McKenna Automotive Group Completes $50 Million Redevelopment of BMW and Audi Norwalk Campus
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On May 6, McKenna Automotive Group celebrated the completion and official grand reopening of its BMW and Audi facilities on Firestone Blvd. in Norwalk, a milestone that caps a multi-year, $50 million investment to modernize one of Southern California’s most prominent automotive hubs and introduce a next-generation carbuying experience to the Gateway Cities.
The showroom, which is the first of its kind to demonstrate BMW’s new architectural and interior design standard, was driven by a need to align the brand’s physical infrastructure with the evolving digital and experiential demands of the luxury consumer.
This completion comes as McKenna continues to expand its footprint in Southern California, with the auto group recently breaking ground on an Anaheim Porsche facility that will reshape the Lincoln Blvd. corridor in that city.
The Norwalk BMW showroom serving as the brand’s new global showroom design was no coincidence. BMW worked with McKenna to pilot the design at their Norwalk location, said Danny McKenna, president and owner of McKenna Automotive Group. “This store happens to be the only store that’s from ground up in California right now,” said McKenna. “We built this … and did it because it’s a really pretty store – we’re proud of it in that respect.”
The ground-up rebuild focuses on open concept architecture, with a floor plan that feels more first-class lounge than auto showroom, including conversation areas and a coffee bar interspersed with modern and classic BMW autos. There is even a “selfie room” for buyers to pose with their purchase (with an oversized bow on the hood) prior to setting out on the open road.
The choices are intentional and reflect buying habits, said McKenna. “Most stores when you go down to them are all ‘bright lights,’ and people just don’t like that wearing on them. This is more of a softer environment to be in – It’s completely different.”
Practical touches are also present, like enhanced EV infrastructure with charging capabilities and specialized service bays for the BMW “i” electric lineup, and tech-enabled and interactive consultation areas that merge the digital and physical sales process, especially as many buyers do their primary browsing and selections online prior to visiting the showroom.
The multi-year planning and construction includes a “tower” feature requested by McKenna himself to elevate the profile of the building and to make it more noticeable and recognizable from the busy 605 corridor.
“BMW has been the premier store here for a long time,” he said. “So I figured, we should have made it a little bit nicer. [The tower] took another year to get done, and here we are. Now we’ve got it all done.”
Next door, the McKenna Audi facility underwent a comprehensive interior modernization to meet the brand’s latest customer performance and aesthetic standards, while keeping the iconic “hangar” exterior design the location is known for. Improvements include an enhanced service capacity with modernized bays, intended to reduce customer wait times for the region’s growing Audi owner base.
The Audi location also includes premium amenities similar to BMW’s, like upgraded customer lounges designed for the “work-from-anywhere” professional while they browse or wait for their service appointment to be complete.
An Economic Driver and Mutual Public-Private Benefit
Beyond the immediate construction jobs created during the multi-year build phase, the campus supports roughly 120 full-time jobs across sales, advanced technical service and administrative operations. The high-volume nature of the three-brand campus ensures a steady stream of sales tax revenue, making it a boon for the city as well as the brand.
The project underscores a collaborative relationship between McKenna Automotive Group and the City of Norwalk. The redevelopment was designed to align with the city’s broader goals of attracting high-value private investment on a busy retail corridor directly off the 605 freeway, and maintaining a business-friendly environment that discourages commercial flight.
“We made a deliberate decision to reinvest here in Norwalk – to build something that reflects both the future of our brands and our long-term commitment to this community,” said McKenna.
A ‘Future Proof’ Automotive Experience
The opening comes during a transitional period in automotive philosophy, said McKenna. The advent and rapid adoption of EVs has dramatically shifted the way that everyone looks at cars, he says, and that has not been without his challenges. “Electric … it’s good for the environment, but it didn’t generate income for the service business. It’s a less expensive vehicle to run,” he said. This fact informs not only the way that the dealerships under his purview do business, but also informs the way that McKenna looked at the design for this dealership and those coming in the future.
The $50 million investment is more than a cosmetic upgrade; it is a strategic “future-proofing” of the McKenna portfolio. As the automotive industry shifts both toward the EV model and highly personalized service models, the Norwalk campus is now equipped with the specialized tooling and architectural flexibility required to support the next decade of automotive innovation.
The proximity of these three German luxury brands – BMW, Audi and Porsche – within a single, modernized campus providing a competitive advantage in the Southern California market for both buyers, the community and the dealers themselves.
McKenna Automotive Group has been a fixture of the Southern California automotive landscape for over 60 years. Family-owned and operated, and starting with a single VW dealership on Crenshaw Blvd., the group now represents a curated portfolio of luxury and performance brands. McKenna is recognized for its commitment to community reinvestment, high-density urban redevelopment, and maintaining the highest standards of manufacturer certification.
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