By DAN HEATH
PLATTSBURGH — Kia is here in the City of Plattsburgh.
Durocher Kia President Larry Durocher said the dealership received about 40 vehicles the last week of January, and more continue to arrive.
"We're very impressed with their product," he said. "We did a lot of research before we chose Kia. The more research I did, the more impressed I was with the lineup."
That includes a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty and five-year, 60,000-mile base warranty.
"That's an awesome warranty in this price range," Durocher said, noting the Kia Rio starts at about $11,000-$12,000.
Other models include the Borrego, Sedona, Sorento, Sportage, Forte, Forte Koup, Optima, Rio 5, Rondo and Soul.
Kia unveiled its UVO powered by Microsoft intelligent communications and entertainment system, available in select models. According to a Kia press release, UVO is an easy-to-use, hands-free solution that allows drivers and passengers to answer and place phone calls, receive and respond to SMS text messages, access music from a variety of media sources and create custom music experiences.
Microsoft speech technology allows the system to respond to short voice commands to access the desired function, so a driver can focus on the road. A 1 GB hard drive can store up to 250 songs, sorted by title or artist and also accessible through voice command.
The display also shows images from a back-up camera when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. It is available in select Kia models. The company started production of Kia Sorrento sports-utility vehicles at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia — its first U.S. assembly plant — in November. The plant is expected to have 2,500 team members and can produce up to 300,000 vehicles per year.
Kia invested $1 billion in the plant, which includes a body-stamping facility, transmission shop and two-mile test track. Suppliers are expected to add another 7,500 jobs to the surrounding area.
In January, Kia announced it posted its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Record 2009 sales increased the company's market share by more than 46 percent compared to 2008.
Kia sold 300,063 vehicles in 2009, a 9.8 percent increase from 2008. That was achieved despite slower automobile industry sales due to the struggling economy.
Durocher Auto Group ended its affiliation with the Lincoln-Mercury brand at the end of January, Durocher said. The move came when Durocher wanted to give the business a tweak, but was thwarted by difficulty obtaining inventory from Lincoln Mercury.
That company now wants to focus on major metropolitan markets, and shift away from markets in more rural areas.
"Probably the hardest part was breaking the news to our customers," Durocher said.
The dealership's service department can still do repairs for its former customers, Durocher said.
It is no longer authorized to do warranty work on Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicles. Customers can contact any Ford, Lincoln or Mercury dealer to have that work done.
He said many former Lincoln and Mercury customers have stopped by with an interest in the Kia lineup and some have made test drive appointments.
His father, Ed Durocher, started the business in 1951. He started selling cars in his spare time while he had a job at the A&P; supermarket on Margaret Street.
The original location was on Grant Street. The present showroom was built as an American Motors dealership in 1969, the company's first new vehicle franchise.
Durocher Auto Group added Jeep in 1971. Fiat came on board in 1973 but was discontinued in 1981.
Lincoln Mercury was added in 1982 and Dodge in 1989.
There are now eight members of the Durocher family working in the various Durocher Auto Group businesses. The four businesses employ about 65 employees at the Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep dealership on Route 9, Durocher Kia on South Platt Street and Durocher Collision Center and Durocher Self-Storage, both on Connecticut Avenue.
E-mail Dan Heath at: dheath@pressrepublican.com
