Bermuda Motors has taken a big step forward with its updated state-of-the-art facilities, and is today inviting everyone to come along and see for themselves.

The car dealership on Church Street is holding an open day, which includes tours of its new look facilities and presentations from its various teams.

It will also offer test drives of vehicles, including some of the increasingly popular all-electric and electric-gas hybrid models.

Above all, the business wants customers to meet and get to know its staff, and to see how it has streamlined its servicing and repairs operations using new technologies.

Many of the staff, from the front desk to the workshop technicians, have benefited from advanced training programmes and accreditations. Some have taken part in courses overseas, meeting the standards required by the likes of BMW in Germany, and Kia in South Korea.

It is estimated that $300,000 has been spent on upgrading the facilities and training staff.

Krishna King, general manager, said Bermuda Motors stepped up its game ahead of the America’s Cup. It supplied the BMW i3 electric cars for Oracle Team USA. The improvements have continued and the changes are striking, particularly when “before” photographs of the main workshop are compared with how it looks today.

Andrew Rance, service manager, pointed out improvements in the workshop. There is energy-efficient LED lightning, new air extraction fans, and the walls and floor areas have been cleaned up and repainted. The improvements include an almost totally computerised system that allows staff to see at a glance the status of each vehicle in the workshop that is in for a service or repair, including which technician has been assigned the job.

On a noticeboard in the workshop the technicians proudly pin their latest certification details. Mr King said it indicated healthy and friendly competition among staff as they strive to be better and improve standards.

Peter Winsby, master technician, who has completed accreditation training with BMW in Germany, said: “You have to keep up with the training. You can’t rely on what you learnt 15 years ago, because technology is moving so quickly.”

He added that BMW would not send its new vehicles, such as the BMW i3, to Bermuda until there were fully trained and certified technicians ready to service them.

Elsewhere, the customer service process, particularly for booking in for a repair or service, has been refined to be a quick and seamless process.

Explaining the aim of the open day, Mr King said: “We want to show that we are staying on top of technology. Our platform is to continue to get greener.

“We value our customers, and we want people to get to know us; that we are on top of technology and reinvesting in the after-sales service.”

Mr King said staff had been keen to embrace the new technology, and there has been cross-training for employees. He has seen a positive impact.

“There is new energy in the staff and the team. It has been phenomenal for us,” he said.

During the open day there will be separate presentations and tours by the parts department, the paint and body shop, the service department and the “i Workshop”.

Throughout the afternoon customers will have opportunities to see the new technology being used at Bermuda Motors and test drive the latest vehicles.

Among the new models is the all-electric BMW i3. It has carbon-fibre bodywork and uses technology that allows the vehicle to partially recharge its batteries while on the go.

The all-electric Kia Soul EV and the hybrid Kia Niro are also proving popular with customers looking to switch to all-electric, or a hybrid electric and gasoline-powered vehicle.

Bermuda Motors sells and serves a number of other brands, including Ford, Nexus, Mini and Toyota.

The company is keen to attract more young Bermudians into the industry, and this morning before the public open day begins at noon, the company will play host to groups of school students. The students will tour the facilities and have a chance to meet technicians and staff to learn what skills and qualifications they should pursue if they want to follow in their footsteps.

Mr King said: “We need more Bermudians involved in the field.”

During the open day there will be an hourly raffle draw, and a grand raffle later in the day for a Kymco 125 motorbike. There will also be a barbecue for customers starting at 5pm. The open day begins at 12pm and concludes at 7pm.