Kia Philippines has set its sights on selling 6,000 units as the company is more optimistic about the local automotive industry’s prospects for this year.
“We are very confident that 2022 will be much better. And therefore, we think about 6,000 brand new units [will be] sold this year,” Kia Philippines President Manny Aligada said in an online briefing on Thursday.
The 2022 forecast shows about a 60-percent growth from its sales last year. In 2021, the local unit of the South Korean brand saw its sales surge by 76 percent—above the industry average of 18 percent—to 3,748 vehicles.
Along with this, Kia also sees its market share rising to 1.7 percent this year from 1.3 percent. The local auto industry is expected to sell 345,000 units this year, Aligada said.
The Kia official identified the models Stonic, Soluto and K2500 as the main sales drivers this year.
“We will continue to have our three volume drivers last year,” he said. “Stonic was a very popular model in our lineup. It generated a fantastic performance.”
Stonic, which was introduced in the local market in October 2020, was the top-selling model last year, comprising 37 percent of the total sales. Soluto and K2500 accounted for 21 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
Aligada, meanwhile, said the company aims to expand its dealership network to 50 outlets next year.
As for the pending trade deal between the Philippines and South Korea, Aligada said they are waiting for it to be finalized as the partnership bodes well for their business given that “a good number of our vehicles are sourced from Korea.”
“It is a good sign for us to be more active in the market because of the 5 percent that we will save on tax,” he said. “We look forward to [being] more competitive.”
In October last year, the Department of Trade and Industry announced that Manila and Seoul concluded talks on the Philippine-Korea free trade agreement, which is expected to be inked in 2022.
On Thursday, Kia also introduced the new Carnival, which is a seven-seater grand utility vehicle.
It is available in two variants: SX and EX. The model costs at least P2.54 million.
“The all-new Carnival delivers first-class treatment worthy of a VIP [very important person],” Aligada said. “Each key feature of the latest model supports his daily drive towards his avenues of inspiration.
Kia is expected to introduce more brands within the year.