East Malaysia is truck country and with the Ford Ranger as its core model, Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC) has made sure it has a good presence there to offer one of the best trucks in the market.
Over the years, the company, which has been the sole distributor for Ford vehicles in Malaysia since 2008, has steadily built up its network in the region and recently added another dealership in Sabah. With this new dealership SDAC-Ford now has 37 outlets nationwide.
Operated by Rightpower Corporation Sdn Bhd, Ford Kota Kinabalu (Penampang) is the second Ford 3S Centre in the state capital and the eighth outlet in East Malaysia.
Aftersales support is an important part of customer satisfaction and that means ensuring that required parts for maintenance or repair are readily available at service centres. With the growing number of owners in Sarawak, Proton has set up a new Regional Parts Centre (RPC) in the state capital of Kuching to ensure that the service centres can get parts quickly.
The new 28,000 sq. ft RPC has over 3 times the storage capacity of the facility in use before. It will distribute parts not only to outlets in Sarawak but also Sabah, which also has a large Proton vehicle population.
Although sales in the East Malaysian markets account for only 5% of Honda sales in Malaysia (January to September 2022), the attention given is no different from that in Peninsular Malaysia. Periodically, new dealersips are opened to expand the network or existing dealerships are upgraded to provide more services to customers.
The latest development is in Sarawak, where a new Honda 3S centre has been opened in the state capital of Kuching, bringing the total number of dealerships in East Malaysia to 14.
Operated by Northmont Capital Sdn. Bhd., the dealership is situated in Petra Jaya, an area which is easily accessible for customers residing in the many residential areas to the north and south of the Sarawak River.
Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd recently had an official opening of its very first medium and heavy-duty (MHD) truck dealership in East Malaysia. Located in Kuching, Sarawak, this new MHD truck dealership is operated by Dai Max Automobile Sdn Bhd.
The dealership has 3S status, meaning it offers customers sales, service and spare parts. As its location is near industrial areas, it is readily accessible to many truck drivers whenever they require attention for their vehicles.
“We are very excited with the opening of Isuzu Malaysia’s first MHD truck dealership in Kuching which underscores our commitment to expanding our customer reach in this part of Malaysia, as well as strengthening our aftermarket services and maximising our customers’ satisfaction and trust in us,” said Koji Nakamura, CEO of Isuzu Malaysia, during the official opening ceremony.
“This dealership is designed to deliver exceptional sales and service experience to meet the needs of our customers throughout the region. With a large facility combined with a convenient location, it will definitely enable us to serve our East Malaysian customers better, thus contributing to their business productivity,” added Mr. Nakamura.
The premises of the new dealership cover roughly 3,000 square metres, with the service centre area taking up about 650 square metres. Dai Max Automobile took about 5 years to complete the new dealership which is built according to the latest service centre design. Its facilities allow easy manoeuvring of trucks for service or repair.
In addition, there are three extra bays for light commercial vehicles and light-duty vehicles, plus two extra bays for MHD trucks. The dealership also has ample parking spaces and efficient workshop layout for trucks that are waiting to be inspected.
The team of well-trained and skilled technicians use Isuzu’s latest diagnostic tools for all maintenance work. They always aim to minimise truck downtime so as to increase business efficiency for vehicle owners.
Amenities such as family-friendly customer lounge, prayer room and complimentary snacks and beverages are available for truck drivers to enjoy before they hit the road again once the truck is ready.
One of the latest Isuzu trucks available in Malaysia.
“With this new MHD truck dealership, our aim is to focus on potential customers, strengthening our team’s product knowledge and technical skills to support Isuzu Malaysia in achieving growth in this region. Through product innovation, quality service and people, we will be able to create new capabilities to provide the best support for our customers,” Mr. Nakamura promised.
“We will do this by providing competitive pricing for parts and technical services to exceed our customers’ expectations. This will eventually connect to fleet and parts sales, attract new fleet customers and create strong product and brand awareness,” he said.
The new dealership brings the total number of Isuzu MHD dealerships to 11, with 10 strategically located around Peninsular Malaysia.
