Park Place Dealerships Named a 2013 National Top Workplace

Luxury automobile dealership group ranked #4 in the U.S. in the largest survey of American workers of its kind

DALLAS (January 31, 2013) — Dallas-based Park Place Dealerships has been named one of America’s Top Workplaces by WorkplaceDynamics. Park Place was ranked #4 nationwide among 872 organizations with more than 1,000 employees that participated in regional top workplaces programs.

“It is an honor to be recognized as one of America’s top workplaces,” said Ken Schnitzer, Chairman of Park Place Dealerships. “We have invested in hiring the best team to take great care of our clients and they do an incredible job. We value our team and we do everything we can to create an exceptional work environment.”

The National Top Workplaces list was determined solely by feedback gathered through an objective employee survey. The survey was conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, LLP, the leading on-demand employee survey provider, in conjunction with 30 leading regional newspapers. Park Place Dealerships participated in The Dallas Morning News’ Top Workplaces 2012 program.

The survey uses a proprietary set of 22 questions to rank companies. The survey data showed that employees most want to work at companies with high levels of organizational health. Companies that set a clear direction for their future; execute well; and bring real meaning to work are the healthiest.

“We have the support of the leadership team at all levels of our organization,” said Sherry Miller, vice president of human resources at Park Place Dealerships. “This enables us to implement workplace initiatives that create an environment where our employees are recognized and rewarded for their knowledge and skills, where their opinions are heard and valued, and where they can learn and further develop in their careers at Park Place.”

The Top Workplaces program accurately reflects the opinions of employees through measurement of engagement, organizational health and employee satisfaction. The survey is utilized year after year by human resource professionals and C-suite executives nationwide as the gold standard in internal measurement of organizational health and employee satisfaction.

Founded in 2006, WorkplaceDynamics is the fastest-growing employee survey provider in the United States. Based on their “on-demand” employee survey, last year they surveyed more than 5,000 organizations, polled 1.7 million people and handled over a million employee responses.

Details about the National Top Workplaces, a full list of the Top 150 companies, the survey methodology, and factors that drive organizational health are available at www.topworkplaces.com.

Park Place Dealerships was founded in 1987 by Ken Schnitzer with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Park Place currently operates 15 full-service dealerships representing Bentley, Jaguar, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, smart, Volvo and Rolls-Royce. In addition, the dealership group includes two Park Place Bodywerks locations. For more information about Park Place Dealerships, visit parkplace.com.

Tags: Park Place Awards, Top Workplaces

Neiman Marcus Edition McLaren 12C Spider: Dallas Client To Receive An Excellent Gift This Holiday Season

In an amazing testament to the excitement that surrounds the launch of the new McLaren MP4-12C Spider, Neiman Marcus held the first sales of 12 special edition drop-top McLaren’s as “Fantasy Gifts” in their annual Christmas Book.

Receiving an overwhelming response for the 12c Spider package, all 12 of the vehicles were spoken for in under 2 hours. Better yet, one of them is even heading to Dallas for a Park Place client! We are looking forward to this momentous occasion, and there will be more coverage to come as we deliver this incredibly rare special edition car!

See what Motor Authority had to say about the event below!

“It took less than two hours for all 12 McLaren MP4-12C Spiders offered by retailer Neiman Marcus to sell out after sales of the limited edition model commenced on Wednesday.

The Neiman Marcus special was listed at $354,000, an $85k premium on the regular 12C Spider, though buyers will be able to avoid the waiting list as McLaren hasn’t even started deliveries of the car yet.

That premium also gets you a trip to the UK where you’ll get to visit the McLaren Technology Center and enjoy a dinner with the supercar manufacturer’s chairman, Ron Dennis.

The Neiman Marcus version of the 12C Spider is finished in Volcano Red and comes with lightweight diamond-cut wheels with gloss black highlights. Inside, there’s more of the glossy black trim, along with contrasting red stitching on the leather surfaces, a numbered plaque and a custom luggage set.”

