Al-Futtaim Motors Sets up Flagship Toyota Facility in Abu Dhabi

Al-Futtaim Motors, which has been the exclusive distributor of Toyota in the UAE for the past 61 years, formally opened to the public its most advanced and largest Toyota facility in the UAE named The Wave in Mussafah, Abu Dhabi. The flagship, five-level, 3 S facility highlights the company’s continuous investment in the capital.

The building which is spread over 14, 000 square meters has separate areas which have been exclusively demarcated for world-class Sales, Service and Spare Parts offerings. It is positioned as the largest, most sophisticated retail and service space for Toyota in the Middle East, and is set to deliver world-class customer experiences with regard to all aspects – be it Sales, Service or even to leisure visitors.

The service area has 64 bays that can accommodate as many as 250 cars on a daily basis while the showroom area has 80 new and used models on display. The entire area has been carefully designed from a customer’s perspective with plenty of opportunities for physical and digital interactions, in order to cater to the interests and questions of visitors.

The interiors of the facility were designed by UK-based Greenspace, a design consultancy firm that specializes in creating legacy experience destinations and which was selected for the project based on their experience of working with Toyota Motor Europe and other automotive retail brands.

Some of the distinctive features and attractions of The Wave include:

• The Toyota Design Studio where customers can build their dream Toyota using physical and digital design tools
• A Café with seating capacity for 60 guests that offers plenty of space for relaxation and serves hot and cold refreshments. WiFi, charging points and TVs are available at the café.
• The Toyota Play Space where children can drive electric cars on a 100m indoor track, in addition to 3D printers for live printing of souvenirs, a coloring and toy-building area, and VR headsets for a unique gaming experience.
• A Toyota Heritage Zone showing exhibits highlighting 61 years of Al-Futtaim Motors and Toyota’s partnership in the UAE
• The Toyota Handover Lounge where customers can receive new cars in a private lounge space and drive away through a dedicated departure lane
• A world-class Toyota Service Center where customers can pre-book and have their car serviced by highly-skilled Al-Futtaim Motors professionals

Speaking about the new facility, Saud Abbasi, Managing Director of Toyota at Al-Futtaim Motors, said that the opening of the flaghip facility, coming on the heels of the opening of Al-Futtaim’s latest facility in Madinat Zayed, highlights the company’s commitment to Abu Dhabi and aligns closely with its desire to move closer to customers. The Wave is unique, not just from an architectural perspective but also represents al-Futtaim’s dedication to customer service excellence. The facility has been designed to put the customer first, and to offer all its guests interactive and engaging experiences regardless of the purpose of their visit.”

On the exterior of the building, approximately 5,000m of LED lights have been installed and they have been pre-programmed for animated film sequences to enhance the emotional appeal of the building in the evening. The architectural lighting scheme utilizes the curving rooflines of the building as well as its louvered panel façade.

Digital Experience

From a digital perspective, the customer experience is enhanced by digital screens on each floor, which provide customers with information and interactivity through multiple touchpoints. Through digital touchscreens, guests can choose a model, the interior and exterior colors, or review accessories – all with the swipe of a finger. Two large touch screens are linked to a mirrored display, allowing the user to navigate on an interactive table without a hitch, therefore making the browsing and selection process easy and decisive.

These digital touchscreens help customers to visualize both the interiors and the exteriors of the vehicle and understand the pros and cons of different customization options. These touch-points include touch screens next to each car providing specs, photos and videos. Large video walls attract attention and broadcast marketing campaigns, while interactive tables and walls help customers configure cars and families play and learn about Toyota engineering and technologies.

As far as possible, Al-Futtaim Motors intends to make the entire customer experience paperless, and will instead, rely on digital technology to engage and inform visitors seamlessly. Each sales associate is equipped with a tablet, and these tablets are connected to each other, to the network and to a nearby printer to facilitate quick sharing, and easy printing.

The Wave is located in Musaffah, between 16th Street and 18th Street, near the Musaffah Police Station and Dalma mall. The facility will be operational six days a week from 8am until 8pm, Saturday through Thursday. The showroom and service center will be closed on Fridays.