AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Rich Lalonde’s Summit Place Kia of Waterford, the selling import in the state, has moved into a new state-of-the-art facility there.

The new facility, located across the street from The Palace at Auburn Hills, opened on Monday, Sept 11. This is the second new facility for Summit Place Kia dealerships, the group opening a new facility for its Kia store in Clinton Township last year.

“We are located 4200 Interpark Drive, right across the street from The Palace at Auburn Hills,” said LaLonde said. “Although a certain sports team might have recently left the area, Summit Place Kia is genuinely excited to be making its arrival.” 

The 27,000-square-foot facility sits on 10 acres and has the capacity to sell and service more than 500 cars per month. It features a giant indoor showroom, state-of-the-art customer lounges and an advanced service facility featuring the latest diagnostic and repair equipment.

In 2013, the dealerships sold more than 600 new cars. New-car sales have grown year over year by more than 65%, with sales reaching 2,600 units in 2016.

Lalonde said the new facility brings 60 immediate jobs, 40 more in the coming months.  

“We can now offer our customers the ideal location,” LaLonde said. “We are just a mile from Interstate 75, which makes Summit Place Kia in Auburn Hills easily accessible to anyone in the area. It has been a long, two-year process and we’ve jumped through a few hoops to get to where we are, but we think it’s been worth it — and once our customers see our new headquarters, they will, too.”

With two Detroit-area locations in Clinton Township and Auburn Hills and a third location in Grand Rapids, Summit Place Kia offers the area’s largest selection of both new Kias and pre-owned vehicles.