Dealer to open showroom for BMW in Nairobi

UK-based luxury car dealer Inchcape Plc is set to open Kenya’s first BMW-dedicated showroom in Nairobi, upping competition for high-end vehicles.

The firm, which took over the BMW franchise from Simba Corporation beginning January, says it is setting up a double-storey showroom for the German car brand at Westlands Delta Corner.

Inchcape Kenya marketing manager Charity Mutunga said that on completion, the showroom is expected to give the firm sufficient space to display extensively. “Having taken BMW dealership as from January 2019, the new facility will offer our customers a bespoke showroom experience to view and interact with our range of exceptional BMW models,” said Ms Mutunga.

“We want to serve BMW customers better and then ensure we give our premium customers a truly premium experience, including after-sales service.”

This will be a change in strategy given that its predecessor was offering sales and service for BMW along that of other brands in one location. Currently, Inchcape relies on a shared service centre for BMW and Jaguar land rover at Nairobi’s Enterprise Road.

The UK multinational will also hot up competition with rivals DT Dobie which sells Mercedes Benz and Porsche Centre Nairobi. It represents Jaguar and Land Rover both as distributor and retailer in 12 markets on four continents.

Kenya is Inchcape’s second market in Africa after Ethiopia where it deals in several brands, including Toyota and Hino. The multinational sells several vehicle brands like Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Audi and BMW in 31 countries.

As at the end of June last year, sales of BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover models stood at 74 units or 54 percent of the total 137 sold in the industry.

Change in local car dealership has been rising in the recent past where automakers are constantly reviewing their franchises.

DT Dobie took over the Volkswagen dealership from CMC even as it lost Nissan franchise to Crown Motors while GM terminated Isuzu EA’s sale of Chevrolet cars.