The drive for the new-style showroom, complete with exposed concrete, metal rafters and helicopterlike ceiling fans, is all part of Hummer's new corporate-image program, which calls for the rollout of 164 stand-alone, look-alike dealerships by 2005. Other dealers throughout

the country are facing the same demands for change, according to the New York Times.

Like clothing stores, restaurants and banks before them, automakers are now trying to convey a brand image not only with their cars but also with their stores, by leaning on their dealers to build look-alike showrooms around the country, the Times reports. "I don't know of a manufacturer now that's not demanding that their zone managers maneuver their dealers to build a new prototype," said J. Roger Crownrich, a designer based in Dallas who has built more than 300 auto dealerships across the country since 1963. "McDonald's seems to have gotten rich with an arch, and I think the manufacturers are all trying to do the same."

Automakers are pushing for more than just a standardized logo on the side of a building. They want the dealership's architecture to be the new signature, said Paul Taylor, chief economist at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).

Manufacturers like Ford Motor, Hummer and Volkswagen's Audi unit say standardized dealerships help to differentiate their brands from the competition and offer a consistent shopping experience. Although many states have franchise laws that prohibit manufacturers from forcing dealers to build new showrooms, they can entice them with preferential car allocations, low-interest loans and even cash, according to the Times.

The automotive retail industry is the largest consumer retail sector in the country, according

to the Capital Automotive REIT in McLean, Va., which leases showroom property and buildings to dealers.