Kia Umhlanga takes top honours in the 2021 Kia Dealer of the Year Awards
Kia South Africa has once again rewarded its top-performing dealerships across the country with numerous prizes for outstanding achievements in sales, after sales and service operations. The 2021 Kia Dealer of the Year Awards – which encompass the period July 2020 to June 2021 – was held digitally and headlined by Kia South Africa’s CEO, Gary Scott.
“This year, once again, as we celebrate our very best dealerships and most excellent people, we’re reminded of the extraordinary times we face,” says Scott. “We’ve had an incredible response from our dealer network in a challenging year, and our dealers’ resilience and courage in the face of adversity means we continue to perform above expectations. We’re honoured to have a national team of business partners who are inspired to move.”
The Kia CSI Dealer of the Year awards recognise those dealerships that have consistently delivered superior customer experience and satisfaction. Based on dealership size, Gold Awards were presented to Kia East Rand, Kia Hermanus and Kia Paarl. Silver Awards were handed over to Kia Northcliff, Kia Pietermaritzburg and Kia Vryheid, with Bronze Awards to Kia Sandton, Kia Gold Reef and Kia Queenstown.
The next set of awards, Kia Service Operations Dealer of the Year, considered dealerships’ investment in training as well as their facilities, their variable margin performance, warranty management and the relationship between their customers and Kia South Africa.
The winners were:
Category A:
Gold award: Kia Durban South
Silver award: Kia Randburg
Bronze award: Kia Weltevreden Park
Category B:
Gold award: Kia Pietermaritzburg
Silver award: Kia Bethlehem
Bronze award: Kia Gold Reef
Category C:
Gold award: Kia Upington
Silver award: Kia Queenstown
Bronze award: Kia Vryheid
The Kia Parts Dealer of the Year awards are based on parts purchase achievement against target, as well as share contribution to the Kia business. A successful parts dealership continuously educates customers on the use of genuine parts and the benefits of skilled workmanship and specialised tooling.
The winners were:
Category A:
Gold award: Kia Umhlanga
Silver award: Kia Polokwane
Bronze award: Kia Centurion
Category B:
Gold award: Kia Middelburg
Silver award: Kia Gold Reef
Bronze award: Kia Port Shepstone
Category C:
Gold award: Kia Jeffreys Bay
Silver award: Kia Vryheid
Bronze award: Kia Queenstown
For the Kia Accessories Sales Dealer of the Year, those dealerships that went above and beyond in retailing accessories to customers were recognised.
The winners were:
(All Category C)
Gold award: Kia Polokwane
Silver award: Kia Port Shepstone
Bronze award: Kia Queenstown
The fifth award of the night went to the Kia Training Compliance and Completion Dealer of the Year. The standout dealerships displayed a commitment to completion of training, overall participation and engagement during training sessions and the number of certified Sales Executives per dealer, among other measurables.
The winners were:
Category A:
Gold award: Kia Durban South
Category B:
Gold award: Kia Alberton
Category C:
Gold award: Kia Paarl
Fleet and Corporate Sales are a crucial part of many dealerships’ success and often require months of relationship building before orders are secured. The Kia Fleet Sales Dealer of the Year awards were determined based on the number of fleet sales generated during the previous financial year. Additional points were awarded to the top 5 dealerships based on the number of model variants sold, as well as the number of corporate clients sold to.
The winners were:
(Across all categories)
Gold award (tie): Kia Umhlanga and Kia East Rand
Silver award: Kia Centurion
For the Kia Sales Dealer of the Year, dealerships were measured on their sales-to-target achievement for the year and not outright volume sales achievement.
The winners were:
Category A:
Gold award: Kia Umhlanga
Silver award: Kia Pinetown
Bronze award: Kia Durban South
Category B:
Gold award: Kia Springs
Silver award: Kia Gqeberha
Bronze award: Kia Bryanston
Category C:
Gold award: Kia Umlazi
Silver award: Kia Nigel
This year, Kia South Africa introduced a new series of awards, the Kia Inspiration Awards, that highlight those star performers who inspired their colleagues with their sales achievements, service delivery and training completion and compliance, a cornerstone of Kia’s success strategy.
The winners were:
Service Advisor of the Year: Carla King (Kia Hermanus)
Service Manager of the Year: Terrence Moodley (Kia Pietermaritzburg)
Sales Executive of the Year:
- Category A: Christo Pruis (Kia East Rand)
- Category B: Stuart King (Kia Hermanus)
- Category C: Thabiso Hlabeli (Kia Vanderbijlpark)
Sales Manager of the Year:
- Category A: Andre Collinette (Kia Pinetown)
- Category B: Abdullah Rajah (Kia Springs)
- Category C: Eric Mthethwa (Kia Umlazi)
Training Compliance and Completion:
- Category A: Joey van der Merwe (Kia East Rand)
- Category B: Duncan Boya (Kia Alberton)
- Category C: Gerard Wilson (Kia Paarl)
Finally, the most prestigious award of the night, that of Kia Dealer of the Year, went to Kia Umhlanga. With three Gold awards (Parts, Fleet Sales and Sales), Dealer Principal Danny Govender and his team’s successes ranked highest in this year’s awards and they walked away with the coveted prize.
“Kia Umhlanga didn’t just go the extra mile this year, they went an extra thousand miles. Our trading conditions are more challenging than ever, so Kia Umhlanga’s ability to deliver on every level is a tremendous achievement,” concluded Scott.
