Whilst one of Saab’s iconic dealerships closed its doors in Seattle last week, there’s a ray of hope just north of the Canada/US border. What was formerly Lansdowne Saab was recently taken over by the Dueck family of GM dealerships. They have a long history, a good name in Vancouver and more importantly than that, they believe in Saab so much that they’re opening three new Saab stores in the near term.
Dueck currently have the only Saab store in Vancouver, and whilst they’ll likely retain their monopoly for the foreseeable future, they plan to extend Saab’s reach in a city that’s enjoying significant pre-Olympic expansion and could use some automotive iron that’s good in wintry conditions.
Right now that one Saab showroom is on Minoru Blvd in Richmond, BC. It’s a busy area not too far from the airport, but let me explain a little about Vancouver in order to show you why this expansion is so necessary and so good for Saab.
My Canadian brother-in-law works from home and has now developed what could almost be classified as a clinical phobia of peak hour traffic. His father, my father-in-law, goes to extraordinary lengths to stay off the main routes in his area. As I type this, it’s 8.50am and already, some poor motorists will have spent up to 90 minutes commuting through a metropolis built on a winding river. That means everyone’s looking for a bridge, and traffic snarls around those bridges can go for miles, or even longer. It doesn’t take a big straw to break this camel’s back and a breakdown or minor collision can cause all sorts of havoc.
The majority of Dueck Saab’s potential clientele don’t live in Richmond, where the current (and somewhat compact) showroom is located. They probably live downtown, or in the beautiful leafy established homes of North Vancouver or similar locales. None of these places are too far from Richmond as the crow flies, but ask clients to battle inner suburban traffic and the bridge approaches too often and you’ll probably get a better response if you ask them to chew off their own arm.
And that’s why this expansion plan is so important. And exciting.
First of all there’s the Saab association with the Dueck family. As I mentioned earlier, they’re a long established GM dealer with great infrastructure, a huge clientele and most importantly, a really good reputation in Vancouver.
Here’s a map of the current Dueck outlets, covering all GM Brands.
The outlets marked A and B currently sell GM’s more mainline vehicles.
At “A” we have Dueck at 400 SE Marine Drive, which currently sells Chevrolet, Cadillac and Hummer vehicles. As of November 2008, this showroom will have a section specifically just for Saab.
At “B” we have Dueck Downtown at 888 Terminal Ave, which currently focuses on GMC, Buick and Pontiac. From October 2008, this will have a combined Saturn-Saab dealership incorporated into it.
The letter “C” on that map shows the current Dueck yards on Minoru Blvd in Richmond. These are being vacated in the coming weeks becuase Dueck are building a brand new showroom on a prime 5-acre lot at 12100 Featherstone Way in Richmond.
When I visited Dueck just over a week ago to return the Saab 9-3 they had loaned me for the great TS Pacific Northwest Meetup, I had a good chat with Dueck’s Saab guy, Bill Convery. Bill’s been selling Saabs with the various companies that have marketed them in Vancouver over the last 29 years. He’s a long-term Saab nut himself, currently driving a Dame Edna Saab 9-5, and has weathered all the changes that have taken place with Saab over the last three decades.
Bill took me for a drive down to the new Dueck showroom, currently under construction at 12100 Featherstone Way, in Richmond.
Believe it or not, they plan to move in here in just a few weeks time! Here’s the showroom front:
And here’s inside. Like I said, they expect to be moved in in just a few weeks from now. Hard to imagine, huh?
Here’s one of the plans for the entire complex. The main showroom area will be showcasing GM’s more mainstream brands and the building, as you’ve seen, is pretty big. Saturn and Saab will have their own separate premises, away from the main building. On this plan, Saturn/Saab’s building is shown as the small grey building at the bottom of the drawing.
At present, these buildings are yet to be constructed. In this photo, you can see the roundel where Dueck will feature a car, or cars, and behind that you can see a flattend mound of soil. That’s where the Saturn and Saab showroom will be located. Construction is due to begin shortly and the Saab guys will be located in the main showroom until it’s completed, due late December or early January.
