilities which required a design firm that was accustomed to working with both manufactures. It is not common for these two brands to be joined under one roof and Redline’s experience with both Mercedes and BMW enabled us to clear hurdles quickly and efficiently to get the building under way,” Walker explained.
The general Contractor is Ratcliff Construction of Alexandria whose projects in the area include large commercial buildings, casinos and hospitals. “Ratcliff has a tough job because of the time-line for this building. We will occupy the building following just 182 days of construction. We are confident in Ratcliff and are fortunate to have a contractor of this caliber here in Alexandria,” Walker said. Walker intends to begin operations out of the new building by June 30th.
This new facility will expand Walker’s operations to four locations. Walker currently operates Buick/GMC, Mitsubishi and Big Lot Used Cars on Macarthur Drive, Walker Kia on Dorchester and Walker Honda and Walkers Used Car Marketplace on Coliseum. This new facility will move the Mercedes / BMW store form Macarthur to Coliseum. The new building will sell new, pre-owned and Certified Pre-owned vehicles for both Mercedes and BMW.
