Ayala Group Officially Relaunches Kia PH, Introduces Kia Soluto to Market

As promised back in December 2018, Kia, the Korean carmaker that has been in the doldrums for the past couple of years, has been relaunched by the Ayala Group yesterday, January 30. Now operating under the auspices of AC Industrials, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Corporation (AC), Kia Philippines is now the sixth brand under its vehicle distribution and dealership unit, AC Automotive. To headline the relaunch of the brand in the country, Kia Philippines brought in a new nameplate to the market, its new contender to the subcompact sedan market: the Kia Soluto. The Soluto is powered by a 1.4-liter Dual-CVVT gasoline engine that puts out 94 hp and 132 Nm of torque. While that's par for the course for a subcompact sedan, what really makes the Kia Soluto an attractive proposition is its array of value-for-money features, such as the seven-inch Touchscreen Audio with Android Auto & Apple Carplay, six-speaker system, rearview camera, and steering wheel controls which are available as standard. The range-topping EX variant though gets more exclusive features such as leatherette seats and rear parking distance warning. As we previously reported, for the Soluto, Kia Philippines is taking a page off of sister company Volkswagen Philippines' playbook by importing the car from China where it is manufactured by Dongfeng Yueda Kia--a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor, Yueda Group, and Kia Motors--and sold as the Kia Pegas. The retail prices of the four variants of the Kia Soluto range are as follows:

• 1.4 LX MT - PHP625,000
• 1.4 LX AT - PHP675,000
• 1.4 EX MT - PHP685,000
• 1.4 EX AT - PHP735,000

Available colors for the Kia Soluto are Clear White, Titanium Silver, Aurora Black Pearl, Blue Stream, and Marcato Red. "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," said Kia Motors Asia-Pacific President Ted Lee. "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." According to Kia Philippines, the public can get to see the all-new Kia Soluto from January 31 to February 3 at the following venues: Activity Center of Bonifacio High Street in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; Level 4 Cinema Lobby of Trinoma in Quezon City, and; Activity Center of Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa City. Other models in Kia Philippines' product roster will also be on display. [gallery size="vw_two_third_thumbnail_no_crop" ids="51271,51273,51274,51278,51275,51276,51280">  

2019 Kia Soluto (Philippine Specification)
VARIANT		1.4 LX MT	1.4 LX AT	1.4 EX MT	1.4 EX AT
DIMENSIONS
Length (mm)		4300
Width (mm)		1700
Height (mm)		1460
Wheelbase (mm)		2570
Minimum Ground Clearance (mm)		150
Minimum Turning Radius (M)		5.2
Fuel Tank Capacity (L)		43
Curb Weight (kg)		1036	1066	1036	1066
Drag Coefficient		cd 0.29
ENGINE
Description		1.4-liter Inline-4 Cylinder Petrol, Dual CVVT
Displacement (cc)		1368
Maximum Output (hp/rpm)		94/6000
Maximum Torque (Nm/rpm)		132/4000
DRIVETRAIN/CHASSIS
Transmission		5-Speed Manual	4-Speed Automatic	5-Speed Manual	4-Speed Automatic
Steering		Motor Driven Power Steering
Drivetrain		Front Wheel Drive
Brakes	Front	14-inch Disc
	Rear	8-inch Drum
Suspension	Front	MacPherson Strut + H-Type Subframe
	Rear	V-Beam Coupled Torsion Beam Axle
Wheel Type		14-inch Steel with Wheel Cap		14-inch Alloy
Tire Size		170/70R14
Spare Tire		Temporary Steel