Anaheim-based Fisker Automotive Inc. has celebrities, business leaders and dignitaries swooning over its hybrid Karma sports car, an eco-friendly status symbol that will go for about $100,000.
Leonardo Di Caprio, the Prince of Denmark, Jay Leno, Al Gore, Gen. Colin Powell and John Lasseter—chief creative officer for Burbank’s Walt Disney Animation Studios and Emeryville-based Pixar Animation Studios—are all waiting in line.
The Karma is the latest from founder Henrik Fisker, who designed the Aston Martin DB9, among other high-end sports cars. At least 3,000 Karmas were ordered in advance, and the company has begun shipping the cars.
What then? It will be awhile between the marketing glow of celebrity deliveries and sales to wealthy customers who might be interested but didn’t get caught up in the buzz over the Karma’s debut.
Fisker of Orange County, owned by Irvine-based Shelly Automotive Group, and others on Fisker’s select roster of dealerships, won’t have Karmas for sale in their showrooms until next year.
Orange County’s concentration of wealthy target customers puts the inventory gap facing Fisker and other high-end automakers on clear display (see OC’s Wealthiest, page 33).
British luxury sports car maker McLaren Automotive Ltd. lined up a dealership with an eye on the ultra-rich here. McClaren New-port Beach is slated to open at the end of the year. But there’s a catch: It won’t have any cars to sell.
The new $250,000 McLaren MP4-12C is sold out for at least a year.
Palo Alto-based Tesla Motors Inc. has a company-owned dealership in Newport Beach for Tesla Roadster. It’s nearly sold out, with the next shipment months away.
The situation is not as disastrous as it sounds for local luxury auto dealers. Manufacturers of luxury and exotic cars produce limited numbers of models, so many are pre-ordered and never go on sale in showrooms.
Much of the marketing behind models that go for $100,000 and more is a matter of getting the car in front of the wealthy when they’re not necessarily looking to buy.
Sales typically come through a “very exclusive network of people,” said Frank Blackmon, general manager of Newport European Motorcars Ltd. in Newport Beach, which sells Rolls-Royce and Lotus.
Newport European makes the dealership available to high-end clients for events. That gets its $450,000 cars in front of people who can afford them.
“You have to put yourself in front of these people,” said Pietro Frigerio, who owns the McLaren dealership, along with Lambor-ghini Newport Beach in Costa Mesa.
Lamborghini’s new model, the Aventador LP 700-4, is due out next year and drawing advance orders. In the meantime, Lambor-ghini Newport Beach will put existing customers and interested buyers in front of the car “to keep them excited,” Frigerio said.
That might mean hosting a dinner or organizing a VIP visit to the Lamborghini factory in Italy while they’re vacationing in Europe.
Frigerio, a native Italian, advises visitors on the best restaurants and places to stay.
“You become their travel agent,” he said.
Frigerio moved to Southern California six years ago as chief operations officer of Automobili Lamborghini America LLC.
He said he likes to get people the Lamborghini because “zero-to-60” means something special to car aficionados. His dealership puts on a series of track events in coordination with the manufacturer, Italy’s Automobili Lamborghini. One is held at the Fontana Speedway, where existing owners, qualified buyers and others who are interested can drive the cars how they’re meant to be driven—really fast.
About 75 people were expected to attend a recent Fontana event.
“Adrenaline Experience”
“They’ll have an adrenaline experience,” Frigerio said.
Lamborghini also holds smaller events, such as when 20 Lamborghini owners, along with their friends, met at Crystal Cove Promenade for breakfast. They then drove up Pacific Coast Highway to Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes for lunch.
“You have to establish a relationship, so first of all you have to meet them,” Frigerio said. “You’re offering a lifestyle. You’re not just buying a car, you’re buying an entry ticket to become part of the Lamborghini Newport Beach club.”
A high-end dealer spends a lot more time with customers than, say, a Toyota dealer, where the dealer-buyer relationship often ends after the sale or until the next time the car needs repairs.
Lifestyle Events
Lamborghini also sponsors lifestyle events, with its cars dressing up get-togethers hosted by lifestyle magazines for the wealthy, such as Locale, Bask and Riviera.
Sometimes there will be a couple of Lamborghinis parked in the garage at a rented $15 million estate, with various sponsors providing wine, chocolate and cheese.
“You just have a nice party and music,” Frigerio said. “You’re talking about cars and you’re in a relaxed environment. You’re not really pushing to sell them a car.”
Every once in a while, cars sell in a snap.
“You have somebody call up saying ‘I saw you have this car on the website. I’ll give you this amount of money, please have it shipped. Thank you very much.’”
That’s rare, but not because luxury auto buyers are on a tight budget. Most of them enjoy the negotiation.
“It’s part of the fun,” Frigerio said.
