AUSTRALIA'S biggest independent importer of American vehicles, Performax International, has launched the next phase of its development, breaking ground on its first purpose-built showroom.

The dealership is being built in the northern Brisbane suburb of North Lakes and is expected to open in the final quarter of this year.

The 5000 square-metre facility adjacent to the Bruce Highway will accommodate sales, service and spare parts operations supporting Performax's range of new, right-hand drive Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Toyota and Dodge pick-up trucks.

It also will allow space for future expansion of the company, which will continue to operate its administration headquarters and production lines in Gympie, just north of the Sunshine Coast, as it has for the past 25 years.

General Manager Glenn Soper said that with Performax International planning to build more than 400 vehicles in the next financial year, the time was right to have a substantial capital-city retail presence.

"In addition to our network of dealers around Australia, our own dedicated retail outlet will help showcase our product range to a greater number of customers in the market for top-of-the-line American pick-ups with far superior towing capability than anything available from manufacturer-importers," Mr Soper said.

"Buyers will be able to see and test-drive back-to-back our full range of new Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ford F-250 Super Duty, Dodge Ram and Toyota Tundra pick-ups, plus selected pre-owned examples.

"We'll also have 10 workshop bays for carrying out warranty service and repairs, meaning that ownership of a Performax vehicle will come with all the usual new-car benefits and experience.

"This is an important development for the Performax business.

"With the recent achievement of Federal Government compliance allowing us to manufacture unrestricted volumes of 2015 Chevy Silverados and Ford F-250s – the biggest-selling models in the pick-up world – we expect to put well over 400 new premium vehicles on Australian roads in the coming year.

"We're making sure we're ready to support the demand from existing and prospective owners."

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