Top Lamborghini Dealership, Closed...
11-06-08 | 05:32 PM
#1
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Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 460
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From: California
Top Lamborghini Dealership, Closed...
Lamborghini OC http://www.lamborghinioc.com/ closed this past Wednesday. I always enjoy looking off of the 55 and seeing a few Lambos sitting outside, but the past few days, it just hasn't been the same 
Was the closure really forced by the way business was run? or was it because of the economy?
World's Largest Lamborghini Dealership in SoCal Closes Its Doors Amidst Rumors
The world's largest Lamborghini dealership has closed its doors recently due to yet undefined reasons. As first reported by The OC Register, Lamborghini Orange County in Southern California has padlocked its facilities indefinitely and has apparently stopped all car and parts sales, service and all other activities.
According to the report, Automobili Lamborghini has placed the blame on the dealership itself and not the economy.
"The financial stress Lamborghini Orange County is experiencing is due to several unfortunate business decisions made by management at Lamborghini Orange County, independently of Automobili Lamborghini," Lamborghini America COO Pietro Frigerio stated. "Many companies have felt an impact by the current economic situation, but the economy is not the reason for Lamborghini Orange County's financial situation. Though, the economy has exacerbated the situation."
Rumors spreading around the Web include the dealership's inability to secure a line of credit from the exotic carmaker's parent company, Volkswagen AG. Dealership owner Vik Keuylian once boasted that his dealership sold around 10% of all Lamborghinis made annually.
Lamborghini Orange County was established in 1994 and was well-known in celebrity and socialite circles. There was no word if Keuylian's other Lamborghini dealership in Northern California faces the same closure.
http://wot.motortrend.com/6335464/au...ors/index.html
Was the closure really forced by the way business was run? or was it because of the economy?
World's Largest Lamborghini Dealership in SoCal Closes Its Doors Amidst Rumors
The world's largest Lamborghini dealership has closed its doors recently due to yet undefined reasons. As first reported by The OC Register, Lamborghini Orange County in Southern California has padlocked its facilities indefinitely and has apparently stopped all car and parts sales, service and all other activities.
According to the report, Automobili Lamborghini has placed the blame on the dealership itself and not the economy.
"The financial stress Lamborghini Orange County is experiencing is due to several unfortunate business decisions made by management at Lamborghini Orange County, independently of Automobili Lamborghini," Lamborghini America COO Pietro Frigerio stated. "Many companies have felt an impact by the current economic situation, but the economy is not the reason for Lamborghini Orange County's financial situation. Though, the economy has exacerbated the situation."
Rumors spreading around the Web include the dealership's inability to secure a line of credit from the exotic carmaker's parent company, Volkswagen AG. Dealership owner Vik Keuylian once boasted that his dealership sold around 10% of all Lamborghinis made annually.
Lamborghini Orange County was established in 1994 and was well-known in celebrity and socialite circles. There was no word if Keuylian's other Lamborghini dealership in Northern California faces the same closure.
http://wot.motortrend.com/6335464/au...ors/index.html
Last edited by PVlexus; 11-06-08 at 05:35 PM.
11-06-08 | 05:38 PM
#4
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Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 460
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From: California
Strictly Lamborghini dealerships? No, none as far as I know. But Exotic Dealerships, yes there are quite a bit within 20 minutes. I can think of 3 off the top of my head.
11-06-08 | 05:39 PM
#5
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FYI - http://www.lamborghinioc.com/index.cfm
http://findarticles.com/p/arti...73767
MARKETPLACE
Lamborghini Orange County jumped one of its biggest hurdles to opening a dealership on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach: the blessing of the California Coastal Commission.
The approval puts the dealership on track to get started on permits and construction, perhaps by June, said Vik Keuylian, owner of the dealership with his sisters, Astrid, Nora and Sossi.
Lamborghini OC's 20,000-square-foot, two-story dealership is planned for 2244 W. Coast Highway near the Holiday Inn Express. Keuylian is targeting a late spring 2009 opening.
The keuylians' original Lamborghini dealership is at 2441 S. Pullman St. in Santa Ana. The family bought the building, which it had been leasing, last year for $9 million. The buy included extra space for a service department and expanded the dealership from 18,000 square feet to 36,000 square feet.
The OC dealership is the top selling Lamborghini dealer in the nation.
The Keuylians have a few other projects in the works. Vik Keuylian bought land in Calabasas, right next to a Ferrari dealership, where the family plans to build a Lamborghini dealership. The twostory showroom will have a three-story glass tower that will showcase cars.
It already has a 4,000-square-foot dealership in Calabasas that opened in September. That spot will sell used
Lamborghinis once the new showroom opens, Keuylian said.
"Calabasas is a big deal for us," he said, to try and break Ferrari's dominance of the market.
In OC, the Keuylians are building an Audi dealership in Santa Ana. It will move its current Audi dealership, which shares space at the Santa Ana Auto Mall with Volkswagen as Commonwealth Volkswagen-Audi, to the new showroom. The Audi dealership will have 22 service bays and the Volkswagen operations will absorb the vacant space.
