This is the question being raised by many Kia owners in Malaysia since news broke that Naza Kia’s RED CUBE outlets have been closing down one by one.
Well, just two days ago we published an article that highlighted the closure of the very first Kia RED CUBE outlet in Malaysia which was located along the busy Federal Highway in Petaling Jaya. This article caused a lot of worry for current Kia owners in Malaysia, especially those who have purchased Kia vehicles in the past 4-5 years as their vehicles are still carrying a manufacturers warranty.
We spoke to a representative from Kia Malaysia and they assured us that warranties are all still very much intact and the Kia brand is still very much in Malaysia. Yes, Naza Kia is looking to consolidate its position as the brand guardian of Kia in Malaysia and Kia Malaysia is in ‘talks’ with a new brand guardian that is ready to move fast to revive the brand with new and exciting Kia models.
However, on the Naza Kia used car buy back program which was launched in November 2016, this might be an issue for Kia owners who valued the program.
Naza Kia introduced the Kia Value 5 program, which allowed eligible customers to trade in their vehicles after five years of ownership for a guaranteed future buy back value. For example, we know a 2017 Kia Cerato 2.0 owner (RM124,888) who now is worried about his RM44,000 buy back guarantee when we wants to sell his Cerato in two year’s time. This is a Naza Kia initiative for its customers and it is not a Kia Motors backed program. We are waiting for response from the team to confirm if this program will be taken up by the new Kia brand guardian or not.
PRESS RELEASE: “At the introductory stage, starting from Nov 1, 2016 until Dec 31, 2016, customers who purchase the All-New Kia Sportage and the All-New Kia Sorento at their KIA authorised sales outlet will be entitled to the Kia Value 5 programme,” the company said in a statement.
The programme is the first of its kind in Malaysia. In the same statement, the then Naza Corp Holdings Sdn Bhd automotive group chief operating officer said Kia vehicles have become synonymous with quality, design, technology and driver-friendly setups. “Through the Kia Value 5 program, we want to create robust Kia used car value by guaranteeing the future value prescribed ahead, to customers who may want to upgrade to a new Kia model in five years.
“As the only mass model brand in Malaysia giving this opportunity to our customers, it is also the first ever Guaranteed Future Value program without any exclusive tie-up with financial institutions.”
Also, the delay in launching the much talked about Kia Seltos crossover has got nothing to do with the above-mentioned issues and instead it is a selling price issue where negotiations are very much under way with the various Malaysian government departments and agencies to get a favorable selling price to challenge some rivals in the segment.
Meanwhile, current Kia dealers and after sales continue and there are ample spare parts and after sales specialists outside of the RED CUBE outlets to look after your Kia vehicle.