Read more about the 2 hour Neiman Marcus McLaren sale at MotorAuthority.com

Tags: 12C Spider Dallas, McLaren 12C Spider, Neiman Marcus McLaren

McLaren P1 To Preview At Paris Motor Show

McLaren Automotive will use its first ever international motor show appearance to preview its next generation ultimate supercar – the P1 – which takes much of its technological and spiritual inspiration from the company’s Racing division.  P1 has one simple goal: to be the best driver’s car in the world on road and track.

At the Paris Motor Show, Mondial de l’Automobile 2012, P1 is previewed as a design study. Next year a production version, which the company aims to put on sale within 12 months, will be revealed.

‘P1 will be the result of 50 years of racing and road car heritage,’ says McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman Ron Dennis. ‘Twenty years ago we raised the supercar performance bar with the McLaren F1 and our goal with P1 is to redefine it once again.’

‘Our aim is not necessarily to be the fastest in absolute top speed but to be the quickest and most rewarding series production road car on a circuit’, says McLaren Automotive Managing Director Antony Sheriff. ‘It is the true test of a supercar’s all round ability and a much more important technical statement. It will be the most exciting, most capable, most technologically advanced and most dynamically accomplished supercar ever made.’

When P1 goes into production later next year, it will sit above the 12C and 12C Spider, in terms of both price and performance.

Tags: McLaren, McLaren P1

Forbes’ Most Beautiful Cars of 2012

The definition of beauty is a highly subjective matter, one that hinges on personal opinions and emotions, but as a whole, it’s pretty easy to agree that Forbes did a fantastic job in coming up with their list of the “Most Beautiful Cars of 2012.”

With incredible Italian, English, Danish, and German examples of automotive artistry, this “top 9” list pulls from a broad spectrum to excite your visual sense. Even more exciting, in our personal opinion, is that 5 of the top 9 most beautiful cars of 2012 can be found in a local Park Place Dealership.

For the full list, you can read Forbes’ “Most Beautiful Cars Of 2012” here, or check out the gorgeous cars on the list that can be found at Park Place Dealerships below!

Jaguar F-Type

To be perfectly honest, you can’t actually see the F-Type in our showroom yet because it hasn’t been released, but it’s easy to see why this re-animation of Jaguar’s sports-car heritage made it on the list

McLaren MP4-12C and 12C Spider

Based on styling cues and technology straight out of F1 racing, this entirely carbon fiber supercar truly is a thing of beauty, with the power to back it up. The flawless, sweeping lines of the body are completely uninterrupted as you will find a lack of hardware, with the incredibly unique dihedral doors opening with a high-tech touch interface rather than traditional handles.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

AMG took the lead in designing both the body and powertrain for this impressive, aircraft inspired, example of AMG engineering. Want to turn heads in a classically styled, modern behemoth of a car? This is a brilliant choice.

Bentley Mulsanne

The Mulsanne blends the best of yesteryear with today’s modern touches. Plush interior, supercar power, and refined design prove where Bentley’s focus stands, the pure joy of the driving experience. That is evident in this quote from Car and Driver, “As extravagant and comfortable as the Mulsanne is, its most impressive trait is its poise.”

Maserati GranTurismo Sport

If your tastes hail from Italy, this inspiring GT car is as good as it gets. With bold lines, an almost sinister style, Italian engineering under the hood, and all of the refinement you’ve come to expect from Maserati in the cabin, this is a car that can scare you and put a smile on your face at the same time.

Tags: Luxury Cars Dallas

New McLaren Dallas Skyline Wallpapers Available

When was the last time you updated your desktop? The things you see day in and day out can inspire you, and this is certainly an inspirational shot! We received a great response on the Park Place Dealerships Facebook page, so we thought our fans might like to keep this beautiful photo a little closer to home. To download this wallpaper, click on the link below the image that corresponds with your computer’s screen resolution, and when the image comes up, just “right-click” and select “save picture as”.

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Tags: McLaren Dallas, McLaren Wallpapers

McLaren 12C Spider Unveiled In Brilliant Video

The stunning new McLaren 12C Spider may now be seen in action for the first time, with the launch of short film at McLaren Automotive’s official YouTube channel.

Shot using cinema-quality RED camera technology, the film begins with a Volcano Red 12C Spider in high-speed action on track, before it traverses the winding mountain roads of Andalucía in Southern Spain. The film showcases the 12C Spider’s spectacular combination of performance and usability.

