MONTEGO BAY, tourist capital of Jamaica, is renowned for its sun, sand, and sea. And, courtesy of ATL Automotive, you may now add ‘showroom’ to that list.

The resort town saw the opening of its first BMW showroom in that neck of the woods last Friday evening.

Dubbed ATL Autobahn West, the four-car facility is located in Bogue City Centre in St James.

“This is significant for many reasons,” Adam Stewart, CEO of ATL Automotive, told the audience comprising government officials, business people and young professionals. “When I moved to Montego Bay 14 years ago, some of you may remember, the process was to drive 3 1/2 hours to Kingston for them (the dealers) to tell you they don’t have the part for your car.

“Many times Kingston becomes the centrepiece of everything in Jamaica… there should be no difference in Montego Bay. We should have all the same facilities and amenities. Montego Bay has been the fastest- growing city in the entire Caribbean for the last five years. The city has been booming. We have our challenges, but we have some members of the civil service that are dealing with those challenges,” he said.

Stewart — also CEO for ATL Group and the award-winning Sandals Resorts International — is son of hotel mogul Gordon “Butch” Stewart.

He thanked the BMW Group for having the confidence in the ATL Group to agree to represent the brand.

Hernando Carvajal, BMW Group’s head of sales in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, said that ATL Automotive’s request came at a time when they were critically examining the brand.

“We were present in the region. But we knew we could do better… a lot better,” said Carvajal in his address. “And this letter (from ATL) came at the right time and it certainly piqued our interest. One of the things we liked… it came from a group that was based in the hotel industry; customer service is paramount in this business, so we wanted to improve what we were doing.

“When we met the group this only improved. We met Adam and his team, and the passion they brought set them apart from everybody else. And it is this passion that keeps driving the group to do better, and this is one of the reasons why we’re here,” said Carvajal.

Also in attendance at the showroom opening were Dirk Biehler, BMW Group sales channel development and customer relations director for Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean; and Federico Bangerter, BMW Group sales area manager for Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Under the terms of acquisition, ATL Automotive, through its BMW and MINI division ATL Autobahn, will serve as a central hub to include the distribution of cars, parts and service support in Jamaica. The company is master dealer for the Caribbean region with an additional eight other countries: Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Barbados, Aruba, St Lucia, and Suriname.

Earlier that same day, Stewart had broken ground for a US$50-million hotel and showroom located on Lady Musgrave Road in St Andrew.

“Our company has a history of going in and going in hard. It has been a long day, but an amazing day,” Stewart declared.