Chinese car giant expands in south-east Melbourne
Another Chinese car maker has leased a contemporary office in the suburb that has become a hub for the automotive sector.
This time, GWM has taken 1834 square metres – a full floor – at Building B, 211 Wellington Road, Mulgrave.
Growthpoint is the landlord.
The lease was one of three recently secured at the complex.
In Building C, construction group RCC National leased 843 sqm while Pilz Australia took 418 sqm.
Colliers’ Damien Adkins and Tom Rothel with CBRE’s Anthony Park and Gianni Macdonald were the agents.
The complex known as the Monash Knowledge Park.
Following the deals, there are two vacancies, both in Building C, for fit-out space: 360 sqm on the ground floor and 1211 sqm on the third level.
Car giants choose Mulgrave
The deals comes a year since realestatesource.com.au reported China’s BYD, or Build Your Dreams, leased 2000 sqm at 631 Springvale Rd, within Salta’s Nexus Mulgrave business park.
The five-year lease covers a full floor, expected to accommodate c200 staff.
GWM, or Great Wall Motors, controls brands including Haval, Ora and Tank.
It is headquartered in the suburb at 745-757 Springvale Rd (continues below).
The group separately secured a lease over the 877ha former Holden proving ground at Lang Lang for vehicle development and chassis tuning.
That property sold in March to RedHawke Capital Investments, associated with defence technology company DefendTex, for $20.35m.
GWM also recently announced plans to become Australia’s number five car brand, also signing a multi-year deal to appear on NRLW jerseys for Parramatta Eels NRL Club from next year.
211 Wellington Road
Growthpoint acquired Building B at 211 Wellington Rd from Frasers Property Australia, then Australand, with Commercial & Industrial Property, in late 2014, for $62.6 million.
The seven-level office building was completed in 2015.
Also in that, the same parties entered a separate fund-through arrangement to develop and trade Building C for c$50.9m.
That five-level building was completed in 2016 and initially anchored to BMW Australia Finance with 4792 sqm across the top two and a half floors.
BMW Group Australia, which controls that arm, and MINI, remains headquartered in the suburb at 783 Springvale Rd.
Elsewhere in Mulgrave, Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific is based at 44 Lexia Place, while Mazda Australia occupies an office and showroom at 211A Wellington Rd.
Nissan moved into its purpose-built headquarters at 254 Wellington Rd in 2020, in a development by Frasers and ESR, that sold to Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust for $110.9m before completion.
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