Canadian auto dealer traveled to the headquarters of Kia Canada in Mississauga, Ont. for a one-on-one interview with Ted Lancaster, Vice-President and COO, Kia Canada Inc. Here’s part of the conversation with our columnist and automotive journalist Petrina Gentile. You can watch the full interview here
PG: “How do you improve Kia’s image?”
TL: “Changing the image comes with making sure we talk about our attributes. We have started a campaign where we focus on the IQS wins last year, which is J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study. J.D. Power says two of our products are category winners when it comes to quality. We finished second to one other luxury brand overall. That says a lot about the confidence customers can have in our product. We back it up with a 5-year, 100,000 km warranty. We have those attributes and we have great styling. Peter Schreyer has done an outstanding job of designing our products. Our new Optima is cutting- edge. It’s designed exceptionally well, very aerodynamic, and the performance features with the turbo engines make them fun to drive.
“I was recently in Korea at our design centre in Namyang to see some of our new products. One of our key products, particularly in Quebec, is our Rio. Our new 5-door is spectacular! We are always innovating when it comes to design. I think society has changed — no matter what age you are its okay to be cool. You can be cool at 20, 60, or 70. People want to feel they are driving a cool-looking vehicle that performs well. Design plays a huge role and we are on the cutting-edge every time we design a vehicle — it’s about how will this influence the market? How will it influence people? How will it change perception? When you do those things I think you’re really looking into the soul of an individual and trying to create something that elicits an emotional response. We have the full package when it comes to our brand.
“The Power to Surprise” is our global tagline. We have product that is incredibly successful globally and in Canada. What people don’t realize is Kia’s value. The ride of a Kia — the drive, the handling, the performance attributes, the design — all are award-winning. It’s about getting people into the car, having fun, and changing the mindset of what Kia is because we’re not a cheap brand. We’re a great product people can really enjoy and feel safe and stylish in.”
PG: “Is social media more important than traditional media when it comes to communicating your message to consumers?”
TL: “I would say equally. We still have to have our mainstream opportunities. We have to advertise on television. We need to be in the paper because people do still look for the offers. But the social media aspect of that instant messaging — rather than waiting for the Wheels section or other Driving section of any paper I can tell customers about our product today. I don’t have to wait until Friday or Saturday and that is the biggest aspect of social media that is very prominent with all manufacturers and all businesses in Canada.”
PG: “What are your dealership expansion plans?”
TL: “With any company we look at where our competition is and are we there? Are we absent and can we cover that area? The important part for us as a brand is to make sure our existing dealer body is as healthy as possible. We look at the structure and the environment of the dealers and try our best to help and support them. At the same time trying to grow in Canada we look at areas where we don’t have the coverage. In doing so we can put forward to consumers the easiest access to our products. For customers who would normally drive a great distance — 20 or 30 kms — to the closest dealer if it makes sense for us to have a dealer in their market we’d like to do that, particularly if the competition is there to make sure we’re present where others are.”
I think society has changed — no matter what age you are its okay to be cool. You can be cool at 20, 60, or 70. People want to feel they are driving a cool-looking vehicle that performs well.
PG: “Where will we see new dealerships?”
TL: “We’re actually in the process of drafting a letter with a number of open points across Canada. We’ll send that out to our dealers because we’d like to give our dealers the first opportunity to say yes, I’d like to expand with Kia. From there, if it’s not viable we’ll look at existing dealers as a potential opportunity to join the organization. We’re looking all across Canada. We have opportunities in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. But again, we have to be respectful of our dealers so it’s making sure we talk to them ahead of time and be fair to them about the investment they’ve already made.”
PG: “What can we expect from Kia in 2016?”
TL: “Growth. In 2016, we’re going to put a strong focus on the brand. We talk about the brand and why our brand is a brand of choice for consumers. We’re going to work with our dealers on growth within their markets. We’re going to take a more focused approach on supporting dealers who may have challenges — supporting them and growing them back in the market. We’re focused on growth. We want to make sure we are seen next year as not just Kia another opportunity, but Kia a strong brand that offers great value in the marketplace. We’ll see some good things.”
