MAGNA Motors, the new dealership for Hyundai motor vehicles, is busy trying to get a handle on the size of its existing market in Jamaica.

Magna, based out of the Dominican Republic, says that it does not know how many Hyundai vehicles are currently in the Jamaican market.

“Unfortunately we haven’t got any information from the previous dealer,” according to Carlos Geourzong, sales manager for Hyundai Jamaica, “so we are trying to wing it”.

“We have no idea” how many Hyundais are in the market, Geourzoung said, during a press tour of the new service centre on Wednesday.

Some reports about sales were not made to Hyundai, “as we understand it”, he said. The Hyundai headquarters would know how many cars it sent to the Jamaican market, but that would not include other imports, such as left-hand drive vehicles from the United States and elsewhere.

While the South Korean brand currently expects to sell more than five million vehicles this year, from production facilities in South Korea, China, India, the United States, the Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey and Brazil, it appears to have gained little traction in Jamaica when compared to brands such as Honda, Toyota and Suzuki.

For years the Hyundai dealership was handled by Key Motors, but that relationship with the passnger side of the market ended in December 2014, according to Georzoung.

However, a check with the Key Motors location at Tropical Plaza in Kingston said that the company is still selling Hyundai vehicles. “Hello, Key Motors — we’re number one for everyone,” answered a person at the location, who confirmed cars were available for sale, but advised that a sales manager wasn’t available.

Meanwhile, even before selling its first vehicle, Magna is now working on cleaning up existing warranties. The company is now asking all current Hyundai owners — especially those who may have current warranties — to set up an appointment to validate their warranty and recieve a free evaluation and service at its service location on Balmoral Avenue in Kingston.

Previously Hyundai owners got warranties for up to three years or 60,000 kms from Key Motors, the previous dealers. But that has now been extended to a five-year waranty, or 100,000 kms, Geourzoung said. That matches a five-year warranty for Suzuki vehicles via Stewart’s Auto Sales.

Existing warranties will have to be cleared with the head office in South Korea. “We don’t know what has been perceived that is beyond the parameters of the warranty,” Geourzoung said.

“We are taking a lot of risk here,” he added. “Magna will make things right as much as is humanly possible.”

“We will work with customers, especially on a one-on-one basis,” Geourzoung said. “We want to ensure that customers have the correct vibe.”

So far Magna has hired about 13 people (none from Key Motors) and has spent some US$6 million to establish itself in the market, “and there will be more”. That includes having its own inventory, which the company is currently building up “based on our knowlegde of the market”. It also includes a new showroom which is set to open next month at 27 Old Hope Rd in Kingston. “We are building out on our dealership in the next two to three years.”

Magna has been the Hyundai dealership in the Dominican Republic since 1977 and also has dealerships in Panama and in neighbouring Cuba, where it has been for three years, according to Geourzoung.

The company will be selling a wide range of vehicles, starting from as low as $2.1 million for the I10 hatchback with 1000 cc and other models such as the Accent, Elantra, the new model Tuscon and the Santa Fe. All cars carry bluetooth technology. The company intends to have some introductary deals when it starts selling next month “all things being equal”.