Marshall Motor Group has taken on the Kia franchise for the first time.

Marshall will represent Kia in Ipswich at its Ransome Europark where it already operates Vauxhall and Chevrolet franchises.

Daksh Gupta, Marshall chief executive, said: “Kia is now one of the top five car-makers in the world and we are delighted with this appointment. We have been impressed by the speed with which this franchise has been established and grown over the last few years and we are excited about the opportunity that this gives us.”

Paul Philpott, managing director of Kia Motors UK, said: “We are very pleased that such a progressive group as Marshall has decided to come on board with our growing franchise.

“It is a clear sign of how far our franchise has come that Marshall is prepared to invest in Kia in Ipswich, and already we have a strong relationship with Daksh Gupta and his team.

Both Kia and Marshall have developed very clear growth strategies and therefore the partnership is a great fit. We hope this is just the start of a bigger franchise relationship.”

The new Marshall Kia dealership in Ipswich will be open on July 1.