On Monday, the new Porsche service center held its soft opening at the site of the former Acura location on Los Gatos Boulevard.
Tony Pordon, executive vp of corporate development for Penske Automotive Group, which operates the business, said it will be a great fit for Los Gatos, given local demographics.
“We are opening a one-of-a-kind customer-facing service center,” he said.
Pordon said this represents the next step in the evolution of their relationship with the townspeople.
According to a 2022 Bay Area News Group report, Sand Hill Property paid $11.3 million for the Acura property at 16151 Los Gatos Blvd., which is leased to a company controlled by Penske Automotive Group.
Out of all the towns and cities that make up the Bay Area, Los Gatos is one of the areas where you’re most likely to spot a Porsche.
And, according to the economic laws of supply-and-demand, that means there’s a need for a place to have them tuned-up.
“If someone is interested in buying a car, we will connect them with the sales team to make sure that that transaction happens seamlessly at the Stevens Creek location,” Pordon said.
‘We’re going to offer Porsche gatherings at the location’
—Tony Pordon, executive vp of corporate development, Penske
Recently, Penske moved the Acura dealership to 740 Capitol Expressway Automall.
An official Grand Opening is set for later in the month, and other happenings are in the cards, too.
“We’re going to offer Porsche gatherings at the location, and we could also offer new vehicle launches there, because we are going to have a world class parts boutique,” he said, adding this will let “owners have access to high customer service without having to go as far as they used to.”
They will even hold an event titled “Porches and Pastries,” where customers can view cars on display, have their luxury vehicle serviced and eat a pastry or three while they wait. Meanwhile, customers can sip on a coffee and chat with other car enthusiasts.
“We want to service customers faster in the marketplace, and I think it makes a lot of sense,” Pordon said.
With more than 40,000 square feet of space, it won’t be just for Los Gatans—but also customers from Saratoga, Campbell and the surrounding areas.
In addition, Pordon said, they’re creating more than 30 new jobs, including for skilled technicians and administrative staff.
On April 30, Penske reported a record first quarter revenue increase of 2% to $7.6 billion.
In the release, Penske Corporation Chairman Roger Penske said they’d been helped by their international transportation services division.
“I was also pleased to see retail automotive service and parts gross margin improve by 60 basis points when compared to the first quarter of 2024,” he said.
“We continue to monitor the potential impact to our business from tariffs. As we look across our business, the benefits provided by our premium brand mix, geographic diversification across the North American retail commercial truck, Australian/New Zealand commercial vehicle and power systems, and the international automotive markets, and the diversification of our gross profit across new and used vehicles, service and parts, and finance and insurance, coupled with our highly variable cost structure, provide us with opportunities to flex our business to meet the changing automotive landscape.”
