As you enter a dealership, you probably already know what brand of vehicle it sells - that's why you're there. Regardless, the manufacturer works hard to encourage its dealers to follow similar formulas in designing and decorating their buildings, hoping to create an identity that customers can associate with its products. Land Rover, for example, takes this to the extreme, with its modern dealer showrooms resembling an exotic lodge, down to the wood-clad walls and regal adventure trappings.

Each manufacturer has a signature theme and style aimed at making shoppers feel like they're participating in a brand-related lifestyle experience rather than just shopping. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage both the purchase of vehicles and brand loyalty.

This strategy reins in the chaos that ruled in the '80s and '90s, when many dealerships conglomerated into large chains that lumped several brands into the same location, often on the same showroom floor. Such dealerships had all the atmosphere of Costco and added little to the featured automakers' reputations. Worse for the manufacturers, their cars often were sitting right next to the competition.

Today, automakers not only want their dealers dedicated solely to selling their brand of cars and trucks, but they also have them pushing brand-labeled golf shirts, sunglasses and the like. MINI dealerships are an extreme example, but even high-volume brands with less-defined images, such as Hyundai, are on a march to establish standalone dealerships.