Kia Philippines Motor Corporation (KPMC) recently held a series of meet-and-greets with its newly appointed leader, Brian Buendia. As Chief Operating Officer, Buendia, who has been with AC Motors since 1998, takes the reins from KPMC’s retiring president Manny Aligada who has held the top post since the brand relaunched under the Ayala Corporation in 2018.
“Dynamic, innovative, and inspiring. These are the pillars upon which my vision for Kia Philippines is based,” said Buendia. “We will refine the Kia buying and ownership experience by bringing our corporate identity and culture to the fore; strengthen our industry rankings through the introduction of new and exciting models; expand our already growing nationwide dealership network; and, establish Kia as a major player in the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) market through our EV6 and future new energy vehicle (NEV) models.“
KPMC has already begun its drive to a sustainable future of mobility with the introduction of the multi-awarded EV6 as the ultra-modern face of Kia with its innovation and technology features. Globally, the brand promises to launch 15 EVs by 2027. Two will be launching in the next two years and the rest with shorter intervals between releases. Locally, KPMC is scheduled to launch 4 new vehicles on or before 2024, two of which will be New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) and 2 with traditional petrol-run engines.
Also part of Kia’s immediate future is the rollout of the new global Kia Corporate Identity which not only focuses on the aesthetics of the dealerships but also its dedication to exceptional service and offering a pleasurable customer experience to its valued customers.
Kia is on its way to achieving its 50-dealership target nationwide by 2024. This is the magic number the company believes will be able to cater to all its addressable markets in the country without overlapping each other’s jurisdiction.
With Buendia’s background and experience in sales, business development, and network operations, Kia Philippines is confident in his ability to anticipate and carry out crucial brand and market executions for Kia in the future. “Kia Philippines is already a major player in the local industry as well as in the region,” said Buendia. “Kia Philippines became one of the fastest-growing car brands locally and was also recognized by Kia Asia Pacific (K-APAC) for achieving the highest growth rate in the region, as well as being the number one independent distributor in retail sales in 2022. I will build upon these accolades to further steer Kia Philippines to greater success.”