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.
| 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 |