The Keuylians bought Commonwealth Volkswagen-Audi, which was founded in the 1960s, this past summer for an undisclosed price. Lamborghini is part of Germany's Volkswagen AG, which also owns Audi.
All of these projects are slated to begin around June, he said.
Even though Lamborghini customers are well off, the economy is having a slight effect on sales, Keuylian said.
"People are still cautious. They've got to think twice," he said.
But he said he's hopeful that by the time the showrooms open in 2009 that the economy will have rebounded.
Quote »
Lamborghini O.C., largest dealer of exotic cars, closes
Automaker blames poor management, not economy, for demise.
By JOHN GITTELSOHN
The Orange County Register
Comments 17| Recommend 9
The world's largest Lamborghini dealer, Lamborghini Orange County, has closed and owners aren't saying why.
"I can't talk about anything," said Vik Keuylian, owner of the Santa Ana-based dealership.
Keuylian previously said he sold about 10 percent of all 2,400 Lamborghinis made in the world each year. Lamborghini announced plans to move its North American headquarters to Santa Monica, in part, to be close to its largest dealership.
Automobili Lamborghini America said the dealer closed because of its own mistakes, not the economy.
"The financial stress Lamborghini Orange County is experiencing is due to several unfortunate business decisions made by management at Lamborghini Orange County, independently of Automobili Lamborghini," said Pietro Frigerio, chief operating officer of Lamborghini America.
"Many companies have felt an impact by the current economic situation, but the economy is not the reason for Lamborghini Orange County's financial situation. Though, the economy has exacerbated the situation."
In an interview this spring, when other auto dealers were suffering from the economic downturn, Keuylian said he continued to prosper.
"This April was better than April '07,” Keuylian told the Register. “Other dealers are turning down cars and we’re picking them up and selling them at a profit.”
A spokeswoman for Volkswagen, which owns Lamborghini, would not answer a question about whether the company had pulled the line of credit Keuylian needed to keep cars on his showroom floor.
"While we don't comment about our business relationships with our dealerships, Volkswagen's credit business continues to remain strong," said Jill Bratina, a spokeswoman for Volkswagen Group of America.
At least nine Orange County auto dealers – selling Chevrolets, Chryslers, Dodges, Nissans, Saturns and other brands – have closed since January, brought down by sluggish sales and tight credit.
But Lamborghini Orange County is the most glamorous of the bunch. Customers included NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Dennis Rodman. The Keuylians threw promotional parties with celebrities such as Elton John and Sharon Stone. They helicoptered actors Eric Roberts and Luke Perry from Los Angeles to Orange County for a company party in April.
The Orange County dealership at 2441 S. Pullman St. in Santa Ana is now padlocked. The lot previously brimming with orange and lime 12-cylinder, $600,000 Murcielagos and Gallardos customized by designer Versace – is vacant.
No sign explains the closure or tells customers where to go for repairs or how to pick up cars on order.
The answering machine on a phone at Lamborghini Calabasas, also owned by Keuylian, said it was not accepting messages. A recently opened Lamborghini showroom on West Coast Highway in Newport Beach also has closed. And Keuylian's plans for a lavish new showroom there never materialized.
http://findarticles.com/p/arti...73767
MARKETPLACE
Lamborghini Orange County jumped one of its biggest hurdles to opening a dealership on Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach: the blessing of the California Coastal Commission.
The approval puts the dealership on track to get started on permits and construction, perhaps by June, said Vik Keuylian, owner of the dealership with his sisters, Astrid, Nora and Sossi.
Lamborghini OC's 20,000-square-foot, two-story dealership is planned for 2244 W. Coast Highway near the Holiday Inn Express. Keuylian is targeting a late spring 2009 opening.
The keuylians' original Lamborghini dealership is at 2441 S. Pullman St. in Santa Ana. The family bought the building, which it had been leasing, last year for $9 million. The buy included extra space for a service department and expanded the dealership from 18,000 square feet to 36,000 square feet.
The OC dealership is the top selling Lamborghini dealer in the nation.
The Keuylians have a few other projects in the works. Vik Keuylian bought land in Calabasas, right next to a Ferrari dealership, where the family plans to build a Lamborghini dealership. The twostory showroom will have a three-story glass tower that will showcase cars.
It already has a 4,000-square-foot dealership in Calabasas that opened in September. That spot will sell used
Lamborghinis once the new showroom opens, Keuylian said.
"Calabasas is a big deal for us," he said, to try and break Ferrari's dominance of the market.
In OC, the Keuylians are building an Audi dealership in Santa Ana. It will move its current Audi dealership, which shares space at the Santa Ana Auto Mall with Volkswagen as Commonwealth Volkswagen-Audi, to the new showroom. The Audi dealership will have 22 service bays and the Volkswagen operations will absorb the vacant space.
The Keuylians bought Commonwealth Volkswagen-Audi, which was founded in the 1960s, this past summer for an undisclosed price. Lamborghini is part of Germany's Volkswagen AG, which also owns Audi.
All of these projects are slated to begin around June, he said.
Even though Lamborghini customers are well off, the economy is having a slight effect on sales, Keuylian said.
"People are still cautious. They've got to think twice," he said.
