EDMONTON, Alberta -

Coming off a year during which growth and acquisitions were a top priority, AutoCanada is continuing to expand with the announcement it will build an open-point Kia dealership in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The dealer group announced this week it has signed a letter of intent with Kia Canada Inc., which will award the new open-point store, subject to the completion of requirements and conditions outlines by the OEM.

AutoCanada intends to operate the dealership out of a new facility, and construction is expected to begin in Q4 of this year, or the first quarter of 2016.

"We would like to thank Kia Canada for their continued confidence through the awarding to AutoCanada of the North Winnipeg Open Point, the second such open point awarded to AutoCanada by Kia. The addition of the Kia brand to our existing local platform will allow us to broaden our product offerings to our Winnipeg customer base," said Patrick Priestner, executive chair of AutoCanada.

"Open point dealerships, although they typically result in short term operating losses, are excellent investments as they do not incur the payment of goodwill, and thus we look forward to the contribution we can make to expanding the Kia brand in this community and to providing greater choice to the customer,” he concluded.

Editor’s Note: Stay tuned to Auto Remarketing Canada for more news on AutoCanada as the dealer group is set to release its 2014 earnings report on Friday.