Faraday Future Announces First “Brand Experience Center” In Beverly Hills
Luxury EV manufacturer Faraday Future recently announced that it is going to open its first retail location on posh Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California. The company is going to be working with the ASTOUND group to design and build the store.
“Designing FF’s flagship brand experience center, working with the world-class brand experience design firm ASTOUND, and getting our dealer license to sell the FF 91 brings us closer to launching this remarkable electric vehicle to our users,” said Dr. Carsten Breitfeld, Global CEO of Faraday Future. “Having a tangible space where users can visit, interact, co-create, and ultimately purchase a vehicle from FF will make this whole journey a reality. In the near future, our cars will not only be in store windows but will also be on the streets of California and beyond, available to all who wish to experience this new species of the ultimate intelligent TechLuxury vehicle.”
The company already has its dealer license from the State of California, and that’s going to allow it direct sales in the state. By being dealer licensed there, it will also be able to sell cars to buyers in any other state in much the same way Tesla does. This will be limiting, as it will have to sell online and deliver the vehicle in a number of states, but won’t be able to operate retail locations or service centers. But Faraday Future doesn’t think that’s going to hurt it, and could help by having an “asset-light” sales and service network that could better serve customers.
For the Beverly Hills sales center, Faraday Future and ASTOUND are going to try to make it a lot more than what you’d normally get at a dealer. They’re going to have a retail area and a sales lounge, but they’re also going to be opening a cafe, a VR experience, a “co-creation lab,” and a VIP lounge. In some ways, this sounds more like a theme park than a car dealer, which is probably what the company is going for when they call it a “brand experience center” instead of a store.
“ASTOUND is excited to be collaborating with FF on the design and delivery of the physical environment and the consumer journey at their flagship brand experience center in Beverly Hills,” said Dale Morgan, CEO, ASTOUND Group. “Taking a holistic approach to the design and integrating the physical-digital elements will result in an immersive, future-forward retail experience.”
One thing that may set the company apart from others is that it is trying to get what it calls “Futurist Product Officers” to participate in the company’s designs. This means that people who are knowledgeable about EVs can work with the company to help it develop ideas, and in turn receive rewards for ideas that pan out. This could end up being a very good marketing and development strategy as long as it doesn’t result in something like “The Homer,” but Faraday does still have real experts in charge to give co-creators adult supervision and make sure the bad ideas aren’t taken in with the good.
This retail location appears to be catering to that program in some way, too, so it will be interesting to see what it does going forward to make it a unique experience.
Featured image and other images by Faraday Future.
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