TESLA TOUCHES DOWN
North America’s largest purpose-built Tesla service facility will be constructed in Vancouver’s Strathcona district. In late December, Tesla announced a partnership with local developer Beedie to build the facility at 950 Raymur Avenue on a 1.6-acre vacant industrial site at the southeast corner of Prior Street and Raymur Avenue.
The new facility will be 11,148 sq.m. (120,000 square feet) and will provide servicing, vehicle preparation, delivery operations and a showroom. According to Tesla, this will be the company’s most expansive service centre with the largest service capacity in Western Canada. Construction on the facility is expected to begin in early 2024 for completion in early 2026. When complete, the new purpose-built facility is expected to replace the nearby existing service centre which is within an industrial building at 901 Great Northern Way.
Tesla also has a partnership with Bosa Properties to build a new purpose-built delivery and service centre at a vacant 7.5-acre site at 1032 Nicola Avenue in Port Coquitlam, B.C. This site will be a 5,500 sq. m. (60,000-square-foot) facility with a vehicle parking capacity for about 650 stalls. Tesla is making these further developments in Metro Vancouver as the city is home to some of North America’s highest rates of battery-electric vehicle adoption.
MOVING TO THE MALL
Kirmac Collision and Autoglass has announced its acquisition of Automall Autobody in Abbotsford. This acquisition marks Kirmac’s 17th location in the Metro Vancouver market.
According to a recent press release, the Abbotsford region was chosen because it is a growing community located one hour from downtown Vancouver and because it is conveniently located inside the Fraser Valley Automall.
“We are very happy to welcome Automall Autobody to the Kirmac family,” said Sean McIntosh, Kirmac’s President. “This location has been on our radar for many years, and we are excited to finally establish our presence in Abbotsford. Randy Baerg built a fantastic operation, and we look forward to building on the great reputation he and his dedicated team established.”
Automall Autobody currently holds OEM certifications from General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Genesis, Nissan, Fiat-Chrysler and Kia.