BMWDEAN
10-06-2007, 08:10 PM
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/BUSINESS/710060433
Inidianapolis Star
October 6, 2007
2-wheel Beemer coming to town
Near-Westside Saab dealer lands high-end BMW motorcycle dealership
By Jeff Swiatek
October 6, 2007
BMW Motorcycles will get its name on an Indianapolis dealership for the first time since 1999.
Bob Falcone, who owns Indy Saab on the Near Westside, has landed the rights to open a dealership for the high-end German motorcycle brand by the end of March.
He will spend $750,000 to build a 10,000- square-foot motorcycle showroom and service shop next to his Saab auto dealership at 2416 W. 16th St.
"I'm very happy. It's huge for me," Falcone said of getting the BMW Motorcycle dealership. "It'll double my operating income for the overall (motorcycle) business."
Falcone currently sells Victory and Triumph motorcycles at the 16th Street site. His new building will include a combined repair shop for all three motorcycle lines, while containing a separate showroom for BMW bikes.
Falcone thinks the new dealership will quickly achieve sales of 150 to 200 BMW motorcycles a year. That would top his sales of about 130 units a year of British-made Triumph motorcycles. He began selling the Triumph and Victory brands in 2004.
Motorcycles have become more popular among drivers of late thanks to rising gas prices, he said.
While BMW is the most popular motorcycle in Europe, it doesn't crack the Top 5 in the United States, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
BMW, whose U.S. motorcycle business is based in New Jersey, identified Indianapolis as a market where it needed a dealership and went through "an intense candidate search" before selecting Falcone, said BMW Motorcycles spokesman Oleg Satanovsky.
BMW wanted a dealer with experience, a good business plan and the ability to generate sales and provide repair service that BMW customers expect, Satanovsky said, adding "Bob was that person."
BMW has sold motorcycles since 1923 and now offers 18 sport and touring models ranging in price from $7,575 to $22,245. Falcone said he will stock them all.
The only other BMW motorcycle dealership in Indiana is in Fort Wayne.
BMW becomes the second foreign motorcycle company to award an Indianapolis dealership this year. A dedicated dealership for Italian-made Ducati motorcycles opened last week near Zionsville.
Falcone, who also owns Saab of Fishers, said he is the seventh-largest Saab dealer in the U.S.
He got his start in the auto business working at a gas station at age 16. Three years later, he took a job at a dealership. In 1990, he bought half ownership in Indy Saab. He bought the other half in 1998.
________________________
But will be be able to repair and service airheads and slash-2s?
Inidianapolis Star
October 6, 2007
2-wheel Beemer coming to town
Near-Westside Saab dealer lands high-end BMW motorcycle dealership
By Jeff Swiatek
October 6, 2007
BMW Motorcycles will get its name on an Indianapolis dealership for the first time since 1999.
Bob Falcone, who owns Indy Saab on the Near Westside, has landed the rights to open a dealership for the high-end German motorcycle brand by the end of March.
He will spend $750,000 to build a 10,000- square-foot motorcycle showroom and service shop next to his Saab auto dealership at 2416 W. 16th St.
"I'm very happy. It's huge for me," Falcone said of getting the BMW Motorcycle dealership. "It'll double my operating income for the overall (motorcycle) business."
Falcone currently sells Victory and Triumph motorcycles at the 16th Street site. His new building will include a combined repair shop for all three motorcycle lines, while containing a separate showroom for BMW bikes.
Falcone thinks the new dealership will quickly achieve sales of 150 to 200 BMW motorcycles a year. That would top his sales of about 130 units a year of British-made Triumph motorcycles. He began selling the Triumph and Victory brands in 2004.
Motorcycles have become more popular among drivers of late thanks to rising gas prices, he said.
While BMW is the most popular motorcycle in Europe, it doesn't crack the Top 5 in the United States, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
BMW, whose U.S. motorcycle business is based in New Jersey, identified Indianapolis as a market where it needed a dealership and went through "an intense candidate search" before selecting Falcone, said BMW Motorcycles spokesman Oleg Satanovsky.
BMW wanted a dealer with experience, a good business plan and the ability to generate sales and provide repair service that BMW customers expect, Satanovsky said, adding "Bob was that person."
BMW has sold motorcycles since 1923 and now offers 18 sport and touring models ranging in price from $7,575 to $22,245. Falcone said he will stock them all.
The only other BMW motorcycle dealership in Indiana is in Fort Wayne.
BMW becomes the second foreign motorcycle company to award an Indianapolis dealership this year. A dedicated dealership for Italian-made Ducati motorcycles opened last week near Zionsville.
Falcone, who also owns Saab of Fishers, said he is the seventh-largest Saab dealer in the U.S.
He got his start in the auto business working at a gas station at age 16. Three years later, he took a job at a dealership. In 1990, he bought half ownership in Indy Saab. He bought the other half in 1998.
________________________
But will be be able to repair and service airheads and slash-2s?