EchoPark Automotive opened Monday in Thornton, the first of six pre-owned dealerships planned by Sonic Automotive Inc. in metro Denver
The 60,000-square-foot facility is the at 500 E.104th St. The 11-acre property includes a car service center, car wash and operations center — all in LEED-certified green buildings. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.)
that Sonic Automotive is testing only in Colorado. Officials with EchoPark say that the model will reinvent the way people buy used cars.
“At EchoPark, we recognize that people love cars but are not always fond of the used-car buying process,” Jeff Dyke, executive vice president of operations at EchoPark, said in a statement. “Taking cues from specialty retail and hospitality sectors, we’ve created a groundbreaking retail environment to accommodate individualized shopper needs, offering Denver area residents a true partner in their automotive and car-buying experience.”
The Thornton location has an open-format interior with interactive research areas, lounge spaces and personalized vehicle delivery spaces all encased in floor-to-ceiling windows. Dyke said EchoPark’s goal is to complete transactions in less than one hour, with minimal paperwork.
Sonic Automotive plans to open two smaller EchoPark branches by the end of this year. One is at 1500 E. County Line Road in Highlands Ranch, and the other is at 10401 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Each store will carry up to 100 cars on site, whereas the flagship Thornton location can have up to 700.
There are plans to open three more EchoPark locations — in Dakota Ridge, Golden and Stapleton — in 2015. Sonic Automotive will launch the EchoPark Automotive concept nationally pending the sales results in Colorado, officials said.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Mmitchelldp
Echopark thornton hours
Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (dealer hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (dealer hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Sunday: Closed
