Featured Mercedes-Benz Dealer
Mercedes-Benz of Novi
Article by Michael Salemi
Long-time Novi, Michigan, residents offer three legends regarding the origin of the name, correctly pronounced Noe-vye. One is that it was named after the sixth tollgate (No. VI) on the Grand River Avenue toll road; the second is that it was stop number 6 on the railroad, and lastly that Novi was the sixth stagecoach stop outside of Detroit. However, the township was named in 1832, decades before the toll road or railroad appeared. As for stagecoaches, a great city deserves great legends, even a fantasy with appealing images of cowboys and stagecoaches. The Ghesquiere family found the growing Novi (whose name is from the Croatian word for “new”) very appealing, one reason why they opened this dealership here in 1997. They located on a prime corner at a busy intersection … right on the fabled Grand River Avenue.
Brothers Lee and C.J. Ghesquiere are car guys; but then again, they had to be. Growing up in Michigan, they spent much time learning the automotive parts business from their father Chuck. The senior Ghesquiere and his brother-in-law ran Michigan Engine Supply; in the 1960s, this was the largest import parts company in Michigan. Observing this successful business, brands including Toyota, Jaguar, Alfa-Romeo, and Volvo approached the partners to open dealerships. However, they did not want to get in the automobile trade, for parts were keeping them quite busy. Ultimately Chuck relented and invested in one faltering dealer, then another – turning them into thriving ones. The Mercedes endeavor began in 1976 with the purchase of a declining dealership in Birmingham. After turning around the business and running it for 14 years, Chuck moved it to nearby and affluent Bloomfield Hills, on historic Woodward Avenue. Not long ago, Estate Motors Ltd. was renamed Mercedes-Benz of Bloomfield Hills – and Chuck still owns that dealership today.
The MB of Novi Showroom
In addition to work at their father’s dealership, both brothers augmented their knowledge by auto industry employment. C.J. started at Buick and Lee at Chrysler after their college graduations, and each spent several years working in district sales. Eventually they partnered on a failing Cadillac franchise, moving it and turning it into one of the nation’s top dealers. For years they enjoyed a great partnership at this Cadillac dealership, with C.J. handling service and Lee managing sales.
In the late 1990s, the brothers purchased a troubled Detroit Mercedes franchise and obtained a second franchise as part of DaimlerChrysler’s expansion. The new franchise went north to Rochester, next to their robust Cadillac showroom, and they moved the Detroit franchise west to Novi. The brothers followed the example and experience of their father by moving and locating dealerships into vibrant, high-growth communities. Mercedes-Benz of Novi opened originally as Manor Motorcar Company in 1997 with the name change not long after. C.J. took the Rochester dealer, while Lee anchors Novi.
Lee sets high standards for his dealership and staff. The results have been spectacular, with the dealership a recipient of MBUSA’s “Best of the Best Award,” capping year after year of solid growth in sales and service. With Lee growing up in a family business, it isn’t a surprise that customers and employees are treated like family – he simply knows no other way. Service advisors enjoy a truly close and trusting relationship with many of their customers, who often ask the advisors to simply “treat my car as your own.” Between the sales and service departments, more than 1,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles pass through the dealership each month. To assist its growing clientele, the dealership recently created an in-house loaner fleet, ensuring vehicles are always available for “their family.”
The busy but spotless service area
Novi adopted the “Autohaus” format in 2011, which provides a fabulous selling format and excellent branding for the marque. Last year, they augmented their offerings by adding Sprinter vans, and this has been quite successful. With a wide range of commercial uses, the Sprinters are also beginning to see increased private use in conversions and other specialized adaptions. Sprinter is on an upward path, and Mercedes-Benz of Novi is there to serve this growth.
2013 will be extremely exciting in Novi as they are proud to be one of the new AMG Performance Centers. This investment provides a specially trained AMG Sales Consultant and Technician with unparalleled knowledge of the brand, along with extensive product information, a Visualizer, and displays.
Complementing this will be two AMG cars, sure to be the jewels of the showroom in a dedicated area. The dealership will also enjoy preferential allocation of AMG vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. All of this will be to enhance the AMG customer experience. Today, the AMG brand is transitioning from three season specialty vehicles to those more widely accepted throughout the United States. According to Rob Moran, from AMG Product Management, this is happening with the implementation of 4Matic to the AMG lineup and more product introductions in the coming 24 months, including an AMG version of the new CLA. This provides increasingly broad product appeal of the AMG brand across a larger spectrum of customers – and Mercedes-Benz of Novi will be there to serve them, welcoming them to the family.
Technicians confer on an SL550
Our local club section, International Stars, is enjoying renewed vigor in its relationship with all the Michigan dealers. The section has chosen sales people at each of the dealers as primary contacts, and was quite happy to hear that “our” enthusiastic sales professional at Novi, Eric Wheeler, will be receiving AMG training. Eric is part of a sales staff of eight. The section tries to schedule several events each year in conjunction with the dealers, and when the AMG Performance Center opens for business, we’ll be there to congratulate their achievement.