Shopping malls and cars have a rather interesting history. Victor Gruen, known as the father of the shopping mall, sought to bring the charm of European cities to the traditional American shopping strip. However, his idea soon took the form of a hyper-commercial space surrounded by parked cars and sprawling suburbs. “I would like to take this opportunity to disclaim paternity once and for all,” he said in the later stages of his life. But how do cars like the 2026 Infiniti QX60 get inside the mall, appearing as exhibits, or even within showrooms?
Well, the answer is nothing too magical, and there are a variety of ways in which it can be accomplished. When it comes to designing large-scale commercial spaces like a shopping mall, architects carefully plan elements such as service corridors and spaces, in addition to the circulation areas for regular human visitors. Some malls have special back entrances that are reserved for freight movement, maintenance, service staff, and even designated areas for transit of goods.
These are the routes that are often taken to put cars inside shopping malls, either as an exhibit for the visitors, or park them inside showroom spaces. If there are designated entryways for cars, they are also put to use for the same purpose. If the internal architecture of a shopping mall wasn’t designed to allow discreet entry of cars, the front doors and walkways are often used to move the cars in, preferably in early or late hours to prevent hindering the movement of shoppers and visitors. Lately, modern shopping malls have adopted sliding doors that are open partially on a general day, but the entry points are fully slid open to allow the movement of large items, such as cargo or cars.
The varied fate of cars inside malls
The more interesting scenario is one where cars are parked not on the ground floor, but on the first floor, or even higher. Once again, their movement would depend on the internal design of the shopping mall. If there are multi-tier parking spaces that are accessed either via heavy lifts or elevating spiral pathways, it becomes easier to just drive the cars through designated pathways to their target showcase locations on the upper floors.
Now, what happens to the cars that enter a shopping mall? Well, that would depend on the purpose. If it’s a showroom, they either stay put for customers to check out, or take them out for a test ride, even if it’s above the ground level. The latter is not too technical either. Dedicated car lifts in shopping centers are growing in popularity, while automobile elevators and car scissor lifts have further eased the logistics part. If it’s not an official showroom space rented by a brand, cars are usually showcased on the ground floor and surrounded by enclosures.
In the glory days of shopping malls in the U.S., cars were often placed as a jackpot item for lottery ticket buyers, and occasionally, they stay there for years. The Penn Can Mall, interestingly, has turned into a full-blown car dealership, or an “automall,” and the trend seems to be catching on. The Manufacturers’ Outlet Mall in Philadelphia was turned into the Classic Auto Mall in 2017 and is now home to over 1,000 classic cars and rare rides. This includes the Chrysler New Yorker that once moved President Harry S. Truman around, the Batmobile from the Michael Keaton superhero film from 1989, and the iconic Shelby Cobra.
