Buying a car, like most things that require scads of money, should be fun. Unfortunately, car dealerships tend to be only slightly more mirthful than dental offices (and decorated similarly).
For those who aren’t keen on dingy waiting areas stacked with dated magazines, Porsche AG this week began allowing customers to pick up their vehicles at the company’s Los Angeles “Experience Center,” a kind of asphalt-covered Disney World for car nuts.
Instead of a stale cup of coffee, there’s a fine lunch in Restaurant 917. Rather than an anodyne highway through the urban hinterlands where dealerships cluster, there’s a sinuous track. And in place of a salesman, there’s a professional driving instructor who will spend 90 minutes helping the proud owner put their toy through its paces.
“We’re super-charging customers’ emotions,” says Porsche’s North American Chief Executive Officer Klaus Zellmer. “It’s this moment of truth when they are getting something they’ve worked for very hard for a very long time.” The company has offered a similar service at its Atlanta Experience Center since 2016.
If the future of retail lies in creating a great experience, Porsche is on to something here. The only part of the process that requires a dealership is the initial financial transaction. Such delivery programs, however, are nothing new. The swankiest automakers have long taken a cue from the Godfather movies: If you want to keep someone loyal to the family, invite them into the house.
Porsche has offered vehicle “delivery” at its German factories for decades, as have luxury rivals Audi, Maserati, and Volvo Cars, to name a few. McLaren Automotive buyers at the marque’s U.K. factory are treated to a Champagne toast as a pair of sliding doors open to reveal their car.
James Crawford, a Chicago venture capitalist, had no idea he could pick up his BMW M3 at the company’s plant in Spartanburg, S.C., before spotting the free option and checking the box. The company has a driving center there with a track to test your new ride.
“The track time was cool, but I mostly remember the presentation,” he recalls. “The car was parked kind of at an angle in this huge bay with polished floors and dramatic lighting.” When Crawford started it up, the navigation system was still programed for Germany.
For automakers, it’s a logistical challenge, but the hope is that customers like Crawford become loyal ambassadors. “Since the brand is the most important asset of our business, it makes sense to invest in it,” Zellmer says.
The same logic persuaded Porsche’s U.S. dealers to spend $500 million to upgrade their facilities in recent years. Your local Porsche store, however, doesn’t have a skid-pad.