Staff Photo by Tim Barber Southern Advertising and Sign Service, L.L.C. employee's Jim Morris and Rick Norwood hang a Nissan brand sign at Mountain View Nissan's new location at 2001 S. Market Street.

Despite the state of the economy and the changing landscape of the automotive industry, officials at Mountain View Nissan believe it is the perfect time to invest in a new facility.

Don Watson, Mountain View president and chief executive officer, said the $6 million investment into the new 30,000-square-foot “supercenter” at 2100 S. Market St. will improve the dealership’s presence and demonstrate the company’s strength.

“We think it is a good time to be making the investment,” Mr. Watson said. “We want to accomplish several things. We want to improve our position in the market and demonstrate to our customers that we’re committed to this market and we are going to be a part of it for a long time.”

Mr. Watson’s son, Austin, executive manager of the dealership, said the facility conforms to Nissan’s preferred design.

“We see this as a great opportunity,” he said. “It is something we have been working on for a number of years.”

Officials moved the inventory a couple weeks ago and began operating out of the new facility May 11.

The new supercenter has an open showroom with lots of windows and natural lighting. Officials said the biggest improvement is in the service area, which grew from 11 service bays in the old location to 18. The service area now has large windows that provide a clear view from the customer lounge of vehicles being repaired or serviced.

The facility can hold more than 250 new and used cars and has about 5,000 more square feet than the previous location nearby at 310 E. 20th Street.

There currently are about 40 full-time employees at the supercenter, but more sales and service technicians likely will be hired soon, officials said.

The elder Mr. Watson said Mountain View Chevrolet, which is at 890 Riverfront Parkway, will eventually move into the former Nissan facility.

“There are some renovations going on there now,” Mr. Watson said. “Once that is complete, we will be able to switch locations.”

He said the Chevrolet transfer should take place in mid-June, which Austin Watson said will put all the Mountain View dealerships in one area.

“With the revitalization of the Southside, we wanted to do our part as well,” he said.

Mountain View is leasing the current Chevrolet facility, which officials said will be marketed to other potential tenants.

A ribbon cutting on the Nissan center is scheduled for June 18. The grand opening ceremony for the facility scheduled for June 21.