UP TO $5 million will be spent refurbishing the Audi showroom at 9 Leng Kee Road to "corporate identity" standards. But the finished product will still be an interim measure until a suitable site can be found for a new flagship showroom.

Authorised distributor Premium Automobiles is undertaking a major renovation at the Leng Kee site, according to a spokeswoman for Audi Asia-Pacific.

"When completed, it will be in line with Audi's latest Terminal concept and be able to display up to 16 cars," she said, adding that the old showroom could hold only 10 cars.

"It will also feature a fully customised all-glass car-lift ? a first in Singapore ? as well as an Audi exclusive corner for options such as leather interiors, exterior paint finishes, etc, and an Audi quattro shop."

The old building was just one-and-a-half storeys, with a showroom on the ground floor and an office on the upper floor. The renovated building will have 10,000 sq feet of built-up space comprising two levels of car displays.

Premium Automobiles has occupied the Leng Kee Road site for the past 10 years. Construction work on the new showroom began in early January and is expected to take six months to complete because extensive structural works are involved.

Until then, a temporary showroom in a standalone building nearby at Strathmore Road, off Alexandra Road, will serve Audi customers.

Audi is the fastest-growing premium brand here as well as in other markets around the world. Last year, Audi sold 957 cars locally ? up 47 per cent from a tally of 650 units the year before.

The overall number is still small compared with German luxury makes like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, which recorded 3,885 and 3,715 units respectively in 2007 among members of the Motor Traders Association of Singapore, a grouping of authorised distributors. But it is Audi's rate of growth that is impressive.

To reflect its growing presence in the marketplace, Audi Asia-Pacific has big plans for a flagship Audi showroom. And with this in mind, it is still looking for a site with Premium Automobiles.

Last year, the latter bought the former Wywy building at the junction of Leng Kee and Hoy Fatt roads for $12 million.

But the site was deemed too small for Audi's "terminal architecture" design and the Audi Asia-Pacific spokeswoman said the plans for redevelopment of that address "have not been finalised".