Little Italy may be shrinking, but the upper west side of Manhattan is getting a fresh dose of Italia.
BNF Automotive Group announced that it has acquired the Maserati franchise of Manhattan, and will be moving the brand from its former Tribeca location to the heart of Auto Row at 639 11th Avenue (near the corner of West 47th).
The move makes the FIAT Chrysler division an integral part of the resurging auto sales district and will give Maserati models-such as the 2017 Levante-a grand showcase in NYC.
Gary Flom, CEO of BNF, told the Wall Street Journal that he moved the luxury-brand north from the high end neighborhood of Tribeca in order to consolidate it with BNF’s already established brand power.
“This is where our clients know to come for brands,” he said while discussing the dealerships that the company already owns along Auto Row. “We have a huge footprint in this area.”
The new $17 million building will be near BNF’s 757 11th avenue location of Jaguar Land Rover Manhattan, Infiniti of Manhattan and Nissan of Manhattan dealerships, and will feature an all-glass showroom, high ceilings, a glass elevator and rooftop space to display vehicles and host events. Slated to be completed by February 2017, the 35,000 sf, five-story building is currently under construction.
The announcements of the new brand and showroom continue a busy stretch of time for the automotive dealer. At the close of 2015, BNF signed a 25-year deal for 265,000 Sf that allowed them to expand and renovate their existing Auto Row showrooms.
