MONTEGO BAY, St James — MAYOR of Montego Bay Charles Sinclair has described the opening of the ATL Autohaus in this resort city as timely, arguing that persons wanting to purchase new vehicles will no longer have to travel to Kingston, Jamaica’s capital to do so.

“For more than a generation, if it was the desire of Montegonians to own a new vehicle you would have to make the journey of 120 miles to Kingston where all new car dealership resided. By the time you return to Montego Bay, that new vehicle could be classified as a brand-new second-hand,” Sinclair joked.

He was speaking at the official opening of the ATL Autohaus at Bogue City Centre, located on the outskirts Montego Bay.

“ATL has now almost done the unthinkable, which is to bring the best of Europe to the city of Montego Bay,” he told the large gathering which included a wide cross-section of Jamaican politicians and business leaders.

The Montego Bay mayor also commended the chairman of the ATL Automotive Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart and him son Adam — who is the company’s deputy chairman — for their “bold” initiative.

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Karl Samuda also lauded the elder Stewart for what he described as his “creative and innovative nature and for the manner in which he goes about instilling in all those including members of his family the virtues of hard work”.

With more than a US$4.25-million capital injection in Montego Bay, the state-of-the-art Autohaus centre sells Audi, Volkswagen, Honda, Jaguar, Range Rover and Land Rover — some of the world’s premium motor vehicle luxury brands.

A high-performance service centre is also located at premises in close proximity to the facility.

“We have the most efficient cars and service centre here,” the younger Stewart boasted, adding that he is very proud to have the dealership for some of the most efficient vehicles in the world.