Well-engineered Kia cars had to be ‘pushed’ out of UAE dealerships with heavy discounts in 2008 – thus eroding margins. Embrand’s test-marketing effort showed how to change this. It repositioned Kia’s Opirus sedan with a few product modifications and a new sales process, and re-launched it as a standalone brand. Sales and margins improved, making the process a model for Hyundai to launch a premium brand, Genesis, in UAE in 2010. Genesis competes with Lexus, BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz.
