DALLAS — Before the brand logos were installed on Doug Baum's $13.5 million dealership along a busy stretch of Interstate 35, there was local speculation that a BMW or Audi franchise might be setting up shop. The shiny black facade and ample greenhouse of the 37,000-square-foot building oozed premium retail.
In fact, the Lewisville Autoplex owners were putting the final touches on a ground-up Mitsubishi Motors store that would debut the automaker's design program intended to make its dealerships more visible.
Yes, Mitsubishi, whose top Google predictive searches include "is Mitsubishi still in business" and a brand that has long suffered from auto reviewers who gleefully rip its aging platforms.