Al-Futtaim Motors, leader in sustainable mobility and exclusive distributor of Toyota in the UAE for the past 61 years, officially opened the doors to the most advanced and largest Toyota facility in the UAE – The Wave – making Abu Dhabi home to an awe-inspiring flagship building and marking the company’s continuous investment in the capital.
The new five-level three-in-one building is a 3S facility housing world-class Sales, Service and Spare Parts offerings, spread over approximately 14,000 square-meters and considered the largest, most sophisticated retail and service space for Toyota in the Middle East, promising to set world-class customer experience standards for all visitors be it Sales, Service or even leisure visitors.
The Wave houses more than 80 new and used models on display, while the service area includes 64 simultaneous working bays that can accommodate up to 250 cars per day.
Each step of the customer journey has been designed to include many forms of physical and digital interactions, answering visitors’ interests and needs during their journey at the facility.
The space’s interior has been designed by UK-based Greenspace, a design consultancy firm that specializes in creating legacy experience destinations and which has been selected for their history of working with Toyota Motor Europe and other automotive retail brands.
Some of the key features and attractions that are housed within The Wave include:
– The Toyota Design Studio for customers to build their dream Toyota using physical and digital design tools
– A Café serving hot and cold refreshments and equipped with relaxation space that seats around 60 guests along with WiFi, charging points and TVs
– The Toyota Play Space for children to drive electric cars on a 100m indoor track, in addition to 3D printers for live printing of souvenirs, a coloring and toy-building area, and VR headsets for a unique gaming experience
– A Toyota Heritage Zone which exhibits 61 years of Al-Futtaim Motors and Toyota’s partnership in the UAE
– The Toyota Handover Lounge where customers can receive new cars in a private lounge space and drive away through a dedicated departure lane
– A world-class Toyota Service Center where customers can pre-book and have their car serviced by highly-skilled Al-Futtaim Motors professionals
Saud Abbasi, Managing Director of Toyota at Al-Futtaim Motors, commented on this momentous occasion: “Coming on the heels of the opening of our latest facility in Madinat Zayed, The Wave, reiterates our commitment to Abu Dhabi and aligns with our promise of being closer to our customers wherever they are. The Wave is not just a unique building that pushes the boundaries of modern architecture, it is a representation of our dedication to customer service excellence. We have designed the facility to put the customer first, and to offer all our guests interactive and engaging experiences regardless of the purpose of their visit.”
Additional information for Interior Design and Architecture Publications:
Greenspace CEO and Founder Adrian Caddy, said: ““As a London based company with a specialist reputation, we were delighted to be chosen by Al-Futtaim Motors to work on this project. Right from the start, we were challenged by the team at Al-Futtaim Motors to create a legacy experience by setting a new global standard in retail and brand experience for Toyota, driving the brand’s idea of ‘Passion for Better,’ which became the strategic focus and creative inspiration for all the interior elements and experiential design development over the course of The Wave’s development.”
Interior Design
The signature style of the interior space, the use of simple lines and radiuses, as well as the overall aesthetic, all project clean, crisp and modern style. The wave-shaped curved lines of the exterior are echoed along the length of each floor by suspended white fins that are contoured from the front to the back of each floor. Glass sales booths and reception desks are all planned out to maximize customer interaction and experience with the brand. Premium quality, gallery-style lighting, supplied by Reggani, has been chosen for cars and the ambient areas, to maximise the simplicity of the showroom treatment.
Exterior Lighting
Approximately 5,000m of LED lights have been installed Cinmar Lighting Systems from Abu Dhabi, pre-programmed for animated film sequences to enhance the emotional appeal of the building from dusk onwards. The architectural lighting scheme utilizes the curving rooflines of the building as well as its louvered panel façade.
Digital Experience
The new retail flagship experience is augmented by digital screens on each floor, providing customers with information and interactivity through multiple touchpoints. The journey is heightened with digital touchscreens where guests can choose a model, the interior and exterior colors, or review accessories – all with the swipe of a finger. Two large touch screens are linked to a mirrored display, allowing the user to navigate on an interactive table without a hitch, therefore making the browsing and selection process easy and decisive.
This effective use of technology is essential to the realization and visualization of the vehicle, inside and out. The instant customization options help both the customers and sales associates make a decision through the implementation of an overall interactive experience.
These touch-points include touch screens next to each car providing specs, photos and videos. Large video walls attract attention and broadcast marketing campaigns, while interactive tables and walls help customers configure cars and families play and learn about Toyota engineering and technologies.
Where possible, the entire customer experience will be paperless, and instead, utilises digital technology to engage and inform visitors seamlessly. Each sales associate is equipped with a tablet, enabled and connected within the network. Sharing screen to screen is effortless, rewarding and timesaving, with the added feature of being able to print on command at a nearby printer.
The Wave is located in Musaffah, between 16th Street and 18th Street, near the Musaffah Police Station and Dalma mall. The Wave operates six days a week from 8am until 8pm, Saturday through Thursday. The showroom and service center are closed on Friday.