Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
DCH Kia of Temecula salesperson Erik Gallegos hands the keys of a brand new 2012 silver Kia Optima to Ricardo Macias, 20. Macias was the second person to buy a new Kia at the Grand Opening of the new dealership.
TEMECULA - Dozens of shiny new cars and SUV’s filled the front lot and the showroom as visiting executives, local dignitaries and business people milled about for the recent opening of the newest automotive dealership in Temecula - DCH Kia of Temecula. Suddenly, the double doors of the showroom were opened as a bright red 2012 Kia Soul was gently rolled through the crowd and off the showroom floor to the service department for detailing and prep work: the first sale was just completed!
“We first saw the Kia Soul at the LA Auto Show over Thanksgiving and fell in love with it,” said Madeline Thatcher of Temecula. “We went to Kia in Hemet and the dealership wasn’t there. Then my husband, Terry, said, ‘I hear there’s a Kia dealership opening in Temecula,’ so we came here because we wanted to support the local economy and get our car serviced locally.” The couple traded in their 2004 Honda Element for the Soul which had “a cool UVO system (voice-activated control system by Microsoft), a back-up camera, hot wheels and a spoiler, Terry said. “We’re really glad we came here.”
The crowd applauded loudly when General Manager Eric Willis introduced them as the first Kia sale of the dealership.
Senior VP and COO T.Y. Lai of DCH USA welcomed everyone to the newest addition to the DCH Auto Group in Temecula, joining DCH Acura, DCH Honda, DCH Dodge-Jeep-Chrysler.
“We first contacted Kia in September and sixty days later, we are opening up the newest Kia dealership! This has to be some kind of record.”
Lai went on to commend the leadership and teamwork necessary to make a big project like this possible.
“Teamwork is part of our mission statement,” said Lai, “and we are off to a great start.”
Temecula Councilwoman and President/CEO of the Southwest Boys and Girls Clubs, MaryAnn Edwards, said, “DCH is a great partner in the community supporting many programs like Boys and Girls Clubs; this new dealership will be successful and a great contributor to the local economy. As a matter of fact, the latest reports are out and overall retail sales tax revenues in the area are up 10 percent!”
Cesar Martinez, vice-president of Chase Auto Finance Group, said, “This new dealership represents more business for the banking industry. We have been very supportive of their other stores; this is a great pairing and one of the best in my portfolio – we’re predicting an increase in business of 10-20%.”
Finance and insurance manager, Vincent Nepolitan, joined DCH Kia from Wells Fargo and said, “We have great working relationships with our banking partners; there are so many packages and so many ways we can finance a high percentage of our customers.”
“We’re delighted to bring Kia to the community,” said Eric Willis, general manager. “It’s a great fit for Temecula.” DCH is renowned for its customer-focused experience in sales, service and parts; a friendly small-town approach that appeals to the citizens of the area. “DCH promises to deliver customer happiness in every transaction.”
“Kia has developed a strong, unique brand that we feel is complimentary to DCH and our diverse line-up of dealerships,” said Shau-wai Lam, chairman of DCH Auto Group. “As with all of our dealerships, Kia of Temecula will be another gateway for customers to experience the DCH Way of doing business, which puts their needs ahead of all others.”
Kia is the fastest growing automotive brand in the world today posting double-digit growth in global sales almost monthly. Kia Motors America announced a unit sales increase of 18.4% over the same period last year and a year-to-date sales growth of 37.4%, beating its previous annual sales total in less than nine months. The US-built Sorento and the Optima lead sales; the new 5-door Rio and the 40-mpg Optima Hybrid are expected to continue that momentum. The Kia Sportage is growing in popularity as a small but sporty SUV alternative. Kia is the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.”
This is the DCH Auto Group’s 28th dealership, 13th in California and fourth in Temecula. Kia of Temecula is located on Ynez Road, situated among the other three DCH dealerships: Acura, Honda, and Dodge-Jeep-Chrylser.
Reader Comments(0)