THE Kia brand has been officially re-launched by AC Automotive, Ayala Corp.’s automobile business company operating under AC Industrials (ACI) on Wednesday at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The company is taking the next step in expanding its market presence after over two decades in the country.
The all-new Kia Soluto was also revealed during the launch and Kia Motors Asia-Pacific President Ted Lee noted the significance of the Philippine market to Kia’s growth, “Global Kia has been growing in the last decade as we recorded historical sales growth, enhanced our design excellence and proved our world-class quality. I strongly hope to see what we have achieved globally in this promising market as well. For that, Kia provides competitive products and will do so continuously. To prove this, Kia decided to export the Soluto with the Philippines as the first export market. Today is the first official day to introduce this attractive model to Filipino customers.”
The Soluto offers an array of value-for-money features, highlighted by the 1.4-liter Dual-CVVT gasoline engine that produces 95 PS of power and 132 Nm of torque, combined with a spacious interior as well as standard 7-inch Touchscreen Audio with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, six-speaker system, rearview camera and steering wheel controls with EX-exclusive features such as leatherette seats and rear parking distance warning. The retail prices of the four variants of the Soluto range from P625,000 to P735,000 and are available in Clear White, Titanium Silver, Aurora Black Pearl, Blue Stream, and Marcato Red colors.
The new Soluto joins the familiar Kia Philippines’ roster of vehicles, the trendy sub-compact hatchback Picanto and Rio, the technology-laden Sportage SUV, the powerful yet comfortable Sorento SUV, the versatile and spacious Grand Carnival MPV, and dependable workhorse K2500.
Kia Philippines will be led by Arthur Tan as chairman and CEO, same guy who won the Global Filipino Executive of the Year in the Asia CEO Awards in 2017 and Manny Aligada as president—both excellent leaders and have expertise in marketing. Plus with the acquisition of Kia, AC Automotive now manages six brands including Honda, Isuzu, Volkswagen, KTM motorcycles, and Maxus.
Aligada said, Kia currently has 37 dealerships and that they will be introducing new programs. The Kia Promise to Care Programs for one, ramps up aftersales service quality, competence and parts availability to provide every customer an exceptional service experience. Marketing and promotional activities for the new models will, likewise be heightened both in mainstream and new media.
The re-launch of Kia in the country also featured the brand’s push to capture the younger segment of the automotive market. Aligada announced that they would be sponsoring the World Tour of the Korean pop music all-girl super group BLACKPINK, which would be highlighted in the Philippines with the display of the Soluto at the SM Mall of Asia Arena lobby on February 2, the day BLACKPINK performs in Manila. Aligada also revealed that the next “unboxing” event of Kia Philippines for its next surprise would happen during the 2019 Manila International Auto Show in April, and then sometime in the last quarter for the third surprise for the year.
The Kia vehicles have comprehensive warranty coverage. Aside from the five years or 160,000-km general warranty, whichever comes first, Kia Philippines also offers five years or 150,000-km warranty for anti-perforation and paint. Service parts’ warranty is one year or 20,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. The periodic maintenance service (PMS) interval schedule for these models is every six months, or every 5,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.
Consistent with Kia’s global mantra of “The Power to Surprise,” Kia Philippines aims to establish more dealers in strategic locations. Kia has, at present, a network of over 35 dealerships in the country. With the Kia business in the Philippines now under ACI’s wing, every Kia dealership will deliver the Kia Promise to Care Programs, which will ramp up aftersales service quality, competence, and parts availability to provide every customer an exceptional service experience.
AC President Fernando Zobel de Ayala said, “We are excited to introduce Kia’s wide range of model lineup as well as a new brand of sales and service experience for Filipinos. We are delighted to partner with Kia Motors Corporation in this endeavor and we look forward to many years of working together as we reestablish the Kia brand in the Philippines.”
www.kia.com
Image credits: Randy S. Peregrino