Car Dealership Architecture: Best of Globally

Let’s face it: You may be the world’s biggest car lover, but going to a dealership can be a bit of a chore. That’s because some dealerships are somewhat sterile and oppressive. We wanted to showcase some dealerships that might make you actually want to buy a car — and boy did we find some!  

Citroën flagship store — Paris 

France’s Citroën has been one of the top European brands since the earliest days of the automobile, so it stands to reason that it would need a baller dealership to suit its position in the world. Enter its flagship store in Paris. Designed by architect Manuelle Gautrand, its aggregation of glass and steel in an open design moves the brand forward into the future while rooted to where Citroën displayed its first car more than a hundred years ago. Additionally, the red and white accents evoke racing stripes that tie into the label’s sporty history. On the whole, this dealership is a true nod to the past that also lets a visitor step solidly in the future.  

Mercedes-Benz — Berlin 

There are few places in the world — if any — where the words “Mercedes-Benz” do not conjure a sense of abject premium automotive experience. The same can be said of its flagship dealership in Berlin. When looking in from the outside, the spaceship-like complex and its 377,000 square feet of open space ((the largest in Europe) are concealed somewhat by the simplicity of the glass exterior and jagged roof. That is totally apropos for Mercedes, since its sleek and simple exteriors conceal an immensely complex and technologically advanced inside. We love this.  

Hyundai – Seoul 

Hyundai’s Genesis is coming up in the world of upmarket sedans (see our piece about the new G80), and its dealership in Seoul, South Korea, (featured in Architectural Digest) is a great testament to the brand’s overall feel. The clean, almost business park-like exterior, is a front for an exterior that reminds one of the design aesthetic of a set of Apple Airpods. Its simple white lines contain a space engineered down to the millimeter to house and display its contents. The brand itself is something to keep an eye on, as well as its eye for architecture.  

BMW Welt — Munich 

Deconstructionist architecture may be some of the most beautiful modernist takes on structures out there, and the BMW Welt experience in Munich, Germany, is one of the finest examples of this. In true deconstructionist fashion, architects Coop Himmelb(l)au made something that looks like a metallic cloud that has descended to the ground, a dream made of glass, steel and concrete. It’s a difficult task for any building to outmatch the powered nature of the BMW brand, but if any building can, it is definitely this one. If you ever find yourself in Munich, you MUST check it out. 

Cave Car showroom — Warsaw

Most would think that cars are an antecedent to nature. The Cave Showroom in Warsaw, Poland, however, disproves that theory by expertly weaving a showroom into the landscape by placing it under a hill, with the entrance shaped like the opening of a cave. During the day, the light in the showroom comes from a skylight carved into the ceiling. There are few places where cars are on display that are as utterly cool as this one. Hands down our favorite, despite not technically being a dealership. Yeah, we cheated …  ​

Related: 9 CONCEPT CARS TO DREAM ABOUT