BMW of Hawaii opened its third dealership in the state this week, a 16,000-square-foot facility in Kona adjacent to the Kona Commons shopping center.

The dealership, with a staff of eight, had its grand opening on Tuesday following a soft opening on Aug. 1.

"The 2.5-acre property gives us plenty of room for our service facility and lots of area to display our current inventory of 35 vehicles," said Aka Demesa, who manages the dealership.

"The Big Island has never really had a high-end dealership. We're in a unique position," Demesa said. "In addition, when you check on the survey of how many BMWs are registered on the island, there are 850. So, what you have is the potential to give great customer service to those who already have BMWs, while at the same time be in the position to present new products."

The sales and full-service BMW dealership is the third in the chain of BMW dealerships owned by Shelly Eurocars of Hawaii, which also owns and operates BMW of Honolulu and BMW of Maui.

In honor of the German engineering that goes into the BMW brand, Demesa served grilled bratwurst, German potato salad, German chocolate cake and sweet cider at the grand opening.