Rami Levy, owner of the Rami Levy Shivuk Hashikma retail chain, said his company has already sold more than 150 cars in a discount promotion with Dahom Motors, the Israeli importer for China’s BAIC group. He said this was his first public comment on the deal, which was announced last week after a widely discussed zero-kilometer Kia Sportage sale through Auto Center helped spur interest in cheaper cars in Israel.
Levy said the cars are now being sold through Rami Levy Stock, the chain’s discount outlet, and later will be offered in his supermarkets as well. “Once it went on sale, the website simply crashed,” he said, adding, “People are definitely coming to buy. More than 150 cars have already been sold.”
According to Levy, prices in the promotion start at 99,000 shekels and include 5,000 shekels in shopping vouchers for Rami Levy Stock. He said the offer covers commercial vehicles and cars priced between 150,000 and 250,000 shekels. The cheapest model in the deal is the electric BAIC EU5, which he said is very inexpensive but has a relatively short range and weak safety equipment, with only two airbags and no active safety systems.
Levy said Dahom was not the first car importer to approach him about a partnership. He recalled that 30 years ago, when he opened his first store in Talpiot, a Seat importer wanted to work with him, but the deal never happened. He added that more promotions are planned, saying the next focus will be products related to energy and anything that can increase competition and help consumers. Levy said his stores receive between 100,000 and 250,000 visitors a day, and that his goal is to help customers fight the high cost of living.
