Big Success for local dealer.

Celebrating 30 YEARS with a record breaking YEAR!!

 "2008 was a traumatic year, the future outlook was uncertain, business was tougher the norm, the start of a recession to contend with but worse than all that, no Tony Baines. We had also invested in a new After sales site" said John

 "Tony was demanding boss, he set high standards but he was always up front and true to his word, I learnt a lot from him. Although up for the challenge and confident with the fantastic team we have, I was not relishing a future without him" 

"But on the back of this bleak picture things went from strength to strength.  2009, 2010 and 2011 each have been record breaking years. Massive growth in turnover, winning many new customers on the way and we have never sold so many cars both new and used! 

Why is this? John explained

 "Well the main thing about our recent success is KIA, now a fabulous range of cars as technically competent as any manufacturer but also now look fantastic too. All this was beyond our imagination when we started with KIA in 2002. KIA is looking to improve all the time, as both a car maker but also a customer pleaser. KIA is now accepted as a very savvy purchase, with consumer guides full of praise,  it is a car maker on the up and with 7 year warranty across the range it is also unique"

 "We are a human, warm and flexible company. We don't process people, we try and find out what our customers want, the way they would like it and we try to match those expectations. We have many long term relationships which we greatly value and I am always make myself available to customers, I think it helps and it's good for me too. We try to make customers experience as hassle free as possible. Happy customers bring more sales so it is our most cost effective way to market. We offer no mind games,no hard sell, just a straight forward service, a bit of humour and kindness helps too".

 "And because of this we operate in a relaxed environment which is enjoyable and stress free, this is a great thing for all visitors and staff". 

"We receive dozens of notes, postcards and letters thanking us for our service and I think that is because people find it a relief to have a pleasant experience they were probably not anticipating". 

"With a full month to go 2011 has been another record breaking year on used cars, in 30 years trading it has been our best ever year, every month has seen used car business grow. A massive contribution to this has been the KIA approved used programme, being able to sell Soul, Ceed, Rio etc models with 0% APR representative finance with warranty back to the full 7 years with a saving on new has enticed many new customers. Consumer guides have endorsed the KIA offer as the best available on what is already a fabulous product    ". 

 For more information contact John Waite Longley Park Motors The Triangle Paddock Huddersfield HD1 4RU 01484 515505

Merry Xmas from our showroom at Paddock

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Longley Park KIA December 2011

 

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News from the manufacturer More accolades for the fantastic KIA Brand Picanto and Schreyer - a prize pair for Kia in the Top Gear awards! The Kia Picanto and the brand"s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer have picked up a brace of honours in the BBC Top Gear Magazine annual awards. The Picanto has been named Bargain of the Year and Schreyer was selected as one of the Men of the Year in the awards issue, out today - 30 November 2011. Picanto has been showered with awards since its launch in June this year and BBC Top Gear Magazine said of the car: "Finally, here"s a Korean supermini that you might choose over, say, a Fiat 500. You want a bargain? The car we have here is a touch over 10 grand, but you can have one for under eight. That"s two grand less than the cheapest Cinquecento, and - for our money - the better car. "This is the Picanto, our Bargain Car of the Year, a fluorescent metaphor for South Korea"s journey from the havoc of wartime to economic enormity. A prime example of how this place is spooking big businesses, not just with cheap substitutes, but with properly desirable stuff, from smartphones to tellies to cars," it added. Peter Schreyer - the man behind the team that created the Picanto"s strong identity - was selected for his clear design leadership at Kia. The commendation said:"Good design is basically about creating products people want to buy. Peter Schreyer has presided over that process at Kia with impressive fortitude and skill." Schreyer commented: "I am hugely honoured by BBC Top Gear"s generosity both to me and, more importantly, to our Picanto. I have said before that it is incredibly rare for a designer to be given a clean sheet of paper when joining a company - but I think with this award, the bravery of that decision has clearly paid off! "Top Gear is famous around the world as probably the most independently minded magazine staffed with car enthusiasts who are not afraid to say what they think - so this award truly excites every one of us within Kia," he added. The full story behind the awards can be read in the BBC Top Gear Magazine Awards issue that has hit the news-stands today, November 30. Ends For further information on Kia, please visit www.kiapressoffice.com or contact: Stephen Kitson Communications Director Direct dial 01932 832075 E-mail Matthew Bendall Press Officer Direct dial 01932 832073 E-mail Sara Drummond-Bell Press Officer Direct dial 01932 832072 E-mail Carly Escritt Press Officer (Press Fleet) Direct dial 01932 832071 E-mail Millie Allen Press Office Assistant Direct dial 01932 832079 E-mail 30 November 2011 Click on the thumbnail(s) below to view a high-res downloadable image. Kia Picanto - BBC Top Gear Magazine"s Bargain of the Year! Peter Schreyer - Chief Design Officer

