Kia PH showed its ‘Power to Surprise’ by unboxing four new strategic models

Kia Motors Asia-Pacific president Ted Lee

When one talks about unboxing, new cars don’t quickly come to mind, until this year at least. The Kia brand was relaunched early this year when Kia Philippines became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ayala Corp., under the company AC Automotive. When Kia Philippines president Manny Aligada officially announced the acquisition of AC Industrial’s Korean vehicle brand under its portfolio of vehicle distribution and dealerships at the Makati Shangri-la, it also unboxed the first of a series of new Kia models to be unveiled in the PH market, namely the Kia Soluto. Kia Philippines quickly coined each of its new vehicle introduction this year as “unboxing” and the market quickly caught on.

Under the leadership of ex-Audi designer Peter Schreyer, the Soluto ushered in a new generation of slick and stylish vehicles that’s considered more European, than Japanese or Korean, in looks and feel. Kia Motors Corp. was established in 1944 and is the oldest and second largest car maker in Korea with over 2.8 million vehicles sold in 2018.

Last January, 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.” From P625,000 to P735,000 the Soluto was aggressively priced to compete against a heavily contested segment and became a popular alternative to its Japanese competitors and Korean cousins.

Consistent with Kia’s global mantra of “The Power to Surprise,” Kia Philippines began to establish more dealers in strategic locations. Under the care of the Ayala Group, it now has 32 dealerships and each one was to 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 expressed in his special message, “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 Corp. in this endeavor and we look forward to many years of working together as we reestablish the Kia brand in the Philippines.”

Its next big salvo was to be at the venue of the biggest motoring event of the year. With a crowd of over 140,000 visitors, Kia Philippines unboxed its flagship and high performance— powered by a 365-hp twin-turbo V6—executive sedan, the Kia Stinger along with the Forte compact sedan, including its high performance variant, the turbocharged Forte GT at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS). During the MIAS, Kia PH gave a limited-time-only “MIAS promo” to all of its models to entice the market and rebuild its market share.

Kia PH president Manny Aligada

Last Tuesday, Kia PH president Manny Aligada introduced its fourth and last unboxing for the year with the introduction of the Kia Seltos, named after the son of the Greek god Hercules. The introduction of the brand’s latest global crossover is said to have “this emboldened spirit, which also lives in the hearts of the younger generation, is what drove us to develop a crossover that embodies sophistication and sportiness. A complete crossover package that delivers innovative driving experiences, as well as class-leading cabin space that inspires you to enjoy the thrill of new adventures. Let me tell you what makes the driving experience unique with the New Kia Seltos. Its confident SUV stance is a result of stylish design cues and a lighting image that visualizes Kia’s Beat Concept.

“This concept is about capturing the heart of our customer and making it beat a bit faster for a bit longer. It is further enhanced with the technologies that offer enjoyable in-cabin experience and driver safety features. And since the Seltos is both driver- and passenger-centric, it comes with remote start and seat recline features for added convenience,” said Aligada in his introductory remarks.