Also awarded ‘Manufacturer Marketing Initiative of the Year’
◾Awards voted for by franchised dealers across the UK
◾Kia Sportage highly commended for ‘Car of the Year’
Kia Motors UK Limited has won two prestigious awards at the Car Dealer Power 2016 Awards at a ceremony held at Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. In their seventh year the awards are run by Car Dealer magazine and the votes are cast solely by the 4,500 franchised dealers who read Car Dealer magazine.
Paul Philpott, CEO and President of Kia Motors UK said of the two wins: “These awards are a true reflection for us of what our dealers really think of the brand and highlight how happy they are with the way the brand is developing.
“Winning the ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award for the second time clearly demonstrates the strong partnership we have with our dealers and shows that they are confident and committed to Kia. With many exciting new cars being launched in 2017 the future for Kia and our dealer network can only grow stronger.”
James Baggott, CEO of Baize Group, parent company of Car Dealer Magazine, said: “Kia has been on a meteoric rise over the past few years – sales success has followed with each new model introduction and its dealers are reaping the benefits of its hard work.
“Survey respondents were overwhelmingly happy and delighted with the support they got from the manufacturer. They praised the firm’s advertising campaigns, its excellent aftersales support and its management structure for its openness and availability.”
The all-new Sportage launch was awarded ‘Manufacturer Marketing Initiative of the Year’. A fully integrated ‘Big WoW’ marketing launch for the model was launched across national, digital, social , dealer and CRM campaigns in the lead up to the car going on sale at the start of the year. Dealers were highly appreciative of the way the launch was planned and executed and made a great contribution to the success of the all-new Sportage with over 20,000 being sold since February.
James Baggott said: “Replacing a model that has transformed your brand is never easy – it’s that all too difficult second album. Fortunately for Kia they got it absolutely spot on when it came to the all-new Sportage.
“Loved by customers and dealers alike, the replacement for this manufacturer’s best-selling model has continued to power the car maker forwards.”