 

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Factory News Kia"s alternative green fuel developments Towards the end of 2010, Kia was one of seven manufacturers to sign an agreement to make hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) vehicles commercially available by the middle of this decade. The car that is regarded as a panacea for a zero-emissions future - one that can make its own electricity on the move, cover long distances between refuelling and emit no CO2 - is coming. Hydrogen cars are just one strand in Kia"s alternative-fuel strategy, however. Hybrids are already in production for some markets, and will soon appear in others. Additional hybrids are currently under development. Battery-electric vehicles are on the way, too. Alternative-fuel vehicles are nothing new to Kia. Work on them has been going on for more than 20 years. Kia produced its first electric vehicle (EV) - based on the Besta van - as long ago as 1986, and an electric version of the Sportage in 1999. Electric vehicles are best suited to short journeys mainly in towns, where their limited range is not an issue and their charging infrastructure is most likely to be found. The three-seater Pop concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show gives clues to the company"s thinking. Hybrids, which have a small electric motor for limited low-speed urban journeys and a fossil-fuel engine for highway driving, are an interim solution on the way to the long-distance zero-emissions car, and here, too, Kia is well advanced. As long ago as 2005 the company put a pilot fleet of Rio hybrids on trial to test the technology. At the 2010 Los Angeles International Auto Show, Kia revealed a petrol-electric hybrid version of the new Optima saloon, which is now on sale in both the USA and Korea. It has a 2.4-litre petrol engine and a 30kW electric motor driving through a hybrid-specific six-speed automatic gearbox. Uniquely among current hybrids, it has a lithium-ion polymer battery which is 30% lighter than the nickel-metal hydride systems in rivals, but has a higher energy density. It can accelerate to more than 60mph on battery power alone. In Korea, an unusual hybrid system running on a mixture of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and battery power has been available for in the Forte saloon, a car similar to the European cee"d hatchback. It is powered by a conventional 1.6-litre engine converted to run on LPG and a 15kW electric motor, and though it is unable to run on electric power alone, this combination is sufficient to bring CO2 emissions down to 94g/km. In May 2011 Kia announced plans to offer an LPG hybrid version of the new Picanto, too. However, Kia is putting its faith in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as the answer to long-distance mobility with zero tailpipe emissions. Fuel cells work by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a complex metal box knows as a fuel stack. A chemical reaction creates electricity, with pure water as the only waste by-product. The trouble is, fuel stacks are extremely expensive and in most countries there is currently no hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Both problems are now being solved, however. Fuel stacks are now becoming cheaper as development makes them smaller and less dependent on precious metals, and enlightened countries like Korea are starting to establish a hydrogen fuel station network. Kia developed its first FCEV in 2003, based on the Sportage, and has now advanced the technology close to the production-ready stage in the Borrego, a large SUV. It can cover more than 500 miles on a tank of hydrogen, and manages the equivalent of 54mpg. Kia has not yet decided which model in its range will be the first to go on sale with a fuel cell, but it has committed to start building limited numbers of FCEVs and aims to have them commercially available by 2015. Ends For further information on Kia, please visit www.kiapressoffice.com   Click on the thumbnail(s) below to view a high-res downloadable image. The Kia Borrego Hydrogen Fuel Cell model covers over 500 miles on a single tank of hydrogen The Kia Borrego Hydrogen Fuel Cell model covers over 500 miles on a single tank of hydrogen The POP - Kia"s concept electric vehicle first shown at Paris Motorshow 2010 The Kia Optima Hybrid - on sale in the US and Korea The Kia Optima Hybrid - on sale in the US and Korea

