Shortly after opening its newly built BMW dealership, plans have been submitted this week for Baker Motor Co.'s Porsche Wilmington reconstruction.
Porsche Wilmington, part of Baker Motor Co. dealership, which also owns BMW of Wilmington, plans to build a new facility at 4920 New Centre Drive.
The site plans are set to go before the city of Wilmington’s Technical Review Committee on Aug. 23, according to city records.
The dealership is going to be constructing a new building, said Liza Vilnits, public relations director for Momentum Marketing.
South Carolina-headquartered Baker Motor Co.
recently reconstructed and redesigned BMW of Wilmington. The company purchased the dealership in 2015 from Schaeffer BMW, a Wilmington-based firm.
Now that the new BMW of Wilmington facility is open, there are currently three buildings on the campus, Vilnits said. Operations are set to remain in the current Porsche facility during construction. The new Porsche facility is planned to be built at the site of the former BMW dealership, she said.
Plans require tearing down the old facility, and the reconstructed building will be nearly two times the size of the original building.
“When we purchased Porsche of Fayetteville in March 2017, we relocated it to Wilmington with a plan already in place to build the ultimate Porsche facility for our customers in the Carolinas. It’s going to be a magnificent showplace for Porsche with all the modern conveniences and technology-driven service facilities that our customers deserve, and we can’t wait to debut it,” said Tommy Baker, owner and president of Baker Motor Co.
Features of the new building will include an ultramodern showroom, lounges with flat-screen televisions, a cafe, eight service bays and a parts department. as well as meeting rooms. The company did not disclose the cost of the reconstruction.
“The new Porsche Wilmington will provide a state-of-the-art, high-end showroom and facility for our customers to relax and enjoy. We look forward to being able to share the space with all auto enthusiasts,” said Dixon Dickens, general manager of Porsche Wilmington and BMW of Wilmington.
BMW of Wilmington and Porsche Wilmington are one of four dealership campuses operated by Baker Motor Co. Other campuses are Baker Motor Co. of Charleston Inc., Baker Buick GMC Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz of Mount Pleasant.
The company currently has 74 employees for the Wilmington campus. With the reconstruction of Porsche Wilmington, the company will be able to add “a few new employees,” Vilnits said.
The company could begin construction late fall with an estimated completion in fall 2019.