But he said he's hopeful that by the time the showrooms open in 2009 that the economy will have rebounded.
Quote »
Lamborghini O.C., largest dealer of exotic cars, closes
Automaker blames poor management, not economy, for demise.
By JOHN GITTELSOHN
The Orange County Register
Comments 17| Recommend 9
The world's largest Lamborghini dealer, Lamborghini Orange County, has closed and owners aren't saying why.
"I can't talk about anything," said Vik Keuylian, owner of the Santa Ana-based dealership.
Keuylian previously said he sold about 10 percent of all 2,400 Lamborghinis made in the world each year. Lamborghini announced plans to move its North American headquarters to Santa Monica, in part, to be close to its largest dealership.
Automobili Lamborghini America said the dealer closed because of its own mistakes, not the economy.
"The financial stress Lamborghini Orange County is experiencing is due to several unfortunate business decisions made by management at Lamborghini Orange County, independently of Automobili Lamborghini," said Pietro Frigerio, chief operating officer of Lamborghini America.
"Many companies have felt an impact by the current economic situation, but the economy is not the reason for Lamborghini Orange County's financial situation. Though, the economy has exacerbated the situation."
In an interview this spring, when other auto dealers were suffering from the economic downturn, Keuylian said he continued to prosper.
"This April was better than April '07,” Keuylian told the Register. “Other dealers are turning down cars and we’re picking them up and selling them at a profit.”
A spokeswoman for Volkswagen, which owns Lamborghini, would not answer a question about whether the company had pulled the line of credit Keuylian needed to keep cars on his showroom floor.
"While we don't comment about our business relationships with our dealerships, Volkswagen's credit business continues to remain strong," said Jill Bratina, a spokeswoman for Volkswagen Group of America.
At least nine Orange County auto dealers – selling Chevrolets, Chryslers, Dodges, Nissans, Saturns and other brands – have closed since January, brought down by sluggish sales and tight credit.
But Lamborghini Orange County is the most glamorous of the bunch. Customers included NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Dennis Rodman. The Keuylians threw promotional parties with celebrities such as Elton John and Sharon Stone. They helicoptered actors Eric Roberts and Luke Perry from Los Angeles to Orange County for a company party in April.
The Orange County dealership at 2441 S. Pullman St. in Santa Ana is now padlocked. The lot previously brimming with orange and lime 12-cylinder, $600,000 Murcielagos and Gallardos customized by designer Versace – is vacant.
No sign explains the closure or tells customers where to go for repairs or how to pick up cars on order.
The answering machine on a phone at Lamborghini Calabasas, also owned by Keuylian, said it was not accepting messages. A recently opened Lamborghini showroom on West Coast Highway in Newport Beach also has closed. And Keuylian's plans for a lavish new showroom there never materialized.
11-06-08 | 06:06 PM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 810
Likes: 0
From: USA
From an article in our newspaper when Lamborghini opened up in Lodi New Jersey it was one of a few strictly Lamborghini dealerships in the country. They opened up and literally hit the road flying. To this day they go through cars like crazy always got new ones coming in and going out. They only keep them in the showroom probably about six of them. Service was one bay and parts the other bay. Now they appear to do service in both bays behind closed opaque glass doors not a typical garage door I only saw inside once it more or less resembled a gas station bay in size.
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11-06-08 | 06:42 PM
#9
Speaks French in Russian
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,303
Likes: 65
From: What is G?
Browsing the Lambo forum looking for more info, seems like there was some bad management. Must be pretty embarrassing since the owners really dont want to say. LOL, even the co-workers didnt know until they arrived for work one morning with padlocks on all the doors. 
They actually closed last month and took all of the cars. Its also said that a new LOC will open next week at a different location.
But I want to know how do you sell over 500+ Lambos the last couple years and then go out of business!!?? How do you mess up that bad with that kind of money in a short period of time?
They actually closed last month and took all of the cars. Its also said that a new LOC will open next week at a different location.
But I want to know how do you sell over 500+ Lambos the last couple years and then go out of business!!?? How do you mess up that bad with that kind of money in a short period of time?
Last edited by GFerg; 11-06-08 at 06:46 PM.
11-06-08 | 06:43 PM
#10
They closed down. The owner also owned the two other dealerships in Newport that also closed down. But I hear there will be a new Lamborghini OC dealership under new management opening in a few weeks.
11-06-08 | 07:50 PM
#11
Browsing the Lambo forum looking for more info, seems like there was some bad management. Must be pretty embarrassing since the owners really dont want to say. LOL, even the co-workers didnt know until they arrived for work one morning with padlocks on all the doors.
They actually closed last month and took all of the cars. Its also said that a new LOC will open next week at a different location.
But I want to know how do you sell over 500+ Lambos the last couple years and then go out of business!!?? How do you mess up that bad with that kind of money in a short period of time?
They actually closed last month and took all of the cars. Its also said that a new LOC will open next week at a different location.
But I want to know how do you sell over 500+ Lambos the last couple years and then go out of business!!?? How do you mess up that bad with that kind of money in a short period of time?
11-06-08 | 08:17 PM
#12
