Springs attracts Lexus dealer

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Apr 6, 2002 | by Sara Nesbitt

Another taste of automotive luxury will enter the Colorado Springs market a year from now when Denver's Kuni Lexus opens a 22,000- square-foot dealership and service center off Eighth Street.

Other than Jaguar and Porsche, Lexus is the only mass-market luxury auto that doesn't have a Springs presence.

Thom Barkley, vice president of Red Noland Auto Group, which sells Infiniti, Saab, Land Rover and Cadillac, said now is the perfect time for Lexus to hit the Springs.

Noland's sales records show Cadillac sales for the first quarter of 2002 were up from 79 percent, compared with the first quarter of 2001. Infiniti sales were up 253 percent during that time. Saab sales were up 56 percent, and Land Rover sales were up 140 percent.

Barkley credits baby boomers for that increase and said the trend will continue for the next few years.

"Those boomers can now afford the better cars," Barkley said, because of investments and property values.

Despite a rash of thousands of layoffs in the past year, Lexus still captures buyers in the Springs' high-tech community, said Mike Ward, president and general manager of Kuni Lexus.

The area still "has a lot of high-paying jobs," he said.

The average price of a Lexus ranges from $30,000 to $40,000 but can climb as high as $70,000 for a top-of-the-line model. According to El Paso County records, Springs-area residents registered 104 new Lexuses last year.

The new dealership and service center also means local Lexus owners won't have to travel to Denver for service. It will be located south of the Daniels Chevrolet dealership at 670 Automotive Drive, on the hill above Motor City Drive.