11:32 am, July 29, 2016
KIA Motors UK walked away with two trophies at last night’s Car Dealer Power – it was named Manufacturer of the Year and also won the Marketing Initiative of the Year Award for the launch of the new Kia Sportage.
This was the second time that the manufacturer had won best manufacturer at Car Dealer Power, having also scooped the trophy in 2014, and president and chief executive Paul Philpott told us: ‘It’s very exciting to win manufacturer of the year again.
‘We’ve had a great night and the fact that we’ve won two awards shows the value of the franchise. No-one has voted for these awards other than the dealers. We don’t ring the dealers and say, “Vote for us!”
‘This is about the relationships we have with the dealers. We have a very open relationship with all of our dealers. Communication is critical. We listen, they listen, and together we make a lot of success out of the Kia franchise.’
Philpott also outlined the company’s plans for the future. ‘In the next three months, we’ll launch a new Kia dealership on the Great West Road, in west London, which couldn’t be better timed with all the new product coming through. Niro Hybrid is an ideal car for central London – it’s really exciting.’
In our picture, Paul Philpott, president and CEO, Kia Motors UK & Ireland, receives the Manufacturer of the Year Award from James Baggott, CEO of Baize Group, the parent company of Blackball Media, publishers of Car Dealer.
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