..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
Related Articles
…As CEO promises to sustain the growth trajectory in 2018
Kia Motors Nigeria, the sole distributor of the leading Korean brand in Nigeria, has recorded increased sales in the year 2017 with over 200% year-on-year sales from 2016. Buoyed by this achievement, the company said it is set to triple its sales in 2018 with a sustained comprehensive business strategy.
Kia’s increased sales followed the country’s economic recovery from the recession that had hitherto stagnated all the sectors of the economy particularly, car sales in 2016. As a major player in the automobile industry, Kia’s business strategy and the extensive customer-based sales and service programmes broke the ice and paved way for a record high year-on-year (YoY) sales.
“With our strategic business propositions, we are set to triple sales by expanding our units in operations (UIO) with increased new sales in the year 2018,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jacky Hathiramani.
On how Kia defied all odds to record the increased sale, Hathiramani alluded to the fact that Kia had always stayed ahead of the curve with the top of the segment cars that have low maintenance costs and are affordable to the customers. It will be recalled that there was an offshoot in the prices of products across all sectors of the economy amidst low buying power. However, Hathiramani maintained that Kia’s commitment to offering highly competitive pricing on its models played a major role in the record sales.
As a major player in the automobile industry, Kia said it is poised to sustain the sales growth by introducing new models to the market and offering a highly competitive pricing on all their models. Hathiramani expressed confidence that the second half of 2017 (2H17)’s sales momentum can be sustained into the 1H18, saying this would help the company achieve better results over last year.
“There’s an increased sale in the last six months compared with the same period last year. So, we project increased sales in 2018,” Hathiramani explained.
Among the aggressive sales initiatives undertaken by the company in 2017 were the Kia Drive Your Dream and Ember Surprise Promos. The company’s service promos also contributed immensely to the overall revenue for the company. The introduction of Kia Double Deal Promo with over 15% discount on both parts and labour recorded tremendous success and helped increase Kia’s brand confidence among customers.
“These programmes increased our customer retention and loyalty towards the brand,” Hathiramani said .
He added that the company is set to introduce new models in the year 2018. According to him, headlining these models will be the world adjudged best-in-class luxury sedan, Kia Stinger, the B-Segment leader, SC Kia Rio and newly-refreshed Kia Cerato, amongst others.
Meanwhile, on the general low stock level pervading the industry, he said the company was currently facing a high back order for some models, and was looking forward to assembling the cars at its plant in Lagos, Nigeria before the year-ends.
Kia Motors Nigeria began its local production in the wake of the implementation of the auto policy in 2014. The company built an ultra-modern assembly plant in Lagos with a capacity to produce 27,000 units of vehicles per annum. Locally producing cars to the exact standard of Kia Motors Corporation in Korea, Kia Motors Nigeria currently produces the cars locally with the 2018 Kia Rio in addition to the recently launched Sorento, Sportage and Optima being produced in its plant in Lagos.
