When it comes to car sales, "dealer incentives" is heard all the time on the airwaves. "Special lease offers" and "year-end blowouts" are the kinds of things advertisers promote year round.
But at least one Long Island dealership goes all out when it comes to special offers:
Last Friday, Ferrari-Maserati of Long Island and fitness center Equinox Woodbury co-hosted an exclusive "Gentlemen's Night Out" an invitation-only event for loyal clients and invited press in a nightclub setting overlooking the dealership in Plainview.
The guests were offered a wide assortment of upscale services and items designed to cater specifically to men. About 75 people attended Friday.
We're talking high-end here: scotch tasting, cocktails by Patron, casino games by Caesars Entertainment, complimentary massages and shoeshines for the guys in attendance, all surrounded by stunning new Italian sports cars.
Guests can also browse the latest men's fashion, including Blue 1 Boutique and Blake Green Bespoke Cufflinks who, like the other co-sponsors, get to display their finest products to upscale clientele'.
And in keeping with the recent charitable activities of owner Stuart Hayim, the evening's festivities will include a silent auction with proceeds to benefit the Derosa Foundation, which helps to fund colon cancer research and prevention.
Why go this all out?
"We think it's pretty unique," said Melissa Lee Calderon of R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations, the dealership's publicist. "And these events generate buyers who may have never thought they could own one of these vehicles."
Calderon says Ferrari-Maserati sees their efforts pay off in return customers and new ones who could learn to become accustomed to this kind of lifestyle. There are many who attend who aren't prepared yet for the price tag on one of these high-performance sports cars. But the events generate interest and sales prospects in a relaxed, no-pressure atmosphere.
"And it works," she said. "I've seen it work."
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Hayim's aggressive approach comes at a time of big changes in the luxury auto market.
The Plainview dealership on the Service Road of the Long Island Expressway has made headlines like this before. In August, owner Hayim shattered his own record of navigating his powerboat Recovery around Long Island. In January, TV celebrity Teresa Giudice drew 125 people to the dealership for a catered "Taste of Italy" as part of Giudice's cookbook tour. Both events were linked to charities.
Porsche AG, which has a dealership in Roslyn Heights, is planning to expand its sales network 33 percent by 2018 as demand for upscale vehicles jumps in emerging world markets, according to Bloomberg News.
One of those booming countries is China, which is expected to surpass the U. S. this decade in premium car sales, driven by rising incomes in the world’s second-largest economy, McKinsey & Co. told the automotive website Auto Spies. American auto manufacturers are following suit and plan to increase production of luxury vehicles, Auto Spies reported.
