For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link here.

Everyone has visited a car dealership, yet almost nobody understands the underlying economics. The actual margin on selling a vehicle remains thin; dealerships actually make their money through servicing, parts, and financing. Janessa Kuek operates AG Autoworld, a massive Johor-based Proton 4S dealer group and part of her family's larger enterprise. Under her second-generation leadership, the group recently swept eight major awards at Proton's global conference, securing the PROTON CEO Award and officially cementing its position as Malaysia's highest-volume dealer group.

But the traditional auto retail model is currently colliding with a technological shift. Proton’s e.MAS brand now dominates the Malaysian electric vehicle market, capturing over sixty percent of national EV registrations this year. Because EVs require fundamentally less mechanical maintenance, the lucrative aftersales engine is disappearing. To combat this structural threat, Janessa pivoted her strategy to build an ecosystem around the buyer, launching comprehensive lifetime membership clubs and opening the first Proton e.MAS showroom inside a shopping mall to drive alternative value.

Janessa joins us to unpack the hidden financial mechanics of a high-volume automotive dealership. We discuss exactly how a second-generation leader reshapes a family business, and what actually happens to a dealership's bottom line when the internal combustion engine disappears.

For more information on BFM's SME event, click the link <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://event.bfm.my/maybanksmeforum">here</a>.Everyone has visited a car dealership, yet almost nobody understands the underlying economics. The actual margin on selling a vehicle remains thin; dealerships actually make their money through servicing, parts, and financing. Janessa Kuek operates AG Autoworld, a massive Johor-based Proton 4S dealer group and part of her family's larger enterprise. Under her second-generation leadership, the group recently swept eight major awards at Proton's global conference, securing the PROTON CEO Award and officially cementing its position as Malaysia's highest-volume dealer group.But the traditional auto retail model is currently colliding with a technological shift. Proton’s e.MAS brand now dominates the Malaysian electric vehicle market, capturing over sixty percent of national EV registrations this year. Because EVs require fundamentally less mechanical maintenance, the lucrative aftersales engine is disappearing. To combat this structural threat, Janessa pivoted her strategy to build an ecosystem around the buyer, launching comprehensive lifetime membership clubs and opening the first Proton e.MAS showroom inside a shopping mall to drive alternative value.Janessa joins us to unpack the hidden financial mechanics of a high-volume automotive dealership. We discuss exactly how a second-generation leader reshapes a family business, and what actually happens to a dealership's bottom line when the internal combustion engine disappears.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

Open For Business

Discover fresh concepts, tackle obstacles, and unleash growth - Open For Business is the dynamic show where BFM engages with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry trailblazers, igniting inspiration, sparking success, and exploring new business models.