For starters, the new $4 million Audi showroom off of State Road in Cuyahoga Falls is not Cascade Audi.
And it’s not Audi of Cuyahoga Falls.
The proper name is Audi Cuyahoga Falls. That’s right, no “of.” If you want, you can say Audi Cuyahoga Falls, a member of the Cascade Auto Group family.
It’s probably safe to say it’s the only new dealership building in the Falls that displays a wall-length replica of a steeply banked German racetrack that provides significant interior eye candy along with shiny new luxury cars and SUVs.
The Primm family-owned Cascade Auto Group just unveiled its new Audi showroom. Construction started in late summer 2015, about the same time as the group’s Subaru showroom was being remodeled.
“We have room to grow,” said Pat Primm, one of three sibling partners at Cascade. They bought the now-closed Boot Scoot’n Saloon adjacent property, which increased their land holdings by 11 acres to a total of 21. The Audi showroom is in front of the former Boot, which is currently being leased out as a warehouse.
As a result of the expansion, the Primms made another purchase: a golf cart to help employees get more quickly from building to building.
Audi originally wanted Cascade to locate its new showroom in Green. But the Primms persuaded the German automaker that the Falls location was best for what is the largest of the three sizes of showrooms that Audi uses.
The family justified spending money on a larger building because of the national and local Audi sales growth, Primm said.
“With Audi’s future growth, and our future growth, we decided to go up to the ‘Exclusive,’ ” he said. “We did build a little bit bigger.”
The Audi “Exclusive” showrooms include the simulated high-bank German racetrack.
“When you touch it, that actually is made to be like the surface of a road,” Primm said. Many of the showroom’s materials and details, including tiles and furniture, were imported from Germany, according to Audi specifications.
“We had an older facility,” Primm said. “Right now we are on par with the other dealerships in the country. ... It is definitely an Audi showpiece.”
The customer waiting area is more comfortable and includes a Wi-Fi bar where people can work online while their vehicles are serviced. The showroom regularly holds eight high-end Audi vehicles — up to 11 in a pinch — each specifically placed on the floor, with overhead LED lights positioned to show off each vehicle.
Customers come from as far away as the Youngstown area and from as far south as Canton and also into Medina County, Primm said. Buyers tend to have higher incomes and be college educated and are roughly split 50-50 between men and women.
“An Audi buyer also wants to fly under the radar,” as opposed to others who want flashier luxury vehicles, he said.
Adding a museum
Primm noted that as the new Audi building was going up, Cascade Auto Group’s original site, dating back to 1969 in Akron, was being torn down.
Cascade Auto Group will repurpose its former Audi building on its State Road campus.
One part that used to be Cascade’s Porsche showroom will be converted into a small museum and hold cars and memorabilia from the family’s collection. The remainder of the building will house certified pre-owned vehicle sales staff and internet sales staff. The building will also provide Cascade with an indoor winter display for its nicer used vehicles.
The upstairs portion of the new Audi building has a room where employees can cook, eat and relax, and also includes a conference room that Cascade said it will make available to outside organizations.
The open exterior upstairs also provides good space for entertaining and will be used for a grand opening celebration, Primm said.
“The Primms do good parties,” he quipped.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