More than 300 invited guests, including provincial MLA and minister Peter Fassbender and City Mayor Ted Schaffer were in attendance for the an invitation-only grand opening of the new Jaguar and Land Rover dealership Thursday night.
In December of 2015, Jaguar Langley, a member of Open Road Auto Group became the newest dealership to join Canada’s first luxury only auto mall – the Langley Auto Collection.
In a brand new 33,271-square-foot home hundreds of people were given a chance to check out the new digs, admire the new cars, and visit with Jaguar Land Rover Canada’s president Wolfgang Hoffmann.
They were able to tour the huge operation that features state-of-the-art amenities and includes a modern customer lounge, specialized delivery area, and an advanced service centre.
The British-themed event also included the unveiling of the 2017 Jaguar F-PACE performance SUV and the all-new Jaguar XE compact luxury sports sedan.
Since opening last December, sales and service have been strong and are expected to increase with Jaguar Land Rover’s expanded line up of new models and the projected population growth in the Fraser Valley, Hoffmann announced, in conjunction with Open Road president and CEO Christian Chia.
“We’ve been fortunate to have great success in Langley so far with all of our dealerships in the Langley Auto Collection at the corner of Glover Road and the Langley Bypass,” Chia said.
“We believe that Jaguar Land Rover Langley will be the perfect compliment to our dealership family and an ideal brand for the Fraser Valley’s urban suburban lifestyle, so we’re really excited to open our doors and share our passion for these incredible cars and SUVs with locals.”
• Stay tuned to the online version of this story for some photographs from the event
MORE STORY AFTER PHOTOS
New Porsche rolls out
In the meantime, speaking of Open Road, swarms of people recently came out for the unveiling of the new 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera, nearby at the Porsche Centre Langley dealership.
Dubbed the new generation of luxury sports cars, this newest model was described as sharp, sporty, and awe-inspiring by people in attendance.
For those of you into car, and Porsche’s in particular, it will mean something to say the most significant change is the new 911 engine.
“Both the Carrera and Carrera S models have 3-litre twin-turbocharged engines, with the Carrera S offering up to 420 horsepower and 3680lb-ft of torque,” explained the dealership’s general manager Aly Jiwani.
Updates to the design are in keeping with the 911 tradition, Jiwani added: “with its wings that are higher than the front lid; with headlights that are bulging and round; and with a roof line that slopes down towards the rear over tapering side windows.”
Celebrating Mom
There are many businesses in Langley expecting to be busy this weekend due to Mother’s Day.
The garden centres and florists will be run off their feet. Any restaurants offering Sunday brunches can expect to be slammed, with spouses and kids wanting to treat Mom to a special meal. And, gift stores and card retailers can expect to be inundated with last-minute customers.
While there are literally hundreds of local companies expecting a hectic weekend, don’t forget to check out all the fun community events happening for Mom this weekend. (LINK) And even if you do spoil her with gifts or food, also consider taking a walk in the park or spending some other quality time together.
Redwoods offers infusion to Special O
In the middle of a Special Olympian (SO) practice session recently at The Redwoods Golf Course, Doug Hawley made a surprise appearance on the fairway.
In his capacity as managing director of the golf course, this wasn’t the first time he has had the “pleasure” of presenting a “sizeable” donation to a “deserving” local charity.
But making such contributions never loses its magic for Hawley, who was moved to see the smiles on the faces of all the SO golfers.
Back in 2006, Redwoods implemented the Redwoods Cares program, where each year the employees of Redwoods select a local Langley-based charity to become the recipient of their charitable rounds initiative.
Each time a staff member plays a round of golf at Redwoods, money is collected for the selected charity of the year. And those donations accumulated during the year and are awarded to the chosen charity.
This time, the money was earmarked for the Special Olympians, and Hawley was able to present $3,200 cheque.
“The Redwoods has been able to make annual contributions to a variety of local charities during the past decade, including Langley Animal Protection Society, Langley Environmental Partners Society, and Walnut Grove Secondary School’s Learning Support Services,” Hawley boasted.
With this most recent contribution, Redwoods has donated more $25,000 to “great” Langley-based causes, said Hawley, who is looking forward to keep giving in this fashion.
CAPTION: Redwoods Golf Course manager Doug Hawley presented the Special Olympics of Langley with a donation of $3,200.
