KIA was recently voted fourth overall in a NFDA dealer attitude survey, only falling behind premium manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus.
Just to clarify, the voters were the dealerships themselves, while the question they had to answer went exactly like this: How would you rate your manufacturer overall?
Out of 28 franchises, KIA was ranked 4th, reflecting a very positive view from their dealers while also scoring higher than average across other important areas like training, supply and field staff.
“We take the results in the NDFA survey seriously and look at ways that we can improve our services to the dealers and ensure that they – the dealers – can further trust the brand. In the current climate we are listening to our dealers and working on maintaining our positive relationships with them,” said Simon Hetherington, Business Development Director at KIA Motors UK.
KIA’s port facility in Grimsby receives around 7,000 vehicles on average per month – with four deep sea vessels from Korea and five from Europe coming through every week. The South Korean manufacturer also says that new systems are now in place where dealers can track a vehicle from its inception through to delivery in a “cleaner way”.
Even though this wasn’t a consumer survey, the numbers are still relevant to the manufacturer as dealerships play a very important role, regardless of market.
Now, with new models arriving such as the 2016 Optima and the 2016 Sportage, KIA’s fate is in its own hands. While the Sportage has proven to be a very popular choice, the Optima has yet to become a hit (sales-wise) in Europe – though this new generation model will be looking to change that.
PHOTO GALLERY
