Two weeks ago, we found out that Kia was moving to a principal-led model in Malaysia with the establishment of Kia Sales Malaysia (KSM), and now that company has been officially launched at an event in Bamboo Hills on Wednesday. Taking over from the previous distributor, the Bermaz-owned Dinamikjaya Motors, the firm formally introduced its leadership consisting of president and CEO Hyung Ho Kim and managing director Emily Lek.
At the event, KSM unveiled its plan to “Be Unstill”, promising to bring the Korean brand back into relevance. Having made a splash in the late 2000s thanks to models like the Forte, Kia began to struggle in the local market in the mid-2010s, as the brand’s move upmarket, coupled with low resale values and sluggish product rollouts, caused buyers to retreat to more familiar Japanese rivals.
This trend continued in the 2020s with the rise of value-focused Chinese brands – a phenomenon that Lek ironically played a big role in, having been instrumental in establishing Omoda & Jaecoo Malaysia as a major force as its vice president. Now playing for the Korean team, she will help KSM achieve sustainable growth through “innovation and enhancing customer experiences.”
The company’s strategy will focus of three main pillars – Return, Rebuild and Reposition. The first phase of reentry has already begun, with a marketing strategy that takes on consumer skepticism head on by answering the question, “Why Kia?” Next, KSM intends to rebuild its dealer network “beyond hardware and
infrastructure,” with a clear goal of enhancing customer peace of mind.
Lastly, the company will be repositioning its lineup by selecting new products that suit the needs of the Malaysian market. It did not provide any details of what those cars would be, but the company did showcase Dinamikjaya’s existing lineup such as the Carnival and Sportage, with the notable exception of the Sorento. Also notable is the inclusion of the EV9, in stark contrast to sister company Hyundai Motor Malaysia (HMY) deciding not to offer EVs for the time being.
Lek took the opportunity to introduce the rest of KSM’s leadership team, many of which she has worked with in her near two-decade stint in the industry, including in various roles at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM). These include director of government relations and product Hafiz Zaim, general manager of sales Victor Chan, general manager of ownership (i.e. aftersales) Rafhan Saiah, general manager of marketing Vince Yeoh, and general manager of channel Phang Chee Wei.
That Kia is only now choosing to manage Malaysian sales directly is surprising, given that it has long established its Asia-Pacific headquarters here. Its APAC arm operates in 33 countries – including ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand – and runs six subsidiaries across the region, of which KSM is one of them. Another is Kia Malaysia (KMSB), which manages CKD local assembly at the Inokom plant in Kulim, Kedah.
Established on November 3, KSM will begin distributorship operations on January 1, 2026. The company will fulfil all orders up to November 30, and all Kia service centres will continue to operate during the transition from Dinamikjaya. However, all orders will be paused during the month of December.
“Our target is to grow at a sustainable pace for the long term,” said Hyung Ho Kim. “For us, it’s not so much about being the fastest growing brand; rather, it’s more about being a brand that cares about our customers, our dealers and the Malaysian automotive segment.”
Lek added, “It is an extremely exciting time for us right now as we reenter the Malaysian market as a standalone entity. No longer represented by a distributor, the brand is now led by the principal with full control over our voice, values and vision. With strong systems and a clear plan in place, we are ready to bring back the true Kia brand experience.”
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