Automotive dealerships in shopping malls are not exactly new, though they are not common. As far back as the 1970s, Asia Motors (then the Mazda distributor) had a small showroom in the old Asiajaya Complex (now Armada Hotel) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. In the 1980s, Tan Chong opened a small Nissan showroom in the Wilayah Complex in Jalan Dang Wangi in Kuala Lumpur. UMW Toyota Motor also had a showroom at the Mitsui Outlet Park near KLIA.
Of course, there are now many ‘temporary showrooms’ in shopping centres and we refer to the roadshows that many companies have. These events provide a lot of exposure for new models and even if there are no sales, there are many ‘leads’ which companies will try to convert into sales.
Now Harmony Auto, an automobile dealership group from China, is opening an outlet at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur and it will be the first 3S (sales, service and spare parts) outlet at a shopping centre.
Displaying cars is not an issue but having a service centre can be tricky as local authorities tend to set strict conditions to safeguard the environment. In particular, waste products like used oil must be properly disposed and there must be oil traps in the drainage system from the workshop. It is for this reason that car companies stopped having service centres in the city area and even service stations have limitations on the maintenance services they can offer.
Anyway, Harmony Auto must have obtained the necessary approvals to operate its 3S centre at the Hartamas Shopping Centre which will be for BYD, the EV brand which is fast-growing in the market. The company believes that the location is a good one to attract customers in the nearby Sri Hartamas and Mont Kiara residential areas.
“The location is ideal as it offers customers the convenience of shopping for BYD products and servicing their cars as well,” said Liang Xinyue, President of BYD Asia-Pacific. “The opening of the BYD Hartamas outlet in a mall not only brings new vitality to the Malaysian market but also injects new momentum into introducing Malaysia’s green travel.”
The outlet will cover about 8,000 sq. ft. and for now, it has only showroom with a customer lounge and discussion rooms. There’s also a delivery area which has already been used to hand over BYD EVs to 10 customers during the official opening day yesterday.
Harmony Auto has also set up a charging station with 4 charging points so that BYD owners can easily recharge their vehicles. The service and spare parts centre will only be operational during the fourth quarter of this year.
