Kia brings car shopping to SM City Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Kia Motors Cebu is taking car shopping to the mall.

The local distributor of the very popular Korean car brand has taken another step further in catering to the demands of the market as they formally opened a new showroom located at lower ground floor of SM City Cebu last Friday.

Kia Motors General Manager Noel Ting said that they consider SM City as a hub for all levels of the society in Cebu and a destination for tourists from neighboring areas such as Dumaguete, Camotes and Bohol, making it an ideal location of their fourth showroom.

The showroom has a four-car capacity and a state-of-the-art design featuring a sleek all-white interior complemented by well-integrated lighting.

It is also intended to showcase Kia’s latest models including the Soul, the Rio sedan and hatchback, and the all-new Sorento.

Aside from opening a new showroom, Ting further revealed that the car company is geared towards renovating all showrooms to have a uniform “red cube” design as a sign of professionalism and dedication to its development and brand strategy.

He added that prior to that, Kia has been proud in presenting its distinctive identity through the “tiger-nosed grill” in all of its units.

Kia currently has three other showrooms in Cebu located at Gorordo Avenue, Mandaue City, and Talisay City.

He said that aside from Kia’s showrooms, the company has been visible in the malls of Cebu with its car booths and display.

He admitted that even though there has not been a notable sales increase last 2011, Kia sees the lesser trade-in sales as a better indication of its growth.

With more than 60% trade-in sales reported last year and the previous years, he added that they have recorded 25 to 30% for trade-ins this year.

Ting said that such decrease signifies the confidence of their clients towards Kia’s products and quality service.

“Last year, kami mohangyo sa mga customers nga mopalit but now, ang mga buyers na ang mo-approach sa amo to buy the unit. Dili na trade-ins but walk-in buyers na gyud. We have clients who trust our competitive design and quality and they are brand-loyal clients,” he said.

He also noted that the car company is gradually reducing the prices for its units to be more competitive with other car brands and make it more affordable to its growing clientele.

He noted that for instance, the price of the Sorento has reduced from P1.6 million to P1.09 million.

“We feel it’s about time. We’re proud to say that Kia competes with other brands not just because of our products, but our pricing. Kia is becoming a leader. We’re now number two in terms of sales here in Cebu,” he stated.

Furthermore, Ting said that as the application for business permits in Cebu increases, the demand for vehicles also increases as people consider it a need nowadays.

He added that the economic growth of the province has a multiplying effect towards the growth of the car industry as a whole.

With such progress, Kia Motors prides itself with almost all of its models receiving a rating of five stars from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP).

In addition, Kia Cebu has received awards for service, sales, showroom design, dealer of the year and customer satisfaction at the recent Dealer’s Awards Night held in Manila last May 27.