McLaren Automotive Test Driver and British Touring Car Championship star Mat Jackson shows viewers why McLaren believes it has developed a sports car that adds ‘open-top thrills’ to a groundbreaking package of technology inspired by its successful Formula 1 race cars.

Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive Managing Director said: “We know 12C drivers love the Formula 1 technology DNA that runs throughout their cars.  With the 12C Spider, owners will have an even greater opportunity to create their perfect driving experience. Top up or top down, the sports car with highest performance among the competition just became even more breathtaking. The exhilarating aspects of driving the 12C Spider are captured beautifully in this great new film.”

Prospective customers and sports car enthusiasts may now specify their desired 12C Spider at McLaren Automotive’s interactive online configurator, which is located at: www.configure.mclaren.com. There, the 12C Spider may be personalized with myriad exterior and interior finishes, a range of wheel designs and carbon fiber appliqué.

If you have questions about the new McLaren 12C Spider, please reach out to our McLaren Dallas Specialists:

Gren Lewis
McLaren Dallas Sales Consultant
866-249-2892
McLarenDallas.ParkPlaceTexas.com

Tags: McLaren 12C Spider, McLaren Dallas

Video: Inside the McLaren Technology Centre

Tags: McLaren, McLaren Racing

Wired Magazine Reviews The 2012 McLaren MP4-12C

Wired Magzine editor Basem Wasef drove and reviewed the McLaren MP4-12C recently and posted an intricate recap of his experience with the car:

Following the excursion on public roads, I arrive at the track. I bring the 12C to a steady halt as my co-pilot, a McLaren engineer, walks me through the launch control procedure. After flipping the requisite switches and pressing firmly on both pedals, releasing the brake ignites a weirdly efficient takeoff with almost no wheelspin, and a jowl-flattening whoosh of acceleration that viscerally delivers on its promised sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds.

Read more about his experience, comparisons to other luxury super cars, and the performance of the MP4-12C: for the full article, click here to read on Wired Magazine.

Tags: McLaren, McLaren MP4-12C, Vehicle Reviews

2012 Texas Rangers – Park Place Dealerships – Triple Play Event

Park Place Dealerships is proud to once again be the title presenter of the Texas Rangers Triple Play event set for May 27th at the Hilton Anatole Dallas.  The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children in need within our community, and provides funding for youth in crisis, youth health initiatives, youth baseball programs, and youth education.  This event serves as their largest fundraiser each year. The theme this year is “Escape to the Hamptons.”  The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner, the program, and then ‘game shows.’  The entire Texas Rangers team will be in attendance and there will be silent and live auctions. Ian and Tess Kinsler and Michael Young and Cristina-Barbosa Young are the hosts for the evening and Fox Sports Southwest’s Emily Jones will be the Mistress of Ceremonies.

To reserve tables or individual tickets, contact the Foundation at (817) 436-5933 or tripleplay@texasrangers.com. Click here fore the full press release on Texas Rangers.com.

Tags: Charity, Community, Events, Park Place Dealerships, Texas Rangers, Triple Play Event

Park Place Service Using RFID Tags and Technology to Enhance Client Experience

By Terry Box, Dallas News

Few cars go unnoticed on the busy service drive at Park Place Motorcars.

A couple of years ago, the Dallas Mercedes-Benz and Porsche dealership began attaching RFID tags, similar to TollTags, to new and used vehicles. Monitors on the service drive read the tags as customers pull in.

“When you arrive, it alerts your service adviser that you are here, tells the adviser what service you’re scheduled for and brings up your service history — all in a few seconds,” said Tony Carimi, director of operations at Park Place Dealerships.

The technology revolution that blew through showrooms more than a decade ago — ushering in Internet car sales — is now roaring through service department back shops.

Service advisors are trading pens and clipboards for iPads, while technicians tune cars with laptops. Devices embedded in service drives check tires on cars entering the dealership for wear and alignment.

Meanwhile, technicians use iPads to photograph worn parts on a vehicle, emailing the pictures to customers so they can decide whether to fix them.

Read the full article on DallasNews.com

Tags: Client Experience, Processes, Service, Technology