Two General Motors Dealers in Kenya Named GM International Grandmasters

Two dealers from Kenya became 2016 GM International (GMI) Grandmasters in Barcelona, Spain, this week. The two were Thika Motor Dealers (TMD) represented by George Wambugu and Kenya Coach Industries (KCI) represented by Narain Sokhi. They were among the 124 individuals in the region who received GM’s highest honor for its dealerships.
Now in its 13th year, the GMI Grandmasters program was created to reward GM’s best of the best dealers in the region for their excellence. Winners are selected based on vehicle and parts sales, service, customer satisfaction and facility standards. They are judged on both the quantity and the quality of their operations.
General Motors East Africa (GMEA) was founded in 1975 as a joint venture between the Government of Kenya and General Motors Company. GMEA started assembling vehicles in 1977 and is the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the East African region. Its manufacturing plant in Nairobi assembles a wide range of Isuzu trucks and buses, and also retails fully built Chevrolet passenger vehicles. The company has since inception assembled over 70,000 units
“Now, more than ever, we need high-performing business partners who are passionate about winning to sell and service our vehicles,” said GM Executive Vice President and President of GM International Stefan Jacoby. “Nobody knows our brands, products or customers better than our dealers. That is why we regard them as a critical part of our team.”
Read: China Automakers Might not Expand due to Weakening Demand
Rita Kavashe, GM East Africa’s Managing Director said, “Our dealers are playing an important role in building our Chevrolet and Isuzu brands and supporting our sales in Kenya. Like GM, our Grandmasters are putting the customer at the center of everything they do and building a culture to win. Their outstanding performance has set the standard for our entire network.”
During this year’s Grandmasters program, which began on May 8, GM provided participants an update on its business and its exciting plans for the future. It also showed dealers some of the products that are being launched across GMI markets in 2016 as well as in the coming years. The program concluded on May 11 with a gala dinner for all participants.
GMI announced that next year, the Grandmasters will progress to a more intimate, market-specific format. GM will continue to recognize elite dealers in each market as GM International Grandmasters, while encouraging and rewarding strong, high-performing teams. It will also launch the GM International President’s Club, an exclusive team of 10-15 dealers from across the region who will have the opportunity to truly influence the company’s business by sharing their input with GM’s leadership team.
The company is currently commanding market dominance in Kenya’s motor industry having led in the new vehicle segment for four years in a row since 2012, achieving a market share of 33.4% by end of 2015. This is a testimony to customer confidence in its brands and excellent aftersales service. With the financial and technical support resources behind it, GMEA is well established to meet customers’ needs through an extensive dealer network (Sales, Parts and Service) in all the major towns in East Africa.
Article by Amina Mbuthia.
About Soko Directory Team
Soko Directory is a Financial and Markets digital portal that tracks brands, listed firms on the NSE, SMEs and trend setters in the markets eco-system.Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/SokoDirectory and on Twitter: twitter.com/SokoDirectory
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