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More Factory News Kia"s green technology advancements

In 2009 a new word entered the Kia lexicon: EcoDynamics. In just 11 characters it sums up Kia"s intention to continue to make cars which are fun to drive, practical, appealing and good value while reducing their impact on the environment. And with the all-new Rio it will reach a remarkable high. EcoDynamics is a green umbrella for a wide range of technologies. Ultimately it will lead to alternative-fuel cars with zero tailpipe emissions, a process that is already well advanced. Kias with electrified drive trains will be emerging as early as 2012 and already the company has its first hybrid on sale in some markets, based on the new Optima. But the biggest impact will come about through radical improvements to the economy and emissions of cars with petrol and diesel engines, which will continue to be the dominant power source for at least the next two decades. More fuel-efficient cars do not come about by accident. They require huge investment in new engines, transmissions, materials and technologies. Efficiency has to be designed in from the start, so it is with the new Rio featuring an advanced three-cylinder diesel delivering up to 88.3 mpg whilst being the cleanest internal combustion engine in the world, emitting just 85g/km of CO2. In 2008-09, when the world was reeling in the aftermath of the global banking collapse, Kia made the decision to invest heavily in a range of sleeker, lighter cars with advanced new powertrains and state-of-the-art fuel-saving technologies. Soon afterwards the revised cee"d appeared with an Intelligent Stop & Go (ISG) system to stop the engine when the car is stationary in traffic and restart it again when the driver is ready to move off. Manual versions also advise the driver of the most fuel-efficient points to upshift. These features have appeared on selected versions of almost every Kia launched since. Together, they can achieve fuel savings of 10-15%. Every new model seems to be accompanied by the introduction of smaller and more fuel-efficient engines. The 2009 Sorento saw the arrival of the R family of turbo diesels, plus a world-class six-speed automatic transmission; the Venga featured a smaller, 1.4-litre version of Kia"s European-made U2 diesel; for the Sportage, a 1.7-litre U2 diesel was added plus Kia"s first direct-injection petrol engine - a 1.6 belonging to the Gamma family; and the latest Picanto has new 1.0- and 1.25-litre Kappa family engines. A turbocharged version of the 1.0 was displayed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, and is scheduled to start appearing in various models in 2012. And the all-new Rio has a 1.1 CRDi engine capable of 85g/km CO2. In every case, lower CO2 emissions have been achieved at the same time as greater performance. Gasoline direct-injection (GDi) petrol engines will continue this process. The recently launched Soul facelift has a 1.6 GDi engine with increased power output and better emissions. The Optima, a car which has yet to come to the UK, was introduced in the USA with a 2.0-litre GDi turbo engine delivering V6 performance without the fuel penalty. It is only a start to what Kia has in mind. Kia is also working on a double-clutch transmission to deliver the convenience of an automatic with even better fuel economy than a manual. And it has developed its own continuously variable transmission for hybrid vehicles, which is cutting fuel consumption by 7% compared with a conventional automatic. The company has set itself the target of making its entire range 10% lighter by 2015, which would bring about a 3.2% reduction in fuel consumption. Lightweight materials will replace steel where it is feasible, and the number of parts will be reduced. The kind of detailed thinking that Kia designers are applying is seen to good effect in the case for the air conditioning unit in the Optima. It is made of glass bubbles rather than polypropylene and is therefore 10% lighter. An Active Eco system that deters unnecessary acceleration by restricting engine torque in certain circumstances is under development, as is a Smart Cruise Control that can brake and accelerate the car as well as maintain a set speed. Both are showing promising fuel consumption improvements. And just to show that fuel-saving need not be po-faced, Kia"s engineers have developed a system that rates how efficiently you are driving on a scale of zero to eight. Reach eight and a flower symbol appears on the dashboard. Maintain that over a period of time and the flower becomes a bouquet. Ends For further information on Kia, please visit www.kiapressoffice.com