A few more pictures, of the service are and body shop as they were when I toured the building. It was only a week ago, but I’m sure they’re looking different and more complete already.
It’s going to be an excellent, state of the art facility and the good news is the company that’s investing in this piece of real estate has a real belief in the future of Saab. They’re allocating a separate, specialised area for Saab (and Saturn) as part of the construction program, and as I’ve already told you, they’re expanding Saab’s reach and within the lower mainland in Vancouver, which is a vital step in accessing the clients they need to reach.
Bill Convery at Dueck expressed real enthusiasm for the availability of XWD in the 2.0T version of the 9-3 in 2009 and his eyes really lit up at the prospect of a new 9-5 as well as the 9-4x.
We all know that Saab are currently hampered by a lack of new models and a lack of exposure in various markets around the world. It seems that over the next 12 months, Saab and Dueck are going to tackle this two-headed problem and it looks to me like they’re doing all the right things. Dueck are showing a lot of faith in Saab. It’s now up to Saab to repay that faith with cars that’ll do the job.
I love Vancouver. It’s like a home away from home for me now. I’m really pleased to see the potential for Saab’s expansion here taking root.
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Great stuff. Anything that propagates the innate values of Saab gets my thumbs up.
Great read, Swade!
I love Vancouver myself. My wife and I went over there from Norway last year and we spent one month together with my wife’s uncle and aunt and their kids’ families out in White Rock – Surrey. Two of those weeks we borrowed a Mazda (it worked…) from my wife’s aunt and travelled around on Vancouver Island (Victoria, beautiful city!), back on the mainland we drove up to Jasper, Banff, down to Kelowna and many other places. That’s for sure, we are going back even there were few SAABs to see there.
Dueck will help more SAABs out on the road in Vancouver BC, that’s for sure.
My wife is working for a huge Canadian company with HQ in Vancouver (she is seated in their Norwegian branch though), and the company where I work has a couple of Canadian offices as well. Maybe we can both go overseas to work in Vancouver a day, and be the first ‘cheerleaders’ for SAAB there? :/) ;/) ;/)
You never know…..
Rgds
Olav – still on the longest way home
Good stuff, great for the city of Vancouver and environs.
Love the fact that they’ve still got the “move your mind” tagline in use!
Great news for us Vancouver Saabers. Bill Convy is a Saab guy from way back and I have had dealings with him in the past. Great guy!
Wow Swade, thanks for the in-depth (literally, inside the new showroom) coverage. This gives us a LOT of assurance and confidence in the future of SAAB in western Canada.
Congrats to Dueck! Dealers need to put the brands in front of their customers and Dueck seems to “get it.” My dealer in Montreal is also a GM mainstream dealer–Chevrolet in one, Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac in the otherm with 2 of 3 locations having Saturn-Saab satelites. It works, especially with a dedcated Saab manager in the operation. As I understand it, Saturn-Saab showrooms are required to be physically distinct, and even to have a separate service entrance.
B
The Dueck dealership and Bill Convery are an example that the rest of the dealers network around the world should follow. In particular our own local network status should clearly see the leadership and business approach that these people are investing in keeping this dealership moving forward. We’ve gone through too many times on the debacles on why sales are poor and all the evils and demons that Saab has had since GM took them over. However, I have continuously stated that despite all these grievances, there are people out there prepared and willing to stick their neck out and make the most of what there is in hand. We need more UK like appreciation and network of dealers and aftermarket specialists. But, we also need more Dueck’s and Bills in this world to keep the business moving as the onus too has to go to the dealers not being dedicated enough as this people are. If only the existing dealers in Sydney took this example and gave Saab their dedicated independent facilities, we will see a marked increase in sales immediately. It is not rocket science, its having the will to do it as Dueck. If I get to Vancouver one day I will for sure visit the new facilities they are building and of course Bill himself.
Could those guys come and talk to the dealerships here in Houston, TX. They have no clue how to sell a SAAB. Ron Carter is a joke and DeMontrond, well they are just getting started. I really miss the SAAB stand alone dealerships. They knew how to treat customers.
