Kia Corporation has officially announced the setting up of official distributor Kia Sales (Thailand) Co Ltd and is planning to penetrate the Thai automobile market with new EV models.
The Korean automaker, which is taking over the distribution from long-time partner the Yontrakit Group, is planning to introduce the EV9 large electric SUV in March as its first new product in 2024.
The Korean auto maker stated that it “envisions to accelerate the brand transformation and develop long-term business performance through the “Plan S-5” corporate strategy laid out for 2024-2028.
Jun Oh Lee, president of Kia Sales (Thailand) said at the Bangkok press conference, “Today marks an auspicious beginning for Kia Sales Thailand as it officially enters the Thai market. Our global Kia Plan S is based upon three pillars of Planet, People and Profit in order to foster trust and engagement among our people and the community,” he said. “It positions us as a ‘Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider,’ which is our corporate philosophy for establishing a leadership position in the future automotive industry.”
“For Kia Sales (Thailand), we develop our corporate plan to achieve our business goals from 2024 to 2028, known as ‘Plan S-5’,” Jun added.
He said the plan includes four pillars: 1. Achieving a 5% market share in the passenger car market; 2. Securing a 50% all-electric sales ratio; 3. Ranking in the top five for brand awareness; 4. Expanding the country’s dealer network by five times.
Nattchai Surawanthanakul, vice president of Sales and Services Group said, “We anticipate that the Thai market will regain a more favorable dynamic in 2024, reaching 850,000 to 860,000 units, thanks to increased BEV sales.”
Nattachai said that as of 2023, Kia Sales Thailand has 19 approved dealers and service centers.
“Our sales acceleration will be supported through a fast and efficient dealers expansion starting with 10 new dealers joining us in 2024,” he said. “We fully revamped our service strategy to match Thai consumers’ expectations. We also introduced a new 7-year warranty program for new models introduced in Thailand from March 2024. Our new warranty standards will be completed with 8-year battery warranty plus 7-year of road-side assistance.”
Jean-David Christian Harel, vice president of Product and Marketing, stated, “We design our Thai communication positioning to become Thailand’s premium smart brand. By Premium, we aim to provide a great customer experience from the first internet touch points to every physical encounter and of course our dealers. We focus on digital transformation and data optimization to personalize our consumers’ interactions. By smart, we want to give Thai customers the latest driving experiences by releasing our latest successful all-electric models, increasing our SUV/MPV line-ups with value-added features, and adopting connection solutions on a nearest future”.
He said Kia will officially launch the EV9 large electric SUV at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in March – registrations can be made at .
