American “sharks” of the auto retail business Brian Benstock, Steve Greenfield and Chip Perry spoke at Auto Business of Tomorrow in Almaty
Photo: press service of Astana Motors

Top managers and employees of Astana Motors from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan flew in to meet with the leaders of the world’s leading automotive brands from the US.

The company arranged the visit of the American speakers to Kazakhstan for its employees. This is the first project within the framework of cooperation which the businessmen agreed on during the business trip of Nurlan Smagulov’s team to the US in October 2024.

Brian Benstock, Partner GM and VP at Paragon Honda and Acura, and Google’s trusted expert on interaction with the US automotive retail market; Steve Greenfield, founder of Automotive Ventures and a member of the board at several breakthrough automotive retail startups; and Chip Perry, founder of the largest US classified used car marketplace AutoTrader.com are key experts in automotive retail business and digital solutions for the automotive industry.

Chip Perry and Steve Greenfield
Photo: Astana Motors press service

The speakers told the forum participants about the trends in the global automotive market, outlined its development prospects and shared the automotive business experience and techniques from other countries. The experts drew the attention of Kazakhstani distributors and dealers to the value of long-term relationships with customers and increasing their loyalty. The American businessmen put a premium on collecting data and using analytics for effective strategic planning, as well as on the flexibility and openness to new developments.

“Inspire, lead, and succeed” is the main message of the speakers at Auto Business of Tomorrow. The keywords of the forum were “customer satisfaction,” “data analytics,” and “cultivating leaders.”

Brian Benstock noted that the customer’s personal time, prompt delivery of the car to the buyer and provision of service are of top priority for a dealer. “If we do not satisfy the customer when selling cars, how can we speak of a victory then?” the speaker said.

Likewise, time is the most valuable asset for a dealer, too. It should be used for research and data analysis in terms of external factors and customer behavior, as well as strategic planning.

Brian Benstock
Photo: Astana Motors press service

One of the hot topics for modern global retail is online commerce which is replacing offline trade. Brian Benstock’s answer to a question from a forum participant about who the future belongs to – classic dealerships or marketplaces was that online will not replace offline.

“No matter how events develop, it is important for us to be the first, to look for unconventional solutions, to make efforts serving the customer as best we can. And if your customer likes the way you serve them at a dealership or a shopping center, they will come to you again and again. Earning the customer’s trust is what matters to us most,” Mr. Benstock pointed out.

Steve Greenfield
Photo: Astana Motors press service

Steve Greenfield also noted the important role of artificial intelligence.

“We must rely on innovation in our business models.

 Global dealers are constantly adapting to new realities and evolving to compete. Sometimes I think my brain will explode from the complexities in which we are working and striving for better solutions,” Steve Greenfield said.

Chip Perry emphasized Astana Motors’ role as a leading player in the automotive market of Kazakhstan and praised the company’s successful project – Mycar, an ecosystem including the Mycar.kz marketplace for new cars, the Mycar Finance microfinance organization, the Mycredit credit broker, the Mycar Pro business process automation system for dealerships and large multi-brand dealer centers.

“I am impressed by Mycar. You think long-term, you enable dealers to optimize processes so that they provide top-level service to customers. You are an innovative retailer. Astana Motors has a mindset that breeds industry leaders. You fill in the gaps in the market by building a comprehensive and large-scale platform for selling cars, this is what allows your business to stand out from its competitors. Astana Motors is truly a leader in the non-resource sector of the economy,” said Chip Perry.

At a meeting with the US automotive top managers
Photo: Astana Motors press service

Astana Motors’ founder noted that automotive retail is changing rapidly with the development of innovations and the advent of new energy vehicles.

“Humanity is developing, we live at a different pace, and I am proud that Astana Motors is moving in parallel with our progressive colleagues from the US. Kazakhstan is the most open market that can be imagined, and it is highly competitive. Today we were surprised and provoked the speakers with questions because we were interested. We got inspired to work even harder for our customers. People will always want to drive new high-quality cars and we must look to the future boldly,” Nurlan Smagulov summed up.

He also spoke about the projects currently underway at Astana Motors. In particular, Nurlan Smagulov reported that the Astana Motors Manufacturing Kazakhstan multi-brand plant under construction in Almaty is receiving equipment from China –1800 sea containers, and engineers are installing the equipment. Over 1000 builders and about 400 installers are involved in the construction of the country’s largest industrial facility. The construction is due to complete in January 2025, and equipment installation in February–March of next year. In April, the enterprise will begin serial production of cars of three of China’s largest brands – GWM, Chery, and Changan.

Meanwhile, the existing Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan plant is carrying out a large-scale upgrade, including the installation of 15 robots to produce Hyundai cars. Thus, the enterprise is consistently deepening its localization and creating new engineering jobs.

Source: forbes.kz