Swade, I found this recent local article:
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/columnists/story.html?id=ee8f2382-85c2-4586-bffe-18eb35a3b24e
Good article, Swade.
In August I just bought my second SAAB (9-3 Aero XWD), my first from Bill at Dueck and I was very impressed. I was sceptical going in and wasn’t sure if I would stick with SAAB given the lack of dealerships in the Vancouver area (and more specifically for me out in the Valley), however, Bill’s great (frankly exceptional – there’s my plug!) service and their commitment to the brand won me over.
I must say, it’s a breath of fresh air to see them move more aggressively with the SAAB brand in BC. I have always felt there are *mountains* of latent opportunity for the brand in the area, but my past experience was that you had to go so far out of your way both geographically and psychologically to get into a SAAB. Only a very few had enough energy and excitement in the car and dealership to end up walking off the lot with a vehicle.
I must say, I’m very thankful these days may soon be coming to an end in the Lower Mainland of BC.
Thats nice for Canada eh?
Good article, Have known Bill Convery for more than 20 years, bought several used and a couple of new Saabs from him, have always found him to be very knowledgeable about Saab and pleasant to do business with. Dueck is very fortunate to have Bill on their team and I look forward to what should be an exciting future for Saab in Vancouver.
Purchased my first Saab, a red 9-3 2.0T, from Bill Convery in June of 2006–he made the experience all that I expected it to be. I had wanted to own a Saab since I was a kid when I read an early ’80′s John Gardner James Bond novel–I wanted to have a Bond Saab! Bill’s a credit to his profession and so different than the run-of-the-mill sales guys who frequently populate car dealerships–Bill really knows his stuff and loves Saabs. He always has time to talk to another Saab nut when I drop by the dealership. Thanks Bill.
Saab Ownership in Two Countries.
It was early 1987, when my friend and I first encountered the Saab 9000. Initial scepticism turn to passionate attraction on close inspection. The two of us turned up at Castor Motors Richmond B.C. Canada, with an order for one each.
Salesman Bill Convery (that is when we first met him) was no doubt delighted. Our cars were on the road in April, and we were in love with them. One overwhelming factor that contributed to this, was the thought that had gone into them. Other cars we had owned were the result of unenthusiastic bean counter marketing types; they were meant to be nothing but appliances.
I was so protective of my 9000 that I didn’t like to leave it unattended whenever I went out. Thus I traded in my RX7 for a new 900 8 valve since it was more practical taking passengers. The quirky 900 also grew on me, and it wasn’t long before I decided to upgrade to the 1988 SPG. About this time my wife bought a used 900 8 valve as well.
When it came to buying the SPG, I decided it was time to put pressure on Bill (soon to become known to us as “The Finn”). I wrote out a cheque for a bare-bones price, and was in the bathroom of the dealership when Finn came back in. My friend told him that I had an offer to make, so he stood waiting outside the bathroom door. I then slide a cheque, made out for the full amount due, under the door. When I opened it, The Finn was nowhere to be seen – he had disappeared with the cheque to do his calculations. Sometime later he returned, and sadly handed me back the cheque as being too low to make any profit. I told him he should tear the offer up, but he was reluctant to do that and passed the decision on to the dealership owner. The next morning I had my SPG along with much head shaking and muttering.
By the time 1993 came around I was retiring and moving from Canada to Australia. It was not sensible to take left-hand drives to a right-hand drive country, so I sold them. The 9000 is still owned by the person I sold it to, and in superb condition at 20 years old. The 9000 was a brilliant design that I was sorry to see abandoned by Saab.
In Australia I reverted to a base 900i. I had visited Cullen Motors in Nambour Queensland in June 1993 and asked them to have a 900 ready for me when I returned some six months later. When I was told that only the new model would be available then, I bought the remaining classic 900 right there, on the condition that they kept it under cover until I arrived. I must say that I missed the Finn with his enthusiasm for the product. Some of the salesmen I encountered here were dismal to say the least. Bill, “The Finn” even came to visit me (and Cullen Motors) and have a drive in the 900i. How is that for follow up?
