New challenges for Group Exklusiv with Geely and Skoda

Peter Kwee shares with oneshift.com his plans for Geely and Skoda

OneShift Editorial Team

11 Nov 2006

Oneshift.com caught up with Peter Kwee, Executive Chairman of Group Exklusiv at the Singapore Motorshow at the Geely and Skoda stands:

Oneshift.com: After so much success with Renault and Volkswagen, why are you taking on Geely, a Chinese brand?
Peter Kwee: It was an opportunity we just couldn’t refuse. There is great potential for Geely – the balance between price and quality is there for it to succeed. You can have price, but without quality, it won’t succeed. Similarly, with quality, but without good pricing, it won’t succeed either.

OS: Are you taking a risk with Geely? What can you tell us about the company?
PK: Geely may to be well-known in Singapore, but it is a listed company in China, and it is already exported to 32 countries, to the Middle East and Africa. Its not really a risk – the product is of an international standard.

As for Geely, it is completely independent and publicly listed. It has build competitive products to remain successful.

We (Group Exklusiv), spent the last 25 years with Renault, but for the first 7-years when we had the brand, we sold less than 100 cars a year. I like the challenge of building a brand, especially one that I see has tremendous potential.

OS: What models of Geely are available?
PK: We’re starting off with the CK, a 1.5-litre sedan that is available with both manual and automatic transmissions. It is very well built and equipped, and comes standard with ABS and EBD, and there is even a speed sensitive automatic lock.

Next year, we will launch the MK, a 1.6-litre model, which is bigger and offers even more standard equipment.

OS: You have also chosen to keep Skoda, while you gave up Renault and Volkswagen.
PK: Yes, here again, it’s a question of price/quality balance, and also the challenge to build a brand that has tremendous potential.

Skoda is definitely not getting the success it deserves. It is built with the latest Volkswagen technology, yet is fantastically priced, and the quality is very impressive.

Also, the product line-up is getting very exciting. Take the Roomster for example – it is a 5-seater MPV that is very spacious, yet goes for around $65,000.

OS: We have been seeing more Skoda Superbs on the road as limousine taxis. Is this part of the strategy to get more Skodas on the road?
PK: Yes, it is. Everyone is making a big fuss about how difficult it is to get Euro IV compliant diesels, but this is no problem for Skoda because we have the latest diesel technology.

There is so much potential for diesel engines, especially because they are so economical and now that some are even cleaner than petrol engines.

Credits: Justin Lee