Kia Philippines President Manny Aligada understands that one of the biggest hurdles to Filipinos’ acceptance of the Korean car brand is parts, or more particularly, the lack of it.

“When AC Motors took over the distributorship of Kia in 2018, I was shocked to learn that one of the most common complaints was the lack of spare parts,” says Manny Aligada. “Our team had to do something. It might have taken a while, but I think we’ve solved the problem.”

Mr. Aligada is referring to AC Motors’ investment to bulk up its spare parts inventory for Kia vehicles by four-fold. From a maintaining stock balance of around 2,000 spare parts at their warehouse, Kia Philippines now boasts of 8,000 readily available fast-moving spare parts. This will help improve aftersales service lead time, benefiting long-time and loyal Kia owners. Since March, these parts have already begun making their way to authorized dealers.

In addition, AC Motors is working to re-train dealership personnel in the area of sales and aftersales service. These training sessions were done before the pandemic-related lockdown started, but online training sessions are continuing. AC Motors will be guiding their dealer partners and will audit them based on Kia’s global standards for both processes and facilities.

The increase of available spare parts and improved personnel training are just two additional steps to rebuilding the Kia brand in the Philippines.

Amid the slowdown in auto sales, Kia remains committed to increasing its footprint around the country. Five more dealerships—four in Metro Manila and one in Isabela will start operating by the end of the 2020. Aligada also said that more partners have signed up to become Kia dealers, and these will be announced in due time.

On top of all these, Kia Philippines is continuing with its 5-year / 160,000-kilometer warranty (vehicles used for public conveyance such as taxis are still covered by a 3-year / 100,000-kilometer warranty) and its 24/7 emergency roadside assistance program.