Anyway, my 900i classic is still running beautifully, with few problems, after 15 years. I just don’t want to give it up. GM took the dealership away from Cullen and handed it to Holden in Caloundra some 40 minutes away. I suppose it is a catch 22 – having enough dealerships requires enough Saab ownership which in turn requires dealerships. Here is hoping that the future is good for Saab, because I don’t want to be seen driving anything else.
Arnold
Speaking as someone living in the greater vancouver canada metropolis, I 100% agree with you!
I drive an older model saab 9000 turbo CD and love my car, but when it comes to getting parts it’s a pain around these parts. Interestingly enough the gentleman you mentioned as the Saab specialist for Dueck, Bill Convery, is in my Saab’s documents as the original salesman for my car 19 years ago! It will be a great experience to talk to someone with so much knowledge and first hand feedback from both customers and from Saab (I’m sure he’s had to deal with both extensively).
I’m really looking forward to more Saab outlets as well, getting to that part of Richmond from Maple Ridge where I live (which is in greater vancouver) takes about 75 minutes in the middle of the night, 105 to 120 minutes during rush hours, so I won’t be popping out there for regular tune ups
. If they open more locations or add Saab parts and sales support to some other Dueck dealerships then I will be an even happier man than just driving my amazing car already makes me feel!
Great article, good work, and thanks for publishing this info on the web.
Best regards,
Don Kelley
I want to congratulate the Dueck people for bringing a world-class Saab dealership to a world-class city.
I am a member of the Saab Club of Western Canada (SCWC). This club has about 20-30 members and we have been meeting monthly at the Richmond IKEA. I currently own two Saabs. A 1978 99 Turbo and a 1995 Saab 900s
This past weekend (Oct 25) the group’s founder and president, Ken Kuo, arranged with Bill Convery of Dueck, to have a tour of the new dealership and see Saab’s latest offerings.
I must say that I was very impressed upon arriving at the dealership. A great big glass sashed building that must be a city block in length.
I was also pleased to see Bill Convery, who has been selling Saabs for the last 30 years in and around Vancouver. He was keen to show the new Turbo X and we took it for a short spin. After driving this car and experiencing its amazing handling prowess (Dueck has a scenic test-drive route along River Road) I can not imagine why anyone would fork over for BMW or Volvo Cross-Country. The engine is responsive and the car sticks to the pavement like glue.
I work as a design lecturer at a local university, and I was very impressed by the workmanship of the car. Saab has reverted to the instrument and dash design of the original 900. The plastics are soft and rival any German-made car. I am also happy to see that the ‘digital hump’ from the previous 9-3 offering has been done away with. Saab has rightly resurrected the clean design cues of its aircraft-inspired vernacular.
As for Bill Convery, I am amazed by his depth of knowledge about Saab. Usually, when one goes to a dealership and enquires about a car’s specs, the salesman will scurry to look up the details in a brochure or manual. Bill, on the other hand, is like an encyclopedia. When I told him that I had a ’78 99 Turbo, he immediately recounted the correct horsepower and torque figures. He is also well-informed about the new products. As we were going for the test spin in the Turbo X, bill explained the specs and history of the Haldex all-wheel drive system-even naming the Swedish engineer who started the company.
Bill also encouraged me to finish restoring my 99 Turbo for the December opening of Dueck’s Saab-Saturn annex, adjacent to the present dealership. I have been acquiring all of the parts for the car including the reproduced turbo decals and spoiler. Once it is painted, I would like to display the car next to the current Turbo X and take photos for the 30th anniversary pairing.
Cheers,
Ken
Ken, thanks for the update.
As noted in this post, I was there just over a month ago and it’s hard to believe that they had a November time-scale in mind for completion.
Hopefully SaabKen’s got some photos coming town the toobs soon. I’d love to do the follow-up on this.
Thanks Ken Z. You had Bill all to yourself on that Turbo X drive ! Ron, Wayne and I had to squeeze into the same Turbo X ….. but more on that later.