Kiwi Kia dealer honoured

Hawkes Bay Kia has joined a very exclusive international club, becoming one of a handful of dealers within the Kia Motors worldwide family to achieve Platinum Prestige status.

The sought-after honour is presented to just three per cent of Kia dealers around the world at any one time. The award is made to dealers who excel in customer relations, standard of facilities, management of their business and sales, service, parts performance.

The award was presented to Hawkes Bay Kia dealer principal Mark Cooper and his team at a ceremony held at the Hastings showroom.

Cooper says the award came as a “very pleasant surprise” and is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of the whole team.

“We might be a small dealership compared to those in the big cities and on the international stage, but we’re no less passionate about the Kia brand,” he says. “We’re very proud of our achievements.”

Cooper leads a team of 15 together with his wife, Pip, who oversees the administrative side of the business. After taking on the Kia brand in 2006, the dealership has undergone a series of upgrades. Most recently, a major redevelopment in 2017 that saw the service, parts and sales facilities consolidated into one building at 909 Karamu Road North, Hastings.

“Mark and his team have done an extraordinary job and are to be congratulated for attaining the very highest standards of excellence across all facets of their business,” says Todd McDonald, managing director of Kia Motors New Zealand.