HIS first car was a Kia Pride CD-5, a small hatchback popular in the 90s and kicked off the Korean car brand in the Philippines, as an alternative, affordable car.
“That’s not the image of Kia anymore,” Brian Buendia, Kia Philippines Motor Corporation (KPMC) new Chief Operating Officer told Malaya Business Insight. “Kia has been for years, a mainstay in certain segments of the market, today it has the opportunity to lead in the electric vehicle segment while keeping its place as a provider of luxurious, well-priced and economical to operate vehicles.”
Buendia, has been with AC Motors since 1998, working for Honda as a sales agent when he started. He moved into various marketing roles in the brand before moving into the Kia brand when the automotive arm of Ayala Corporation (AC) took over operations from Columbian Motors in January 20, 2019.
Collaboration is crucial
As he welcomed the media to the roundtable event, he also spoke about his secrets for success and his expectations for the brand.
First, he credits former CEO Manny Aligada for his passion for the automobile and the Kia brand.
“He taught me everything I know and how to see cars beyond the product and the nameplate,” Buendia says of Aligada who is now moving into a new mentorship role within the Ayala Group. “I started my career wearing a tie and only paying attention to selling cars because that was my job. I realized it was a bigger task which need innovation in thinking and having good leaders to mentor you. I am lucky I have Sir Manny.”
Second, he attributes his success to his ability to seek help and collaborate with others.
“As I moved from one job to the next, every task I had I learned by seeking help from my leaders and mentors, from my colleagues and my staff. This I intend to continue in my new role as CEO of Kia Philippines,” Buendia shared.
Third, he expects the same collaboration from his peers, because teamwork is about “contributing the best of each one’s actions.” From that he also mentioned that the future success of the brand lies in the formulation of programs geared towards improving Kia’s position in the local car market, bringing its mantra of ‘Movement That Inspires’ into a new phase.
“Dynamic, innovative, and inspiring. These are the pillars upon which my vision for Kia Philippines is based,” Buendia emphasized.
Sustainable mobility
The new Kia CEO is gung-ho about the ‘sustainable future of mobility.’
“We will…establish Kia as a major player in the rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) market through our EV6 and future new energy vehicle (NEV) models,” he said in his opening speech. He added that having the Kia EV6 in the brand’s stable alongside a clear roadmap laid out by the Ayala Group that covers the electric vehicle lifecycle all the way to battery disposal and re-purposing, encourages him about the electrification of the brand, but he remains firmly grounded.
Refining the Kia experience
“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,” Buendia told the motoring journalists in the third of an series of roundtable discussions.
Head of different departments presented the brand’s directions under Buendia’s term. This covered everything from parts to servicing, dealer showroom changes using the new brand identity and four new products that will come in 2023–all designed to improve the customer experience by visual enhancement, product introductions in key segments and lessening downtime when a vehicle is in need of service or emergency repairs.
One example is enhancements in parts availability will through a new partnership with Entrego. On Time Delivery for emergency parts within the Metro Manila network is also Kia’s commitment. This service and a 3,000 square meter parts warehouse mean that customers can be assured of swift parts availability.
Kia Philippines is also committed to continuously improving the skills of its sales and aftersales personnel with regular dealer manpower training through certification programs and audits. Key among these programs is the Kia National Skills Cup. This dealer-wide competition showcases the skillfulness of Kia’s aftersales department, and its mission to deliver the best experience to its customers. It is a rigorous competition that includes a theoretical skills test; a practical test; and an on-vehicle scenario-based test. Kia’s 2022 National Skills Cup champion is now in Korea to represent the Philippines in the 6th Kia Service Advisor World Competition.
Set to outpace
Kia Philippines is set to outpace industry growth in 2023 by double digits. Its position in the industry rankings will be fortified by the introduction of new models and the further strengthening of the distribution network. By 2024, Kia will expand its network to 50 full-operating dealerships nationwide.
Considering the availability of key models, sales are estimated to increase towards the second half of 2023. The Stonic remains the volume driver model with 49 percent. Followed by the Soluto and K2500. Kia grew 19 percent versus the same period last year, despite supply limitations.
The Kia brand will be further recognized in the critical mainstream segments with the scheduled arrival of new models. As aligned with Kia’s global strategy, NEVs will be introduced, together with mainstream Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) models, to further strengthen the line-up. Globally, Kia plans to have 15 EVs in its lineup by 2027.
Electrification is a key goal
Kia Philippines is already poised to grow an even larger share in the local EV segment because of the recent launch of the EV6. The brand will also take advantage of the current incentives for EVs, which include exemption from excise taxes until early 2028; a 30 percent discount on MV users’ charges on registration, inspection, and renewal; and more infrastructure dedicated to EV parking and charging slots. With this confidence comes the commitment that Kia Philippines will introduce additional EVs.
READ: Ayala says 5-year tax perks a window to grow PH EV market
By 2027, 14 percent of total automobile sales is forecasted to belong to EVs. Given these trends, electric mobility plays a huge role in the strategy of Kia Philippines. Globally, all Kia vehicles undergo sustainable design development while keeping with Kia’s “Opposites-united” design philosophy which expands the use of recycled plastics and the application of eco-friendly materials.
Kia’s confidence
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,” says 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.”
