Peugeot unveils the world’s smallest car dealership

Peugeot has unveiled the world’s smallest car dealership — in a London phone box.

Based in Russell Square, one of the capital’s iconic red boxes has been converted by the French manufacturer into a dealership using its Order Online service.

The 0.8 square metre dealership consists of a desk, a forecourt of 1:64 scale model cars and an iPad.

Visitors — who need a special code for entry — can use the iPad to access the online ordering service.

It will let them configure a vehicle, see finance plans, get a part-exchange value for their current car and even book a delivery date if they decide to buy a new Peugeot.

Should a visitor configure a car but not want to commit to a purchase in the phone box, they can save their preferred model online and access it at a later date.

Launched in January this year, the Order Online service has hosted 1.5 million user sessions, with 134,000 configurations made and 35,000 part-exchange valuations issued.

The dealership will be open from Tuesday, September 12 and will operate between 7am and midnight every day until the end of the month.

David Peel, managing director of Peugeot UK, said: “The world’s smallest dealership is a perfect example of how technology continues to change the way we research, view and purchase products.

“Not that many years ago, the process of buying a new car involved reading lots of printed literature and trawling around dealerships. Now, despite a car being the second-largest purchase most people make in a lifetime, it can be done from anywhere – even from inside a phone box.”