After extensive renovations which is said to cost about $30 million, Borneo Motors' showcase for its Toyota cars has doubled, while that for Lexus cars has expanded four-fold.

On Tuesday, Borneo Motors, the official distributor for Toyota and Lexus cars in Singapore, cut the ribbon at its newly renovated complex at 33 Leng Kee Road.

The extensive remodelling of the adjacent showrooms, which included taking over the second floor that used to house the company's administrative offices, began in February last year.

According to a Borneo Motors spokesman, the project took longer than usual due to construction being carried out in stages to allow sales and after-sales operations to continue during the renovation.

The expanded complex now gives both brands a combined floor space of 49,578 sq ft, which can display up to 24 cars each. This effectively doubles Toyota's showroom footprint and quadruples Lexus'.

Borneo Motors has also added "brand experience" corners. For Toyota, this means informative exhibits that change regularly, and for Lexus, a tunnel-like screening room designed to take customers "on a journey to gain a better insight on the brand".

Aside from gaining new converts, Borneo Motors is also working hard to keep customers loyal. Buyers of Toyota cars will now take delivery in a pair of delivery suites, and relax in an expanded lounge area.

Lexus goes further still, with customers sending in their Lexus cars for servicing now able to pre-book a choice of breakfast from a set menu and have themselves shuttled to nearby locations in current Lexus vehicles.

Borneo Motors' showroom revamp is timely as it comes amid some sweeping changes on the Leng Kee/Alexandra Road automotive belt in the past year for luxury makes. Its immediate neighbour, Eurokars Group, spent $42 million on a super- showroom for Porsche, Mini and Rolls-Royce.

Its other adjacent neighbour, Wearnes Automotive, also unveiled a $20-million showroom for five of its luxury brands: Bentley, McLaren, Jaguar, Land Rover and Infiniti.

However, all that pales in comparison to Audi agent Premium Automobiles' eight-storey, $65-million leviathan on the corner of Leng Kee and Alexandra roads, which opened last December.