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The Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi is capable of achieving 85g/km CO2
EcoDynamics - the green technology name for Kia cars

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July 2011

The Highest Possible Recommendation?

How times change for Longley Park KIA!

In 2003 Technician Michael Flowers handed in his notice at Longley Park Motors, to pursue his career with the SKODA brand, by his own admission he thought Longley Park had made the wrong choice when changing to the KIA brand, Tony Baines our Managing Director, did try and persuade him differently, assuring him that KIA at Longley Park had a bright future... Much to everyones disappointment, he left.

7 years on he came back to Longley Park Motors. Michael was amazed by the positive progress KIA Motors had made. Not only was he back to work on KIA, so impressed by the quality, the new designs (he works on them everyday) and the 7 year warranty he put his name down to take delivery of a top of the range KIA Sportage! 

Michael takes great pride and care with his own and of course our customers vehicles. We take it as a massive compliment that with all his knowledge and research skills he chose a new KIA.

Michael pictured, a few quid lighter, taking delivery of his KX3 4X4.

How times change eh? And how Tony Baines would be smiling now, he was right, he usually was! 

 

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New for July 2011.... All new Kia Picanto launched with fantastic value servicing package

• Launch of the Kia Care-3 and Kia Care-3 Plus Service Package on new Picanto

• Kia Care-3 is just £259 including VAT
• Kia Care-3 Plus, £499 including VAT

The all new Kia Picanto which went on sale on Friday 17^th June, is the first Kia vehicle to be available with the company's new all inclusive national servicing package. Customers can now add a three or five year service package to a Picanto purchase. 

The Care-3 package is just £259 including VAT, which covers the first three services - either 36 months or 30,000 miles or the Care-3 Plus package is just £499 including VAT which covers the first five services - either 60 months or 50,000 miles. 

These packages are not just excellent value for money, they offer a fixed cost and inflation proof servicing for the full three or five years. All work will be carried out by trained product technicians, using genuine Kia replacement parts and specified oils. After the Care-3 package or Care-3 Plus package is complete, the vehicle will have a full service history.

Customers can purchase the Care-3 or Care-3 Plus service package after the vehicle has been collected - customers have 45 days after initial registration to add this. If a customer wishes to retain the Picanto after three years and originally only had the Care-3 package, a top up can be added for £275 including VAT, to extend the package to the full five years. 

The Care-3 and Care-3 Plus package stays with the car, so is fully transferable to another customer. If a second owner would like the five year service package - on a vehicle with a Care-3 package, the new owner can top-up this package to cover the next two years.

 

Customers opting to buy a new Picanto with Kia Financial Services, can also pay for the Care-3 or Care-3 Plus service package within this agreement.

 

John Waite Managing Director at Longley Park Motors " I am really pleased with this new KIA initiative, and it’s a real cost saver for customers. We want the our brand to stand for more than just delivering great products with great quality and a 7 year warranty; we want Kia to be known as a brand that stands for delivering value for money service excellence. Picanto is a fantastic product and this package allows buyers to guarantee the lowest possible service costs throughout their ownership."

