retail operations Archives

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) to consolidate business operations and become sole importer and dealer

Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (JLRM), a joint venture between Sime Darby Motors and SISMA Auto since 2014, will consolidate and strengthen Jaguar Land Rover retail business operations making it the sole importer and dealer in Malaysia.

The move will see the acquisition of dealer assets and transfer of staff from both Sime Darby Auto ConneXion and SISMA Auto and the consolidation of its central business operations into the Jaguar and Land Rover Dealership at Ara Damansara, Selangor. This outlet is currently the largest Jaguar Land Rover 4S facility within the South-East Asia region. JLRM, will also be operating its retail operations located in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Penang.

According to Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia, this is part of its ambitious plan to improve service capabilities and drive long-term growth for the brand. JLRM’s consolidation exercise will put the company in a stronger position to serve its customers, whilst optimising retail and distribution costs, as well as overheads.

“This consolidation will be a positive move towards better operational efficiency with elevated levels of premium services which will help drive long-term growth for the company. These measures will leverage on the company’s vast experience and accumulated knowhow through the decades to strengthen its processes and deliver more value to our customers,” he added.

JLRM expects this consolidation to continue to elevate customer experiences, differentiating it from the mass premium brands. Together with digitalization initiatives, it plans to invest more on technology and will increasingly deploy digitalisation over the next few years to improve its service capacity to deliver top-notch services to its customers.

The joint venture between SISMA Auto and Sime Darby Motors brings together more than 60 years of cumulative experience in the automotive business. Both entities have been credited with outstanding performances by securing top positions in the Retailer of the Year Award 2020/21 title for their superlative service and dedication to customers.

Tuan Syed Ahmad Muzri said customers can expect more luxurious and convenient services from Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia. “Those who wish to join the Jaguar and Land Rover family will find even more value and options, available at the 167,586 sq.ft. Ara Damansara facility which houses both new and approved Jaguar Land Rover pre-owned vehicles under one roof,” he said.

*JLRM’s business includes the sale of pre-owned models, and the available stocks can be checked online at the company’s website.*

JLRM will continue to invest heavily in training to grow the number of Jaguar Land Rover Master level 4 Technicians and Electric Vehicle Technology Certified Technicians in ensuring owners get the most from their vehicles. Sales and service advisors are also trained according to Jaguar Land Rover standards so that customers will always feel confident and secure as part of their purchase and ownership experiences.

Service Outreach programmes will also be curated to bring coverage to the southern region of Johore Bahru whilst it assumes retail coverage of the Northern region via its outlet in Penang Island.

*The New Land Rover Defender was launched in Malaysia this week.*

*All-electric I-PACE is one of the models that Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia will have in its showrooms.*

As for product offerings, there will be new models in the near future from both the Land Rover and Jaguar brands. These include the Jaguar F-Pace SUV, XF Executive Sedan and I-Pace all-electric performance SUV. From Land Rover, there will be the Defender 90 following the recent launch of the New Defender 110 and an all-new Range Rover (to be revealed tomorrow).

For more information on models available in Malaysia and the locations of showrooms to view them, visit www.landrover.com.my or www.jaguar.com.my.

The Land Rover Defender – Past and Present

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Lexus Mutiara Damansara transferred to dealer to manage

Besides its Toyota branches around Malaysia, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) is also transferring its Lexus retail operations to dealers. Although this may seem something new to Malaysians, dealers are usually the ones who manage retail outlets in other countries. It’s only in Malaysia that distributors have established their own branches to do retail as well and it goes back many decades. Back in the 1960s, only the large distributors had the money so they started the retail outlets themselves and the trend remained for a long time.

The Lexus Centre in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, has been transferred to Hiewa Auto Gallery (Lexus) Sdn Bhd. This outlet was the first official Lexus outlet in Malaysia when it was opened over 10 years ago.

By transferring retail responsibilities to dealers, UMWT will be able to increase intensity on high value-added upstream activities such as product development, marketing and dealer network support.

“It is essential for Lexus Malaysia to continue achieving high customer satisfaction standards,” said Lexus Malaysia President, Ravindran K. He gave assurance that the typically high quality of customer care that Lexus is well known for will be maintained.

“I am extremely excited about working even more closely with our dealers to achieve a shared vision for Lexus Malaysia, which is to develop the concept of ‘Best In Town’ that focuses more on one-to-one customer engagement. Although this arrangement signifies an important change for Lexus Malaysia, our customers should rest assured that our service will not be compromised but gets even better in the future” he added.

Information on the Lexus network of sales and aftersales locations in Malaysia can be found at lexus.com.my.

Revised Lexus pricelist with exemption of 5% Sales Tax

Two more UMW Toyota Motor branch outlets transferred to dealers

Over the past few years, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has been transferring its own branch outlets to dealers and other interested parties to take over retail operations. The move, as explained in October 2017, has been to enhance operation excellence.

UMWT would increase intensity on high value-added upstream activities such as product development, marketing and dealer network support, while the dealerships would have greater focus on customer-related activities.

The Malaysian car industry has been dominated by distributor-owned outlets for decade, somewhat different from other markets where dealerships are more independent. This new move departs from that business model and has been ongoing for UMWT.

Section 19 Toyota — *The 3S outlet at Section 19 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, is now operated by Laser Motor instead of UMWT.*

Two more of its branch outlets in the Klang Valley have been transferred to dealers with effect from today. The dealers are established companies with a long association with Toyota and UMWT. They are Laser Motor which takes over the Section 19 outlet in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and Fokus Sentral which takes over the outlet in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

“It is essential for UMWT to continue achieving high customer satisfaction standards,” said Ravindran Kurusamy, President of UMW Toyota Motor. “I am extremely excited about working even more closely with our dealers to realise a shared vision for UMWT, which is to promise the concept of ‘Best In Town’, meaning more focused one to one customer engagement. Although this arrangement signifies an important change for UMWT, our customers should rest assured that our service will not be compromised, but get even better in the future.”

Customer service — *For customers, the transition won’t make any difference and it will be ‘business as usual’.*

For UMWT’s significant customer base of Toyota owners, the change should have no effect – apart from the promise that things will be even better in coming years. In other words, it’s ‘business as usual’. The transition is seamless but allows for a strong entrepreneurial spirit to create more value that benefits the local economy. As businessmen, the dealers want to succeed and build their business so they will give their best efforts, which is of course good for Toyota owners.

Special financing package for graduates who wish to own a Toyota

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