(SOUTH AFRICA) February 20, 2014 – 2013 was a very eventful year for KIA Motors South Africa (KMSA) and was filled with numerous activities. These included the opening of KMSA’s first solar powered environmentally friendly dealership, Kia Weltevredenpark in February, the sponsorship of the South African Music Awards for a second consecutive year in May, participation in the Johannesburg International Motor Show in October and various new car launches throughout the year. Vehicles launched in 2013 included the upgraded Sorento and Optima GDi in March, new Cerato sedan in May, Cerato 5 in October and the new K2500 in December.
Over and above all of the activities, KMSA had a very successful year in terms of vehicle sales and improved customer satisfaction levels.
As the dealer is the interface between KMSA and the customer, it plays a crucial role around the overall brand perceptions created on a daily basis. Every year Kia Motors South Africa honours its best performing dealers by awarding excellence in various categories including sales, aftersales and parts.
The title of the Overall 2013 KIA Dealer of the year was awarded to KIA Centurion, which excelled in all of the above-mentioned fields during the year walking away with numerous awards including Sales Dealer of the year, Aftersales Dealer of the year, Sales CSI Dealer of the year (large dealer) and Aftersales CSI Dealer of the year (large dealer). The Dealer Principal George Haward and Sales Manager Otto Lambrechts were awarded as Dealer Principal – and Sales manager of the year respectively.
When presented with the award, Kia Motors Centurion Dealer Principal, George Haward and his team were over the moon. “We have been blessed with talented staff and this award represents the commitment and hard work of a dedicated team to make this dealership as successful as it is now”, comments Haward.
“Kia Centurion is a shining example of the experience we seek for our customers: a conveniently located, spacious and modern showroom, manned by capable, knowledgeable staff, backed-up by a comprehensive aftersales infrastructure. Congratulations to George and his team.”, comments Gary Scott, Sales Director, Kia Motors South Africa.
Further to this, on 25 January 2014, Kia Motors Centurion was one of 23 Kia dealers across the globe awarded with a 2013 Dealer of the Year Award by Kia Motors Corporation as part of its annual Kia Dealer Excellence Program. Dealers were judged in three categories: standards, overall performance and customer satisfaction, with only 1% of Kia dealers achieving this highly sought after accolade. Colin Lazarus (Group MD of Lazarus Motor Company) accepted the award at the ceremony in Melbourne Australia as it took place in conjunction with the Australian Tennis Open (sponsored by Kia Motor Corporation).
“These awards are the highest level of acknowledgement the Kia team at Centurion could have received from Kia Korea and Kia South Africa and bears testament to our exceptional dealer standards and overall customer satisfaction”, concludes Haward.
About Kia Motors Corporation
Kia Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart was founded in 1944 and is Korea’s oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. Over 2.7 million Kia vehicles a year are produced in 10 manufacturing and assembly operations in five countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering around 150 countries. Kia today has around 48,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of over US$43 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partner of FIFA the governing body of the FIFA World Cup. Kia Motors Corporation’s brand slogan “The Power to Surprise” represents the company’s global commitment to surprise the world by providing exciting and inspiring experiences that go beyond expectations.’