Stars Among Us

The stars just keep rising here at Concours, in all different forms, from rock stars to service stars! Mercedes-Benz is currently in the middle of holding their Stars of Service Championships, and two of our own have advanced to higher levels!

Todd Dekker, Mercedes Service Advisor, and Dave White, Mercedes Technician, have both advanced in the competition.

The first round for both began with a series of online tests, involving everything from product knowledge to customer service knowledge to company history trivia. This round actually took place in March of 2009, but the competition was unfortunately cancelled, so the results carried over to April of 2010 for the second round of online tests.

Both Todd and Dave advanced to regionals, beating out thousands of others across the country. Dave mentioned that there were around 1600 techs that participated in the online testing! Todd was one of 24 service advisors to advance.

In June, they participated in the regional competition. Todd’s test involved a mock service write-up, everything from greeting the customer to diagnosing the problem and creating a repair order. There was also a technical aspect in which he had to demonstrate product/part knowledge.

Dave’s test involved 4 different timed stations. A vehicle was bugged in each one, and he had 5 minutes each to determine the problem and demonstrate knowledge of basic procedures, as well as proper protection of the vehicle and himself.

The next step is nationals, and Dave has already been informed that he is one of only 32 techs to advance! Todd will hear the service advisor results sometime this week, and he could be one of only 8 service advisors to go to the next level.

The ultimate prize is a trip to Germany for only 2 advisors and 5 techs to compete against 16 other countries and battle it out to be named the best in the world!

Be sure to congratulate them and wish them luck next time you see them! We’re proud to see Todd and Dave succeeding in this competition and to be able to say they’re part of the Concours team.

A Look Into the Future!

It’s time to take a look ahead…into the FUTURE!

We’re prepping here at Concours for all of the new additions and revamps coming from each of the franchises we represent, and if you’ve heard the news, we hope you’re excited for the future as well! Here are the latest updates for our store:

• BMW is bringing out a new 5-series 2-wheel drive this month and an all-wheel-drive in the fall. We should also be getting new Hybrid X-6 and Hybrid 7-series vehicles soon, and we expect anytime to receive the refreshed X-5 and refreshed 3 coupe and convertible! Look for a new X-3 next year.
• Mazda will be bringing out the Mazda2 late this summer. A gas version will be available first, and for all you diesel drivers, expect a version you’ll love to arrive a little later.
• The Mercedes E cab is available now! We also have an E-550 here for showing—we won’t be getting very many of these, so we encourage you to stop in soon! We’ve also been told that the R class will be refreshed and the CLS revamped, so be on the lookout for those. If you’ve heard that the SLS is already out, you’re right; we just unfortunately do not have any available yet.
• Regarding Porsche, the Panamara has been quite a popular vehicle! Expect a version with a V-6 to arrive in a few weeks! Pricing will be in the mid 70s, with mid 80s pricing including a few extra options. We’ll also see a new Cayenne at the end of the month, followed with a hybrid later in the year and a diesel next year. (Check out the blog on our GM Jim Clark’s trip to Germany to see and experience the new Cayenne first-hand earlier this year!) Porsche will also be releasing the GT2 RS, a 620-hp 911, costing around $245,000. They are also releasing a Speedster 911 for around $204,000 late this year. As you might expect, the GT2 RS and Speedster 911 will be in limited production, so speak up early, as it will be difficult to get our hands on them! In Spring 2011, look for a GTS Carrerra coupe starting around $103,000 (convertible will start at $112,900) as well as a Cayman Derivative starting at $65,000.
• What a ride Saab has had recently! Thankfully, the franchise will get to live on, with a new 9-3X wagon already available. We will see a 9-5 around July (with a 9-5 wagon expected next spring), the 9-4 SUV late this year or early next year, and an all-new 9-3 coming in 2012. Within the next 2 years, we should see the Saab line completely revamped!
• Volkswagen will be bringing out the new Jetta this September and the new Touareg later this year. They’ve also opened a new plant in Tennessee that will release the new, compact NCS next year and the new mid-size NMS next spring. And the New Beetle? Look for that in 2012! Want to get a first-hand look at the NCS that NOBODY has been able to see yet? Tune in tomorrow morning to “Live! With Regis and Kelly” to see the official reveal.

Have any questions? Interested in test-driving and/or purchasing any of the vehicles? Give us a call! You can reach our main store at 414-290-1400 and our BMW store at 414-290-4200.