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NEWS
Hyundai's high-tech dealership
'Motorstudio' makes car shopping fun?Picture buying a car in a new-car dealership. It can be an unrewarding experience, despite the best efforts of the staff.
But Hyundai has dipped a toe in the water of experiential marketing at retail level, by building a new facility named the Hyundai Motorstudio.
Based in the downtown-but-upmarket Gangnam district of Seoul, the new dealership will lead to other similar facilities in major urban centres around the world. It's not a new idea; Audi Australia already operates out of its 'Lighthouse' dealership in Sydney – and has done for some years.
It is uncommon for a company such as Hyundai however. The Motorstudio is five storeys high and outwardly features nine examples of the manufacturer's premium Genesis sedan mounted on spits, which Hyundai refers to as 'car rotators'. Each month the cars can be turned slightly to offer a different view – including the underside, revealing the north/south drivetrain configuration and rear-wheel drive.
Inside the building there's plenty of high-impact architecture on show, comprising 36,000 metres of steel pipes and anodised steel panels. According to the company the style recalls Hyundai's industrial heritage, but in a thoroughly modern package.
The dealership doubles as an art gallery, with the first exhibition on display named 'Principle of Motion' – supplied by a British art group, United Visual Artists. This particular exhibition is apparently video-based and Hyundai has hired a full-time curator to oversee the gallery and book works from famous artists.
For those not actively engaged in the business of buying or selling new Hyundais, the Motorstudio also houses an auto library, a kids' lounge, a premium customer lounge, a car-tuning lounge, a gallery and a cafe.
"Our goal is to provide an environment where customers can naturally experience our Modern Premium brand values," said Won-Hong Cho, Hyundai Motor's Chief Marketing Officer. "Every detail within Hyundai Motorstudio was designed to create synergy towards making our brand experience a culture in itself."
Hyundai anticipates the innovative retail palace will become a landmark for visitors to Seoul, and already plans to open another dealership like it in Moscow later this year.
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Written byCarsales Staff
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