 

Further commenting on the all NEW Picanto John added “It is our 30^th anniversary and we are having another fantastic year. We are really excited about new products and developments from KIA motors, it just goes on and on! As for the new Picanto itself, for a small car it is setting completely new standards in this market sector. We are thrilled with the launch and would invite all local motorists for a no obligation, try for yourself, informal test drive this weekend the 2^nd and 3^rd of July, all in the usual Longley Park style”  

 

For further information contact John Waite and the sales team on 01484 515505

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March 2011

Another record KIA sales month to celebrate our first 30years  

It is 30 years since we opened our doors at the bottom of Somerset Road as a Lada Agent. Tony Baines my Stepfather started the business on the 1st of March 1981. We have seen many Dealerships come and go in Huddersfield and hopefully with your continued support we will continue to be successful in this great town.

Thank you John Waite Managing Director 

Longley Park 30 years time line

Vehicle Makers we have represented

Lada 1981 to 1995... Proton 1989 to 1998.. 1990 moved to Paddock..  Skoda 1996 to 2003.. Kia from 2002

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Our Kia Picanto....  The Most Reliable New Car in Britain!

Updated 01/09/2010

Not only is it good looking, fun to drive and just about the best value city car EVER.... The Kia Picanto has now been judged Britain's most reliable new car according to Which? magazine.

Which? Car has just published its annual reliability survey - the result of reports from Which? members - and Kia's oldest car, introduced in 2004, topped the list for reliability amongst cars up to three years old and was one of the Top Five in the four to eight years old category as well.

At Longley Park Motors we have sold over 1,000 Picanto models in the 6 years since introduction and since the introduction of 7year warranty it is quite simply a worry free package without equal. We always have a great selection of new and pre owned Picanto models starting from £3,000.. Always plenty in stock, great selection with a new Picanto from just £6,495 on the road or from only £5,695 on our KIA SWITCH scheme.  Call now for latest availability

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November 2010 ...

Another record month on NEW KIA and Used cars at Longley Park!

Records continue to be broken month on month.

Amazing but true, in 29 years of trading we have experienced the best and busiest November EVER. Testimony to KIA products, 7 year warranty, the popularity of the ALL NEW SPORTAGE as well as the rest of the KIA range. In a record used car month our best seller has been the the Ceed 5DR and SW on the KIA approved scheme. With 0% finance and warranty extended back to 7years and also 2 years recovery, this has proved an irrestible combination to many local motorists, this of course combined with huge savings on these models available up to 18 months old.

Another batch of KIA APPROVED Ceed models is due to be delivered to us anytime this week , so more great deals available in the run up to Xmas.

We managed to put the sold sign and delivered over 90 vehicles to local private and business motorists in this record month!!

A big thank you to all our customers old and new and also all our staff for such an amazing effort

Thank you

John Waite Managing Director   

 

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  7YEAR WARRANTY IS NOW STANDARD

We are pleased and proud to announce that 7 year, YES seven year warranty is now standard on all models

This fantastic, unrivalled cover is standard on all our new models from 1st January 2010...... Full details from us NOW

Click on this link for warranty NOW comparison chart.

http://dealers.kia.co.uk/longleypark/New-Cars/7-year-warranty/Warranty-Comparison-Table.aspx

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Kia records best ever UK January sales

Kia Motors (UK) Ltd., recorded its best-ever January sales with more than 5,000 vehicles delivered to customers during the first month of 2010. A total of 5,030 vehicles were registered during January - almost 200 per cent up compared to January last year and Kia"s market share for the month increased to 3.47 per cent - up from 1.52 per cent in 2009. Kia"s retail market performance was even more outstanding with the brand taking a 5.48 per cent share after delivering 3,548 units to private customers - more than four times the performance in January 2009 when the recession was at its deepest. The January 2010 performance also saw Kia climb into the Top Ten of retail brands. The marque"s Picanto city-car claimed third place in the A segment retail Top Ten and was seventh in all retail sales. Overall Kia climbed six places to become the 11th best-selling brand in the UK new car market. Michael Cole, Managing Director, said: "Only a month ago we were celebrating hitting a record sales total for Kia in 2009 of more than 50,000 units and we have continued that form into 2010. "I believe this shows that the brand is strengthening its position amongst retail buyers and even with the excellent support for the trade from the scrappage incentive it shows how strong our product appeal is to private motorists. Now with a seven year warranty right across our range, the launch of our stylish new Venga and an all-new flagship Sorento, I am convinced we will maintain that performance in 2010. "Of course the market will get a lot tougher once the scrappage scheme ends shortly, but Kia dealers are poised to build on our growing reputation as a provider of stylish, safe and thoroughly reliable products and we will be looking to grow our market share this year," he added. Kia"s last-highest January sales figure was in 2005 when the brand sold 2,477 units in what is traditionally a small sales month across most of the UK.

