The new Infiniti dealership has an Apple Store look, with floor-to-ceiling windows that increase product visibility while drawing light in. Infiniti said the design of the roofline “purposefully creates shadow and controls direct sunlight into the showroom.”
Inside, the showroom strives to feel like a boutique, with soft lighting, wood-paneled floors and ceilings. It will even have a woodsy-citrusy smell thanks to a bespoke scent developed for the brand.
Infiniti’s Japanese DNA is evident in the new decor. Inspired by a Japanese “Noren” — a fabric divider that’s typically hung between rooms, in doorways, or windows — a large, semitranslucent mesh screen will be positioned in the showroom and display “nature-inspired” images from a ceiling-mounted projector.
“The design is centered around hospitality, no pressure and transparency,” Keeys said. “It’s centered around letting the client drive the experience.”
Some dealers embraced the coffee-shop ambience.
“People can feel intimated when the salesperson closes the office door behind them,” said a West Coast retailer who asked not to be identified.
But others are skeptical about the practicality of open-floor plans in the sales department.
“When it gets to the point of talking dollars or income, nobody wants to do that in an open forum,” said a Midwest retailer.
The updated stores will showcase Infiniti’s slimmed-down logo, and future models will carry the new illuminated and three-dimensional emblem.
