Kia franchise to expand

Strong growth and continued confidence has prompted a dealership in Otago to plan another phase of expansion.

Six years after upgrading showroom and service facilities in Kaikorai Valley Road, Dunedin Kia has outgrown the site, so it has unveiled plans to establish a purpose-built service centre just down the road.

The shift will provide an opportunity for developing a larger and more comprehensive dealership facility at the existing site in the future.

Neil Videler, dealer principal of Dunedin Kia, also widely known as Carbase, says: “Interest in Kia has just grown exponentially in the past few years and we’re bursting at the seams. We’re so confident in the brand it has prompted us to make a substantial investment to build on the customer experience.”

The service centre will occupy double the current space with 12 bays, associated specialist equipment and technology, and a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) area to cater for models such as the Niro as Kia looks to expand its electrified options.

“That’s important for us because of the rising popularity in EVs and we think that’s only going to get bigger,” says Videler, pictured. “A dedicated bay is essential for EVs. They require extra technology for service and safety reasons because you’re dealing with large battery packs.

“We see the new service centre as giving us the platform to plan for a significant upgrade in the future with a much larger showroom building for displaying new cars, space for used cars and more facilities for customers.”

Videler adds Dunedin Kia has already recruited extra staff in anticipation of its move into the service centre, probably in the second quarter of 2020. The space freed up with the shift will allow for the expansion of the new and used-car operations at the current site in advance of any future redevelopment.

Todd McDonald, managing director of Kia Motors NZ, says the Dunedin dealership team’s customer-focused approach has been instrumental in helping the brand to grow to a record new-car market share.

“Its focus on the customer is extraordinary – among the most effective of any dealership in New Zealand. That’s what has got it to number one in the wider Dunedin region and we’re fully supportive of is expansion plans.”