Kia Corporation has announced it’s moving to a principal-led model in Malaysia, with Kia Sales Malaysia set to administer the brand’s sales, aftersales, training in addition to all wholesale and retail operations in our market effective January 1, 2026.
Established on November 3 this 12 months, Kia Sales Malaysia is an entirely owned subsidiary of Kia Corporation and can be the equivalent of Honda Malaysia, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia and other OEMs directly controlled by their respective HQs – Hyundai went through the same transition in June this 12 months. Kia Sales Malaysia will likely be led by Hyung Ho Kim as its president and CEO, with ex-Omoda | Jaecoo vp Emily Lek set to formally develop into its managing director effective January 2026.
“Kia is worked up to reinvigorate our brand presence in Malaysia. We consider our innovation- and customer-centric strategy will enhance how fans experience the brand as we proceed to support the expansion of Malaysia’s economy and automotive industry. We’re here to remain and, aligned to our ‘Movement That Inspires’ brand vision, we’re dedicated to constructing a future that inspires latest experiences and sustainable mobility,” said Ki Seok Ahn, president and CEO of Kia Asia Pacific.
“Among the many milestones the automotive industry and fans of the brand can anticipate from the brand new principal-led move include enhancements to the Kia dealer network, investments in aftersales service and latest model launches,” the corporate wrote in its release.
For those who’re wondering why the corporate isn’t just called ‘Kia Malaysia’, that’s because there’s already an organization by that name here – KMSB – that manages Kia’s local assembly operation in Kulim, Kedah. KMSB was formed after Kia Motors partnered with Bermaz Auto (BAuto) in April 2021, which also saw the appointment of BAuto’s subsidiary Dinamikjaya Motors because the South Korean brand’s official distributor in Malaysia.
The Kia-BAuto partnership has since been concluded and the transition process is currently ongoing. At present, customers can proceed to interact with authorised Kia service centres for his or her aftersales needs, and all vehicle bookings made before November 30 will proceed to be fulfilled. Nonetheless, latest bookings will likely be temporarily paused for the whole month of December 2025.
“We thank Bermaz Group for his or her dedication to the Kia brand over the past 4 years and the seamless handover during this transition period. The return of Kia operations to a principal-led model is timely because the market stays hungry for brand spanking new experiences and value from automotive brands,” commented said Hyung Ho Kim.
“We’re grateful to our loyal fans for staying with us through the years and sit up for curating an inspiring ownership experience that proves why a Kia is designed to satisfy the unique lifestyle needs of each existing and latest fans alike,” he added.
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This Article First Appeared At paultan.org
