Nicolas Velez Drives Valley Kia to Record Sales in 6 Months

Q: Was a record sales month due to new management or Kia's wildly popular 2027 Telluride?

The record sales month at Valley Kia of Fontana was attributed to new dealership management, not to the 2027 Kia Telluride. The reporting is explicit on that point. Nicolas Velez, the store’s internet director, said the turnaround followed a series of operational and cultural changes he introduced within six months: auditing and cutting most vendor contracts, merging the internet and sales teams, creating a BDC, improving follow-up discipline, and placing employees in roles that matched their strengths. He directly linked the result to those changes, saying the new environment of “total happiness” helped push the dealership to a record month. The broader market context does suggest Kia benefited from strong brand momentum, including the long-running “Telluride Effect” and rising interest in SUVs and hybrids. The 2027 Telluride Hybrid has also drawn favorable attention and could have provided a supportive backdrop for Kia dealers generally. But there is no evidence in the reported story that Valley Kia’s record month was driven specifically by the 2027 Telluride. The article credits management execution inside the store, not a single product launch. In other words, Kia’s popular lineup may have helped create favorable conditions, but the documented cause of this dealership’s record month was Velez’s restructuring of people, process, and culture.

1 articles · Updated · Car Dealership Guy News · Jul 8

Six months after taking over as internet director, Nicolas Velez said Valley Kia of Fontana hit a record sales month after overhauling operations.
Velez said he first audited vendor contracts that had gone untested for years and cut most providers after extensive interviews.
He then merged the internet and sales functions into one BDC support structure, aiming to end internal competition and improve follow-up consistency.
Staff were reassigned to roles that fit their strengths, while Velez paired the operational changes with a deliberately positive management style he said boosted teamwork.
The turnaround points to how dealership process changes—not just sales tactics—can lift performance by reducing friction across teams.

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Car Dealership Guy News9h ago

Nicolas Velez Transforms Valley Kia Operations, Achieves Record Sales

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Car Dealership Guy News9h ago

Nicolas Velez Transforms Valley Kia Operations, Achieves Record Sales

Nicolas Velez Drives Valley Kia to Record Sales in 6 Months

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