Kia’s customer experience space, where you can experience everything about Kia, opens for the first time in the Gangwon region in Wonju.
Kia will officially open the ‘Kia Wonju Flagship Store’ (located at 30 Roanokro, Wonju) on 28th (Wednesday), a one-stop complex where customers can simultaneously experience vehicle viewing, test driving, purchasing, maintenance, and brand experiences.
The fifth Kia flagship store to open after those in Gangseo, Incheon, Bucheon, and Gwangju, the Kia Wonju flagship store integrates the previous Wonju and New Wonju branches and the Wonju-Gangneung service center. With a total area of 15,821㎡ (about 4,785 pyeong), it features a customer experience facility equipped with a special exhibition illuminating the history of Kia, expanded future mobility experience programs, and differentiated purchasing and service experiences.
Kia has established an area with advanced maintenance infrastructure exclusively for electric vehicle (EV) customers visiting the Wonju Flagship Store to support safe driving.
With a dedicated EV maintenance workbench for enhanced insulation performance, a high-voltage battery specialist workshop, and waste battery storage facilities, they plan to provide safe and systematic EV maintenance services to visiting customers.
Additionally, to offer a special purchasing experience for new car delivery customers, a car delivery space called ‘Kia Pickup Lounge’ has been arranged, where customers will receive their new cars with detailed explanations of the vehicle’s quality and inspection process.
To better respond to the diverse needs of customers and provide a more differentiated purchasing and service experience, the customer consultation area will also be improved. The openness of the concentrated consultation room will be enhanced, and additional open consultation spaces will be created for flexible use of the pickup lounge. This way, customers can receive consultations in an environment that suits their preferences.
The Kia Wonju Flagship Store will also showcase experiential content where customers can naturally feel Kia’s advanced mobility technology and brand sensibility.
First, the ‘New-tech Simulator’ will be operated, allowing customers to experience the utility of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Utilizing a massive 220-inch LED screen, customers can virtually experience the ADAS functionalities of each vehicle type, designed with various interactive elements for maximum immersion.
A ‘3D Configurator’ will also be available, enabling customers to virtually implement products by combining the specifications of their chosen vehicles. Through a large media wall, customers can directly view 3D images of the desired vehicle’s interior and exterior, including door and trunk openings and turn signal operations.
Customers can also check all of Kia’s exterior colors directly through the ‘Digital Color Collection’. A tablet PC installed within the digital color collection will display Kia’s color show in a card flip format, allowing customers to see and compare various colors applied to vehicles simultaneously.
To celebrate the opening of the Wonju flagship store, Kia has prepared a ‘Heritage Special Exhibition of T-600 and Brisa Restoration Vehicles’ program. This special exhibition aims to provide visitors with an opportunity to experience the unique heritage of Kia for two months after the opening.
The T-600 is a three-wheeled vehicle produced in collaboration with Japan’s Toyo Kogyo (now Mazda) in 1969, setting the stage for Kia to evolve from a two-wheeled vehicle manufacturer to a full-fledged automotive company. After its launch, the T-600 supported many people in their livelihoods, and its contributions and value in the history of the domestic auto industry were recognized with its designation as a National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2008.
The Brisa, Kia’s first rear-wheel drive passenger car, was launched in 1974 and laid the foundation of Kia’s history alongside the T-600. It achieved an impressive 90% localization rate just two years post-launch in 1976, leading Kia’s technical growth through vigorous efforts for parts localization.
Kia plans to produce digital content showcasing the restoration process of the T-600 and Brisa, along with the efforts of its employees, to provide visitors with a multi-faceted experience of Kia heritage.
To commemorate the opening of the Wonju flagship store, Kia will also host a customer appreciation event from September 4th (Wednesday) to September 6th (Friday).
By following Kia’s official Instagram and participating in a certification event, such as taking photos with the exhibited EV3 at the store, the first 100 participants on the day will receive a set of Knotted donuts and coffee. Additionally, donuts and coffee will also be given to customers who consult about vehicles, test drive, or complete contracts and deliveries on that day, on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Kia Wonju Flagship Store will operate daily from 9 AM to 8 PM, and will operate as an unmanned night store from 8 PM to 10 PM, allowing visitors to explore the exhibition hall freely.
A Kia representative stated, “We expect to get closer to customers in the Gangwon region with maintenance infrastructure and customer-centric consulting environments tailored to the electric vehicle era. In the future, Kia plans to diversify experience content that encompasses future-oriented customer experiences.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr