The future home of Fresno Lexus will feature state-of-the-art amenities, a customer-centered layout and will nearly double the size of the dealership and service department. Photo of artist's rendering by Ben Hensley

After nearly 20 years in business — and thousands of sales, countless service stops and a parking lot’s worth of planning — Fresno Lexus will be heading up the road this fall.

That’s when the luxury auto dealer plans to debut a brand new showroom, service center and dealership, doubling its footprint while continuing to serve as a community hub for nonprofit fundraisers and more.

The new dealership, located at 7201 N. Palm Ave., was formerly occupied by call centers for Bank of America and Covered California. Mike Gibson, general manager of Fresno Lexus, is enthusiastic about the relocation, which has been in the works for the better part of the 2020s.

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of business and a lot of growth over the years,” Gibson said. “And it’s been growth not just in sales but in parts and service, which commands much more space to accomplish a great customer experience and accommodate our guests in a bigger way.”

 

Doubling the footprint

This fall, when the dealership relocates to its new home, it will increase in size by more than 25,000 square feet. The new facility encompasses about 56,000 square feet of indoor space.

“We’ll be able to provide more of a climate-controlled, indoor experience,” Gibson said.

The goal is to allow customers to comfortably transition from the service department to the sales floor, customer lounge areas and more.

 

Gibson said the new location will also include a high-end parts boutique, open-air showroom and a laid-back feel while maintaining an upscale look.

Gibson said that while the cost of the project was considerable, the dealership was able to save money thanks to the building frame already being constructed for the previous occupants.

“In essence, we have a box that we’re redoing,” Gibson said. “The site work that’s there — there’s some modification — but not near what we’d have to do on a ground-up [project], which I think gives us the opportunity to invest in more amenities and a better feel for the client when they walk in.”

Gibson said that customers won’t feel the “need” to go to the dealership, so much as “want” to go to the dealership. A fully audio/visual-equipped conference room can be used for nonprofit meetings, community events and other purposes during and after hours.

He added that staying in the area of Palm and Herndon avenues was a priority for the dealership that has been at its current location since 2005. The new home will be a testament to the dealership’s commitment to the area.

“I think it’s going to be a really fitting tribute to the Valley,” Gibson said.

 

Lifting the numbers

The service center at Fresno Lexus has become a focal point for business, according to Gibson. Operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Fresno Lexus’ service center is busy with the rising number of customers with new and pre-owned vehicles.

The new building will have capacity for 44 lifts, compared to 22 currently.

“It doubles our physical capacity,” he said. “We’ll have space, comfortably, for 36 lifts. We can certainly expand up to 44 lifts eventually, and we’ll also have EV lifts for EV products, whether that’s new or pre-owned.”

Gibson added that some of the lifts would also be equipped for larger vehicles.

There will be electric vehicle charging infrastructure for the dealership, but the possibility of expansion to customers.

“Certainly there will be EV chargers there for our inventory purposes, but what we have and we can offer to the consumer, we’re still investigating,” Gibson said.

“It’s still somewhat fluid until we finish with this,” Gibson said.

 

More amenities

The new dealership will also feature a kitchen and catering area designed to support community events and nonprofit meetings — something Gibson said the dealership will focus heavily on.

“We’ll even have, in the service [department], some miniature conference rooms for folks that are waiting for a car that can do a Zoom meeting at the dealership,” he said. “There’s a lot of really good amenities that we can offer in a fun environment.”

Gibson added that many of the new amenities will feature personal-relationship-driven technology, helping customers streamline their shopping process and experience if they choose.

Customer service will remain key, Gibson said, highlighting the new building’s entryway, which will feature a check-in desk with team members ready to greet customers as they walk through the door.

“We will not have a machine take the place of a human being and the interaction that they have,” Gibson said.

 

Sales now and in the future

Over the years, Fresno Lexus has seen its inventory continue to grow, with Gibson adding that year-over-year sales have consistently been up, keeping pace with the auto market’s rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.

When it comes to floor models and display space, however, Gibson said the current dealership has reached its capacity.

“It would be a sizable increase of both new and pre-owned sales,” Gibson said. “Service — if we’re building on a double-sized service department — we’re counting on this being a large increase in parts and services as well.”

Gibson said that the success of the dealership and impending relocation — which should be completed by October of this year — is a testament to the Central Valley and its loyal customers.

“We appreciate the Valley and we appreciate Fresno,” he said. “And we appreciate all the folks supporting us on this project, but most importantly our clients.”