As Skoda ended its agreement with ARTOC Auto, owned by Shafik Gabr, it now announced Kayan to be the exclusive importer and producer for the company's products in Egypt, making Kayan responsible for providing after-sales services and warranty for all Skoda models. Daily News Egypt obtained a copy of the contract signed between Skoda and the Egyptian company Kayan. The agreement provides the company with the right to import and sell all products of Skoda inside Egypt, while the contract require the company to provide all possible services and spare parts in its centres—or on the market—and to take over the maintenance and after-sales services and provide warranty for cars around the country. ARTOC Auto was the official agent of Skoda for more than 20 years during which the group acted as a certified agent for the Skoda brand. ARTOC was selling Skoda cars and was offering post-sale services and warranty for the cars. Skoda has begun its relation with Kayan after it had won the company's confidence because of the company's excellence in offering products to keep pace with the Egyptian customers' requirements. The official announcement of the signing of the formal contract was postponed many times because the company is keen to end the recent conflict with its former agent in Egypt, Shafik Gabr, which negatively affected Kayan, as it was not able to announce the partnership and to start sales and maintenance of Skoda cars in Egypt. The decision was not announced as Skoda wished to find a satisfactory solution to the dispute. The agency transferred smoothly to the new company's representative in Egypt, but the former agent escalated the conflict with the company, which made Skoda postpone the announcement. Skoda announced that the new partnership with Kayan comes under difficult and challenging circumstances, especially as the company is very well aware of the nature of the Egyptian market and the decline in sales as a result of the recent economic turbulences. Skoda expressed its full confidence in its new partner, Kayan, to uphold the good reputation of the company's products during the coming period, and that it will offer the customer the best services to satisfy their demands and meet their needs. Karim El-Naggar, the owner of Kayan, said that the company is currently rearranging its works through a thorough study of the Egyptian market and the needs of Skoda customers in Egypt. Furthermore, it is currently evaluating the former distributors of the brand with the possibility of contracting with new distributors for sales and after-sale services, intending to announce any such deals soon. Kayan also plans to increase its investments through the expansion of showrooms and the establishment of new ones along with service centres that meet Skoda customers' needs. The company will speed up offering many new models in the Egyptian market for the first time, including the new Fabia, the new Octavia, the new Superb, and the new Kodiaq, while it will provide the new Yeti and the new Rapid later. The company will announce details about the transfer of the agency, showrooms, service centres, and distributors soon. Skoda Auto invited its customers to visit Kayan Egypt centres that are accredited for sales and after-sales services and to communicate with them to follow up regarding the various periods of maintenance and warranties of Skoda cars in the Katameya and Abu Rawash centres. Kayan began, during the past two months, with the maintenance of all Skoda products in its centres and with providing sufficient warranties to customers, which is according to Skoda's wishes until it settles the dispute with its former agent. Furthermore, it did not want an official announcement of the new partnership before that.