 

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Longley Park Golf Club meets Longley Park Motors!

Pictured collecting her Brand New Kia Ceed One in stunning white finish from our showroom recently is Mrs E Mason from our local golf club and namesake. Longley Park is a nine hole course, very close to the town centre. 

That's a hole for every year of warranty with 2 to spare! 

 

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NO 1 for Yorkshire & NO 4 for KIA in the UK!

For 2008 Longley Park Motors has been voted the number 1 in Yorkshire in customer satisfaction excellence awards, awarded to the top performing dealer for customer excellence by Kia Motors UK. The criteria for the customer satisfaction excellence award is for the dealership with the highest combined sales and aftersales customer service index (CSI) , These results are taken from real customer survey reports from over 130 dealers in the UK!!!.

Whether you are thinking of buying a Kia, looking at a Kia or having your Kia serviced or any warranty attention... Then you can rest assured that LOCAL KIA Motorists truly rate  Longley Park Motors....@ NUMBER 1 in Yorkshire... NUMBER 4 in the UK

We are very proud of this accolade!

It means YOU get a better deal with better service. And you get looked after!  

So change to LONGLEY PARK NOW and change the way you drive...FOREVER!

 

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 NO JOKE……

During February and March 2009 Longley Park Motors and customers through various activities have raised and donated £1000 to the charity “Comic Relief”. Various RED NOSE activities were undertaken, which included competitions, charity car wash and a £700 donation from the company itself. 

Kia Motors is the first car manufacturer to be a supporting partner to Comic Relief. Kevin Cahill CEO of the Red Nose Charity has stated that every penny raised by Longley Park Motors will help transform people’s lives across the UK and Africa. 

Talking about the fundraising activities At Longley Park, John Waite Managing Director of the Paddock based Kia Dealer commented. 

“We have had a plenty of interest and support in fundraising from existing customers and also lots of showroom activity with the launch of the All New KIA Soul. Recent news over the last 6 months has made it difficult to remain truly confident so it is remarkable that business and fundraising has remained so positive. We have done what we can to help and really hope that this money will make a difference to the people who really need it”  

John reports that despite the continuing economic gloom business at Longley Park Motors is brisk “Sales of NEW KIA CARS in Huddersfield, particularly in January and March have been very good, better than 2008 and because we specialise in the more budget conscious sector of the NEW and USED car market, means the outlook for 2009 is very positive” 

This is the first event of its kind the dealership has been associated with in its 28 year history. 

"So a big thank you to all you kind spirited customers who have made this possible" 

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 GBR Coach goes for another Kia!

Australian Tony has run a Kia Sorento for the last 4 years and Longley Park Motors are delighted to continue the association. He certainly knows all about winning teams!  

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 Student from Huddersfield wins brand new Kia Picanto

Everyone’s a winner!  

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 Kia Cee'd winner at Longley Park Motors

Kia is very proud of the cee’d and is continuing to show this by extending the cee’d family with two new members the cee’d sw, to be launched in September, and the three door pro_cee’d, set to be launched early next year.  Being the first Kia that is built in Europe, for the European market, the cee’d marks an extraordinary turning point for Kia and wanted to promote its new cars to consumers who wouldn’t ordinarily consider the brand. 

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