Against a background of a 33 percent reduction in the total new vehicle sales in 2020 DT Dobie bucked the trend by putting more on the road compared with 2019.
DT Dobie increased their volume sales by 9.4 percent across their product range of cars, pick-ups, SUVs and prime mover trucks. These left the Company’s showrooms in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu beating the total of 2019 which was a great achievement during these difficulties times.
The most dramatic rise in sales by DT Dobie was achieved in the 3.5 to 9 tonne light truck segment with the sale of 142 Hyundai units compared with 73 in 2019. In December the Company introduced the EX9 model to add to the five and seven tonne versions which have been locally assembled at the KVM plant in Thika for over eight years.
The main users of Hyundai trucks are bakeries and distributors of fast moving consumer goods, but they are also popular with manufacturing companies and transporters. A significant number have covered more than 500,000 kilometres with only routine maintenance and minor repairs.
2020 was also good for Volkswagen cars, SUVs and passenger and cargo vans which increased from 212 to 238. The biggest selling Volkswagen is the compact Polo Vivo which in 2016 became the first ever locally assembled German car in Kenya followed by the Caddy Kombi.
The Tiguan five and seven seater versions have enhanced DT Dobie’s growing range of locally assembled vehicles produced by the KVM facility in Thika. These have been well received by Kenyans because of competitive pricing and a reputation for reliability.
In the prestige saloon and SUV market segment Mercedes-Benz continues to be the clear leader with more units snapped up by discerning customers than all the other rival luxury brands put together.
About DT Dobie
Colonel David Dobie, a veteran of World War II, started DT Dobie in 1949. From humble beginnings, the company started out with the Mercedes-Benz franchise for East Africa which included both passenger and heavy commercial vehicles.
In 2014 the Company was appointed the franchise dealers for Volkswagen passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
Since 2016 the Volkswagen Polo Vivo has been assembled locally by KVM at Thika and more recently the Tiguan is also assembled by KVM.
Hyundai light truck are also sold and serviced by DT Dobie and have been assembled locally for eight years.
DT Dobie has state of the art after sales service facilities in Nairobi and at branches in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu with dealers and service centres countrywide. The workshops are staffed by factory trained engineers and technicians backed by stocks of genuine spare parts
