Porsche, Audi sales may surge from showroom

A bright, modern new showroom for Porsche and Audi cars should help boost sales of the German vehicles in the metro area, officials with Bob Moore said.

The car seller held a grand opening Thursday for its first stand-alone Porsche and Audi dealership at 12910 N Broadway Extension. The $3.5 million building features plasma screen televisions, brushed metal fixtures and plenty of windows and natural light to show off the luxury cars.

Curious car enthusiasts eyed the Porsche sports cars, including the 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo, which sells for about $127,000 and goes from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds.

Floyd Carter, a retired worker from Lucent Technologies, came to the opening to see the cars close up. Carter owns two Porsches, a 1965 356C and a 2001 Boxster, but drove his Subaru Forester to the opening to protect the Porsches from the afternoon rain.

"After you drive one, you'll never be satisfied with anything else," Carter said. "It reads you, it knows which way to go, it urges you to give it more gas. That can be a little dangerous at times, but fun."

Porsche and Audi have sold cars in Oklahoma City since the mid-1990s, but have never had separate showroom space, said Sonny Rose, general manger of Bob Moore Infiniti, Porsche and Audi.

"We haven't given them good enough exposure," Rose said. "People that buy Audis or Porsche want to be separate. There's something sophisticated about German cars. They're a cut above a Japanese car."

In the past, Porsche and Audis had been in the same building as Japanese-made Infiniti at Bob Moore. With a new modern facility, Rose expects increased interest in the luxury cars.

"It's got lots of glass, high-intensity light and a service department that lights up like a fire cracker," said Gary DeNova, area general manager for Audi of America Inc. "You would think you were in a surgeon's operating room."

The new building also will allow Bob Moore to triple its service capacity, Rose said.

Sales for Audi and Porsche haven't always met sales targets in Oklahoma. Bob Moore is the only dealership that sells the cars in Oklahoma City. Jackie Cooper Imports in Tulsa sells Porsche and Brad Noe Autoplex sells Audis in Tulsa.

"It's growing every year," Rose said. "We haven't grown with Audi as much as we could, but that's improving. It's getting better already since we have separated from Infiniti."

The dealership has been open for about two weeks and already has sold cars from that location. Rose said the dealership is on target for sales goals for June.

"After you drive one, you'll never be satisfied with anything else."Floyd Carter, Porsche owner