Fidelity Motors, local dealers for the Nissan brand, officially opened their new showroom located at 5-18 Hanover Street in downtown Kingston on Wednesday.

“This shows our commitment to downtown Kingston and its redevelopment,” Major Gregory Webster, managing director of Fidelity Motors Ltd, told the Jamaica Observer‘s weekly Auto magazine.

Webster’s sentiments were shared by former Mayor of Kingston and Member of Parliament for Kingston Western Desmond McKenzie, who said the evening was a celebration and acknowledgement of individuals who demonstrated confidence in downtown Kingston.

The construction, which began a year ago, saw the old showroom gutted and rebuilt from the ground up, expanding it to 7,000 sq ft. While Webster was unable to give a final figure on the cost of the construction, he was more than happy with the final result.

“This showroom is the only showroom in the Caribbean that is up to Nissan’s global standard,” explained David Crawford, marketing officer — Fidelity Motors Ltd.

This meant new exterior signage and front identity, including plenty of store front glass and a vehicle delivery section. Inside, the layout is modern and open, allowing customers more space to browse the automotive offerings. There are digital tools for them to interact with to further explore Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility concepts.

“We’re very excited about this renovation. Very impressed,” added Perdro Albarran, co-director marketing for Nissan — Latin America and Caribbean.

This year marks 18 years since Nissan has been situated in downtown Kingston. Nicholas Mackie of Fidelity Motors Ltd, whose parent company is the Barbados-based Goddard Enterprises Limited (GEL), recounted the history which began when they partnered with GraceKennedy & Co Ltd for distribution in Jamaica.

“In 2001 Nissan chose us over many other competitors and some very formidable proposals and I was happy to say that we were the successful candidates. I think they recognised that we could do the job, and our partners at the time, GraceKennedy, were instrumental in helping us get the ball rolling,” Mackie said.

Mackie indicated, at the time, downtown Kingston was considered challenging and the search for a location for the Fidelity Motors showroom was a difficult one, until one day former GraceKennedy executive Jimmy Moss-Solomon suggested the vacant lot across the road from his office.

“We just simply came downstairs, walked over and looked at this abandoned property with about a million termites, a bunch of junk in the yard, and then we realised once we got inside it was a ready-made facility. From then on, there was a rush to get a lease signed, get the place renovated and have it operational.”

He went on to laud the staff for working during the construction period in less than ideal conditions as did Webster.

“We should also commend the staff that was displaced for that year, but we all have somewhere to go now,” said Webster.

He added that beyond the choice to remain downtown, that the new showroom is about the faith and trust placed in the Nissan brand by customers of Fidelity Motors Ltd.

A performance from singer Freddie McGregor closed out the night.