Ribbon cutting marks official start to construction of Spinelli Toyota Lachine
Lawrence Papoff
LACHINE, QUE. – With the sounds of construction ringing in their ears, members of the Spinelli family, business partners and well-wishers gathered to cut the Toyota-red ribbon to mark the official start of construction of Spinelli Toyota Lachine on Sept. 12.
Ribbon cutters included Mathieu Spinelli, V-P customer experience, Pierre Spinelli, president Groupe Spinelli, Paul Noory, GM Spinelli Toyota Lachine, and Jocelyn Daneau, regional manager Toyota Canada.
The site is located next to Spinelli Lexus Lachine on Montreal-Toronto Boulevard in Lachine, Que.
The goal of the $12 million project is to transform the site, a 20-minute drive via Highway 720 from
downtown Montreal, into one of the prime locations for auto sales in Greater Montreal.
“Our building will draw the attention of thousands of drivers weekly,” Mathieu Spinelli said. But Spinelli said the 70,000-square-foot building, expected to be selling and servicing Toyotas by February 2018, will be more than just eye-catching.
“Spinelli Toyota will offer personalized service in comfort,” he added.
The new dealership will offer, among other conveniences, an indoor reception centre for the service department, a 14-vehicle showroom, a new-car delivery space – indoor of course – and an “elegant café that will offer customers a gourmet break,” should they wish to wait for their vehicle while it’s being serviced.
Spinelli Toyota Lachine will also house the administrative headquarters of Groupe Spinelli.
The ceremony was not only a ribbon cutting, it marked the 50th anniversary of the partnership between Groupe Spinelli and Toyota Canada. Spinelli Toyota opened in 1967 and has sold over 75,000 Toyotas since then.
Family patriarch Guiseppe Spinelli came to Canada in 1918 and opened a garage in Lachine in 1922. Sons Noël and Jean took over in in 1960. Today, there are nine dealerships in the group – Spinelli Mazda, Spinelli Nissan, Spinelli Toyota Pointe-Claire, Spinelli Toyota Lachine, Spinelli Honda, Spinelli Infiniti, Spinelli Kia, Spinelli Lexus Pointe-Claire and Spinelli Lexus Lachine.
“This is the new vision of the new Toyota brand experience, the new personality of Toyota, the best experience at every point of contact,” Jean Marc Giroux, strategic marketing advisor for the group, told Canadian AutoWorld.
Giroux went on to say the service department will have 14 service bays and a parts department big enough to make waiting for a part a thing of the past. The body shop will be part of the building.
“What is old is the excellence you expect from Groupe Spinelli, a family environment with people dedicated to your comfort and satisfaction,” Mathieu Spinelli said.
