There soon will be another alternative for district car buyers in the market for something not made by the “Big Three.”
Borderland Esso in Emo will be holding the grand opening of its new Kia dealership this Friday and Saturday—complete with a barbecue on Saturday and display of the newest models from Korea.
“The cars are coming in this week” said Borderland Esso owner Dave Goodman. “The official opening is on Nov. 8, when the weather will be nice—we hope.”
There will be free hamburgers, courtesy of M&M Meats in Fort Frances, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday to help celebrate the launch of the newest car dealership in Rainy River District.
Goodman didn’t just leap into this. He said he put in a lot time looking at both the product and the market before embarking on this new venture, and he’s confident it will pay off.
“I did a lot research and it seems to me Kia offers the best value,” he remarked. “It gives an alternative to the traditional ‘Big Three.’ When I look around the area, I see a lot of imported cars, which says there’s a market.”
Established in 1944, Kia is the oldest vehicle manufacturer in Korea. The company is owned by the same parent corporation as Hyundai and, says Goodman, it has established an impressive record for quality and reliability.
Kia Motors maintains three production plants and three R&D centres in Korea. The Namyang R&D research centre is the central hub for all engineering efforts and, according to Goodman, it is rated as one of the top 10 automotive R&D centres in the world.
Kia Motors employs 3,000 people and produces 1.15 million units annually. And its line of compacts, sub-compacts, sedans, vans, and SUVs are backed by the most comprehensive warranty in the automotive business.
“Every unit has a five-year, 100,000-km warranty,” assured Goodman. “That extends from bumper to bumper.”
Borderland Esso will be working closely with K-Sports Kia in Kenora, which already has an established dealership. “The marketing and retailing will be run through K-Sports,” noted Goodman.
“Kia was looking for remote-source servicing, so because I had already been researching this, we’ll be selling them, too,” he added.
The Emo dealership only will have a few Kia vehicles on display at any one time, but it also will serve as a maintenance and servicing centre. And that, says Goodman, fits nicely with his plans.
So if Goodman doesn’t have exactly what you’re looking for, he get it for you the next day.
“If you see one of our units, but want it in a different colour, say, all it takes is a phone call and we can have the one you want brought down from Kenora,” he noted.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
