Giles Automotive is building a standalone Volvo dealership on South City Parkway next to the Lafayette South Regional Library, directly across from Giles Nissan. The new dealership will occupy two acres of a 5.8-acre site, the remainder of which Giles Automotive will save for a future used car center.



The facility will cost $3.5 million, and the total investment at the site, which includes the land purchase, is $5 million. Giles joins several new dealerships or additions to facilities on what's fast becoming dealership row south of the mall. Among them are Moss Motors, which is building a $9.7 million Mercedes facility, and Hampton Toyota, which is undergoing an $8.5 million renovation and expansion of its 17-acre campus at 6191 Johnston St.





Currently, Giles Subaru and Giles Volvo share a dealership at 6133 Johnston St., but dealer Bob Giles tells ABiz that Volvo needs its own dealership to accommodate several new Volvo models coming to the market.





“I knew that at one point I wanted to separate Volvo and Subaru,” says Giles. “Our Subaru business has grown significantly, and Volvo has some new products and another seven or eight completely new products that we’re going to receive over the next two years.”

The new facility, which is being designed by local architect Alton Ozenne, will be a full-service dealership including sales, parts and service ready to accept the latest Volvo models.





“So by 2018, we will have a completely new Volvo lineup of all new vehicles, the oldest of which will be the XZ90, which has been out for about a year,” Giles continues. “So, with the introduction of all of these new models in anticipation of us probably tripling our volume, we felt that this makes sense to build a separate facility for Volvo.”





Work on the facility began in late 2016. The new Volvo facility is expected to be completed later this fall.