Salesman named 12th Grand Master dealer of Kia Motors

Jeong Seong-man, a car dealer at Kia Motors, after winning the Grand Master award at BEAT360 in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Kia Motors

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jeong Seong-man, a car dealer at Kia Motors, has been named the 12th Grand Master of Kia Motors for selling over 4,000 vehicles since he joined the company in 1999.

Grand Master is Kia's recognition program for dealers who sell more than 4,000 vehicles.

The automaker measures many important factors including sales excellence, customer service satisfaction, after sales and delivery to assess the quality of a dealership.

Jeong, who works at Kia Motors' Ulsan branch in South Gyeongsang Province, sold 4,000 vehicles in 20 years and 7 months. This is equivalent to selling 190 cars a year, according to Kia.

“Jeong set a record of winning Grand Master in the shortest period of time compared with other winners,” a Kia Motors official said.

At the ceremony at BEAT360 in Seoul, Wednesday, Jeong expressed gratitude to his customers and the company.

“I have dedicated myself to providing better service and building trust with customers,” Jeong said. “I will continue to do my best to deliver Kia's differentiated values to our customers in the future.”

At the ceremony, he received a trophy and Kia's luxury K9 sedan as a prize.

Kia has been honoring outstanding dealers who set long-term sales records. A “Star” recognition is given to those who sell 2,000 cars, “Master” is awarded to those who sell 3,000 cars, “Grand Master” is granted to those who sell 4,000 cars and “Great Master” is given to those who sell 6,000 cars.

Apart from celebrating dealers who set long-term records, Kia Motors holds the annual Kia Star Awards to announce the No.1 car dealer.

The award system is intended to encourage car dealers and induce competition among branches across the nation, Kia said.

Kia Motors said its K7 large sedan is expected to post record sales this year, exceeding 57,000 vehicles by the end of 2019.

The company sold 5.48 million vehicles ― K3 compact cars, K5 midsize sedans and K7 and K9 large sedans ― from January to November this year.