Kia

Manawatu Kia (also known as Brent Boddy Prestige) unveils major plans for a new dealership in Palmerston North

Strong growth and continued confidence in the future has prompted the Kia Motors dealer in Palmerston North to build a showpiece showroom that will be as state of the art as the vehicles it will house.

Manawatu Kia (also known as BrentBoddy Prestige) has been planning the new development for many years, but all the stars have now aligned to make it happen, according to Dealer Principal, Darren Henderson.

“Kia is doing incredibly well in the marketplace and from what we can see on the horizon, there are some amazing new models still to come,” says Mr Henderson.

“We are looking to leverage off Kia’s growth and offer customers an exceptional experience with our new dealership facility.”

The existing Brent Boddy Kia showroom will be demolished soon and replaced by a modern, futuristic building that will incorporate the latest Kia visual image for both the exterior of the building and the interior. The showroom will feature an unusually high ceiling and space for up to 12 new vehicles in to be displayed (five times the number now on display), along with customer oriented features, such as a modern lounge with coffee/refreshments and Wi Fi.

“It will be very eye catching visually, with an industrial tech aspect to the design and situated on a corner site it, the new building will be very prominent from the street and we will also retain the excellent parking at the front,” adds Mr Henderson.

While the demolition and building work takes place, the new car sales team will relocate just down the road to a temporary site until the new showroom opens by the start of next winter, a move that will transition “seamlessly”, says Mr Henderson.

For existing customers, the existing service centre remains in place, although the layout will be updated to make it more efficient, housing six bays and a separate service area for electric vehicles, such as the Kia Niro EV.

This is an important aspect, as Kia looks to expand its electrified options in the future, following the incredible success of the Niro EV in this market, which is now sold out until well into 2020 due to high demand.

Mr Henderson goes on to say that the investment in the new dealership is “a reflection of our confidence in the future of Kia as a brand”.

“We were instrumental in helping the Kia Sportage take off when the current model was introduced –– we doubled our sales in just one year,” he says

“The Kia line--up is even stronger now –– especially since the arrival of the new Seltos compact SUV at an amazing introductory price of just $25,990. It’s a very exciting time to be involved with the Kia brand.”

Todd McDonald, Managing Director of Kia Motors New Zealand, is full of praise for the Manawatu dealership team and says they have been highly instrumental in helping the brand to grow to record new car market share many years in succession.

“The whole Manawatu Kia team is customer oriented first with the business owners being directly involved with existing and potential customers. The design of the new dealership reflects this philosophy and we’re excited for Kia customers in the region.,” he says.