Barossa Valley Toyota has a fresh new look after renovations that have been five years in the making.
Outgrowing their previous location at 33 Murray Street, Tanunda and moving to 175 Murray Street in 2004, the time was right for Barossa Valley Toyota to expand its premises and undergo a facelift.
“We started renovations well and truly last year and if I go back to the plans… I think they go back to 2016 when we first started the planning process,” said Mr Gordon Alderslade, Barossa Valley Toyota’s Dealer Principal.
“It’s been five years of going back and forth.
“We have all new staff amenities including larger lunchroom, new showers and toilets, extra offices, specialised tool room and an engine pull-down room and that’s just in the workshop.
“Front and centre, we have a modern, upmarket showroom, new delivery bay and sales offices, spacious customer lounge, wi-fi desk and a stand-out reception area.
“We also have plans within the workshop to have an express maintenance bay.”
He explained that express maintenance means there will be two technicians working on your vehicle, so an hour long service would be completed in half an hour.
“By the time you’ve sat down, had a coffee and read the paper, your car will be ready,” said Gordon.
Barossa Valley Toyota is striving to be more eco-friendly with new solar panels, rainwater tanks and recycling as much as possible, including eliminating single use plastics.
This philosophy is in keeping with the huge impact that Hybrid technology has had in new car manufacturing with Toyota being the leader in this field.
“We are now a stand-out country dealership in South Australia for Toyota,” he said. “Toyota is the number one vehicle brand in Australia and they like all their dealerships to look number one.”
The renovations will assist the dealership to head into the future with a facility that will last and deliver a better customer experience, particularly with the convenient new service drive-through drop-off area and handy customer car park.
“The facilities are much better and the more professional we look, the more people will want to come to us,” said Gordon.
“It’s certainly good for us, our customers and the Barossa.
“I think the Barossa is in a good space at the moment. There seems to be a lot happening. It’s looking good and I think we are lucky to live in such a beautiful region.
“There were a lot of disruptions, especially for our staff and guests during the renovation phase and I really appreciate everyone’s patience during the whole process. Not to mention the challenges of COVID-19.”
The renovations are set to be complete by early November with several smaller touches to finish up.
“It’s a lot of minor things, such as wheel stops to prevent vehicles backing into walls to go in after line marking is done, entrance portals, internal signage and gardening to name a few,” said Gordon.
Gordon was pleased to add it all started because Barossa Valley Toyota needed a larger workshop area and there is now room for even more growth because of the space available.