Chalk up yet another first for Gerry Wood and the Wood Automotive Group. Just over a year ago, the company opened its newly relocated Big 4 Motors, Canada’s first Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram store on Indigenous land and followed that up this past March, with the opening of Taza Park Volkswagen, Canada’s first Volkswagen dealership located on Indigenous land.
“We like to call it reconciliaction,” says Gerry Wood, founder and executive chair at the Wood Automotive Group, adding, “It’s more than just reconciliation. We’re proud to be investing in the future prosperity of the Nation and we look forward to a long and meaningful relationship with the Tsuut’ina people.”
Both stores are located in the new residential and mixed-use community of Taza Park on the Tsuut’ina Nation. “The ring road has made us easy to get to from anywhere in Calgary, says Joshua Buchanan, Taza Park Volkswagen general manager, “and we’re really convenient to people in SW Calgary. We invite the community to come in and see what Taza Park Volkswagen is all about.”
At 45,000 square feet, Taza Park Volkswagen is the largest VW dealership in Western Canada and definitely the most technologically advanced. It features a 15-car showroom and 27 service and detailing bays with four bays dedicated exclusively to servicing electric vehicles. Buchanan has assembled an ‘all-star’ team of sales professionals, customer service specialists and service technicians.
“It’s always exciting when a new dealership joins the Volkswagen family, and this one is extra-special,” says Edgar Estrada, the president of Volkswagen Canada. “The store itself is a magnificent piece of architecture, and I’d like to congratulate Gerry Wood and the entire Wood Automotive Group, along with Chief Roy Whitney and the Tsuut’ina Nation and wish them all the best in the future.”
For more than 40 years the Wood Automotive Group has been committed to giving back to the community. As well as providing new business and employment opportunities, both Taza Park Volkswagen and Big 4 Motors are supporting the Naton through scholarships, sponsorships at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex and Jim Starlight Centre and support for the Seven Chiefs Champions athlete program.
Says Tsuut’ina Chief Roy Whitney, “Tsuut’ina Nation is proud to celebrate the opening of Taza Park Volkswagen, a milestone that reflects our Nation’s commitment to economic growth and strong partnerships. We congratulate the Wood Automotive Group on this exciting new venture and look forward to the opportunities it will bring to our community and the region. This collaboration represents the spirit of progress and shared success that defines Taza and the future we are building together.”
For more information about Taza Park Volkswagen, visit tazaparkvw.com.
