The Managing Director of Ancaster Group has said the launch of the company’s seventh Nissan dealership represents a huge vote of confidence in the brand.
Stephen Wood, also President of Nissan’s European Dealer Council, was speaking at the official opening of Ancaster Nissan Heathrow, West London, which he attended alongside Nissan GB Managing Director Andrew Humberstone.
Mr Wood said his company enjoyed a great relationship with the Japanese manufacturer and its team in the UK and added: ‘‘This wonderful new dealership demonstrates what I feel our relationship with Nissan has been like over the years.
‘‘This showroom most definitely represents a vote of confidence in the brand, both in terms of the product that’s on sale already and the product that’s on the way quite soon. We feel that our investment here allows us to display Nissan’s fantastic cars in exactly the right way.’’
Star of the show on the official opening night was a prototype Nissan Ariya, the stunning new EV crossover that will be reaching customers later this year. A special-edition Juke Kiiro – produced in association with Warner Bros. to celebrate the release of The Batman – was also attracting plenty of attention.
Mr Humberstone thanked everyone involved in the creation of the new showroom and said: ‘‘Nissan has had a really interesting ride over the last couple of years in the UK.
‘‘We’ve all faced the challenges of Covid – and we’ve all faced the supply constraints which have affected all manufacturers and industries – not just automotive.
Real traction
‘‘All of these things are very disruptive, so we truly value our relationship with dealer partners such as Ancaster and we appreciate their support in making significant investments at a time when there is so much uncertainty and disruption out there.
‘‘That said, at Nissan, we’re in a fantastic place and we’ve had a very successful couple of years. We’ve seen real traction in the market in terms of our brand and where we’re heading.
‘‘We’re launching this year alone, five new products, with Ariya being one of them – and it’s an amazing product, even if I say so myself! I had the opportunity to test drive it in Paris recently and it really is quite special.
‘‘I’d like to say a massive thank you to Stephen, his team, other stakeholders and fellow investors, for making the commitment and investment that has led to the opening of this dealership. We’re increasingly becoming as important to Ancaster as they are to us!
‘‘Nissan is moving from volume to value and becoming much more customer-centric – it’s something we’re very passionate about. Customer focus is everything to us – it’s at the heart of our strategy going forward.’’
The leadership team at Ancaster Nissan Heathrow includes General Sales Manager Tony Groves and Aftersales Manager Kamran Khan, both of whom have many years of experience in the automotive industry.
Ancaster is one of the UK’s largest private motor groups. Serving South and West London, Berkshire, Surrey and Kent, it represents eight brands across 14 sales locations.