Building for the future
Dyer Subaru and Mazda have been sharing the same building during construction of the new Subaru dealership on the left. JOE DESALVO
Dyer Subaru plans to move into new dealership in September
BY JOE DeSALVO
Dyer Subaru in Vero Beach will soon be opening a state-of-the-art dealership to sell and service one of the highly regarded automotive brands on the road today and beloved by its owners.
The two-story, 17,000-square-foot structure is in the final phase of construction and projected to be completed in September, according to Jonathan Hardie, executive manager of Dyer Auto Group’s Vero Beach-based companies, Dyer Subaru, Mazda, Chevrolet and Collision Center.
The new dealership sits on the site where the Subaru dealership was located after Dyer bought it from a Palm Bay group in 2009. In stark contrast to the new one that’s replacing it, the original facility was around 3,000 square feet; its showroom just 40 feet wide.
The new two-story Dyer Subaru dealership will be easy to spot on U.S. 1 in Vero Beach. DYER SUBARU
The Subaru operation moved into the Mazda store, located at 999 U.S. 1, during the construction process that started in February 2021 with permits being pulled. Bill Bryant and Associates of Vero Beach is the general contractor. CPZ Architects Inc. in Plantation designed the energy-efficient building with solar-tinted glass.
“Subaru has certain elements that need to be included in the building’s design,’’ said Hardie, who’s been with Dyer for eight years. “So, imagine it’s like a bunch of LEGO pieces. They give you the 20 blocks, but you’re going to need 100 blocks to build the building. Those 20 blocks must be in the building somewhere, whether it’s a service waiting area; it could be a delivery spot. It could be things that.’’
Like space to showcase 2024 Subaru models expected to arrive in August.
“This will be a big upgrade for us, coming from the other building which was a two-car showroom to this six-car spacious showroom,’’ Hardie said. “It’s really an open concept showroom, so cars aren’t packed in.’’
Ample space has also been allocated for a climate-controlled delivery area.
Executive manager Jonathan Hardie is projecting that Dyer Subaru’s sales will double by having a new dealership. JOE DESALVO
PLENTY OF AMENITIES
As for customer amenities, Hardie says there will be several.
“There’s a lot of pet-friendly touch points inside the dealership, both in the waiting areas and service and sales,’’ Hardie said. “We have a new coffee bar going in; we’ll have large-screen TVs.
“And the real feel of the dealership is that it’s going to be a Vero Beach dealership, so you’re not going to see a lot of pictures of cars up on the wall,’’ Hardie said. “It’s a lot more lifestyle photos and large screened prints of things from around Vero, so it’s going to feel more like a Subaru hang-out area rather than a Subaru dealership.’’
As for the new service area, the dealership will increase the service lane from two vehicles to six vehicles.
The service area will have nine bays that are pneumatically operated and positioned angularly to get vehicles in and out quickly. JOE DESALVO
“Our service area is all built for speed the way that everything has been designed,’’ said Hardie, pointing out the nine bays that are pneumatically operated and positioned angularly to get vehicles in and out quickly. There will be two additional bays for quick lube service and one for alignments.
An innovative diagnostic scanning system will be installed in the service area. UVeye’s vehicle scans use artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and high-tech camera systems to spot within seconds a wide range of issues ranging from worn tires to missing or defective underbody parts or needed wheel alignment.
Near the delivery area will be a dog park, although it’s not a required element in the design.
In conjunction with Subaru’s “Love Promise’’ and “Subaru Loves Pets” initiative, the Dyer dealership annually holds a pet-adoption event and supports it by helping pay for the fees. DYER SUBARU
“We actually were one of the first dealerships to put a dog park in and then we started to see that grow across North America,’’ Hardie said. “So, we’ve had that dog park as long as we’ve had this dealership here, and it gets used every single day. We love our pets.’’
In conjunction with Subaru’s “Love Promise’’ and “Subaru Loves Pets’’ initiatives, the Dyer dealership annually holds a pet adoption event and supports it by paying the fees for 30 to 40 animals, according to Hardie.
BIG IMPACT ON SALES
As for the impact the new dealership will have on business, Hardie is projecting sales will double.
“We are getting a higher allocation from Subaru,’’ Hardie said, “but we don’t know if you’ll see a lot more cars physically parked on the ground because they do turn so quickly.
“It’s a hot product,’’ he added. “Even before the pandemic, we were selling pipeline cars, meaning we would pre-sell the cars before they would arrive. In the eight years I’ve been here, we’ve always done that.’’
With that said, Hardie has this recommendation:
“I always tell someone with a Subaru, if you see it on the ground and you like it, we encourage you to try to buy it as quickly as possible,’’ Hardie said. “It’s not a sales tactic because that’s just the truth. The car will sell very quickly.
“It’s an easy product to sell because customers have become such a brand ambassador for us that once you sell somebody a Subaru, it’s easy to sell them the next one because they just believe in the product,’’ Hardie said. “The majority our business is repeat business.’’
Hardie said 80% of his customers come from Indian River County and the majority of the remaining 20% are from Port St. Lucie.
The spacious showroom, with plenty of natural light, will have room for six Subaru models — an upgrade from two in the original store. JOE DESALVO
RATED AMONG THE BEST
As for its best-selling vehicles, the highly rated Crosstrek subcompact SUV was last year’s top seller.
“A lot of that had to do with availability of parts and so forth, but it probably will continue,’’ said Brandon Reynolds, sales manager. “No. 2 and No. 3 are the Outback and Forester, almost interchangeable.
“Subaru just builds such a great car, it has such a cult following,’’ he added.
It also doesn’t hurt that Subaru is perennially lauded in the venerable Consumer Reports auto issue.
One of the best-selling models for Dyer Subaru sales manager Brandon Reynolds is the 2023 Outback, seen here with the Wilderness trim. JOE DESALVO
Among 32 brands sold in the U.S., Subaru finished second, only one point behind BMW in this year’s rankings — based on evaluations of road-test performance, reliability, owner satisfaction and safety. They earn the highest overall ranking scores on the average from all the current models tested. Subaru had seven recommended models.
“It’s amazing how many of our customers bring those books in with them when they’re buying or it gets brought up as a talking point during a test drive by our customers, not our sales staff,’’ Hardie said. “We do know that Subaru buyers tend to do a lot more research than the majority of the buyers out there, so they’re very well versed in the consumer ratings.’’
Once the new Dyer Subaru dealership is completed, a major renovation of the Mazda store will begin, giving it a modern look. DYER MAZDA
MAZDA RENOVATION AHEAD
Once Subaru moves into its new home, the Mazda store will begin undergoing a major renovation that will expand it to 12,000 square feet. The project will also be handled by Bill Bryant and Associates.
Plans are for the Mazda staff and operation to move its operation into the Subaru dealership during the renovation, according to Hardie.
“The day we move in here, we hope to start over there,’’ Hardie said, while standing in the new showroom.
See the original article in the print publication
DYER SUBARU
999 U.S. Highway 1, Vero Beach
Phone: 772.266.5860 | Website: dyersubaru.com
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