PM helps open new dealership

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, left, leads the applause after Armstrong’s executive director Rick Armstrong cuts the ribbon at Lexus of East Auckland   

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The new Lexus of East Auckland dealership in Botany  

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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, centre, poses with the Lexus of East Auckland team  

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Guests at the special opening of the dealership  

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Andrew Davis, left, Lexus NZ’s vice-president, addresses the audience as Troy Kennedy, Armstrong’s chief executive officer, looks on  

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The business is the first Lexus franchise with Armstrong’s  

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Rick Armstrong, left, Mark Darrow, Armstrong’s chairman, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon outside the new showroom  

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was the guest of honour as Armstrong’s held a special celebration to open its new Lexus of East Auckland dealership.

Staff from the dealer group and Lexus New Zealand were also joined by members of the automotive industry and other guests for the event last week.

The standalone dealership at Armstrong’s automotive precinct on Ti Rakau Drive, Botany, will officially open to customers on Saturday, March 1, and has Justin Purkiss as its chief executive officer.

The state-of-the-art showroom is the first Lexus franchise with Armstrong’s, which now represents 18 brands in New Zealand.

Built on a 7,000sqm site, the 600sqm showroom offers a customer lounge, barista cafe, dining area and business areas for customers. There is also a parts and service centre plus a full-service tyre centre.

Luxon told the audience at the opening that the dealership offers an “outstanding showroom to showcase a premium product”.

“It’s really exciting to be here because it’s inspiring when you see people like Rick [Armstrong] and Mark [Darrow] and all the team investing in capital and building a world-class facility like this that is going to do so well and be able to sell quality products to consumers,” he said.

The building was designed by Chow:Hill, which has worked on previous Armstrong’s projects and other dealerships in Auckland and Hamilton.

Darrow, Armstrong’s chairman, spoke at last week’s event and said the company is “immensely proud” of the new facility and the business has grown and continued to invest despite some tougher years for the overall automotive market. 

Troy Kennedy, Armstrong’s chief executive officer, added the dealership complements the company’s Botany precinct and he hopes it will become the best Lexus dealership in terms of sales.

The opening comes after a successful year for Lexus NZ with its sales increasing 30 per cent in 2024 compared with the year prior.

Andrew Davis, Lexus NZ’s vice-president, said: “We have the goal to be the number one luxury brand here in New Zealand so opening this store is absolutely pivotal in terms of reaching customers in this country.”