At this point, we probably sound like a broken record when we say that 2020 is a challenging year for all of us. But despite these challenges, Ayala’s AC Motors remains optimistic for 2021. During its media thanksgiving party, the company revealed its plans for this year. As a recap, AC Motors is the official distributor of Kia, Volkswagen and Maxus. The company also operates a number of Honda and Isuzu dealerships.
AC Motors automotive group President Antonio “Toti” Zara III revealed, “As a show of our confidence and commitment to the industry, our distributor brands are working on at launching at least six models (in 2021). We are also planning to open six company-owned showrooms across our five auto brands in addition to franchised appointments.”
Furthermore, Zara stressed that AC Motors would “work towards achieving at least a 10 percent share in the automotive market by 2025” despite the setback of the 2020 pandemic.
It is still unknown at this point what these six new models are, though we suspect that two of these are the ones that are already being teased: the all-new Maxus D60 three-row SUV and updated Volkswagen Santana subcompact sedan.
This leaves us with four more cars to guess. Considering the appeal of three-row SUVs, one of these could be the all-new Kia Sorento. Redesigned from the ground up, the all-new Sorento features a strikingly gorgeous design and a host of new interior features. This includes a 12.3-inch fully digital gauge cluster, a large 10.25-inch touch screen, and significantly more premium interior materials. There’s also more room on all three rows and more technology such as a 360-degree camera system.
Also popular in the Kia lineup is the Carnival (or Grand Carnival in our market). Based on the all-new Kia Sorento’s platform, the all-new Carnival adopts many design cues from SUVs to give this MPV a striking look. Just like the exterior, the interior design is also radically new, featuring a more premium interior and increased interior space. It also uses the same 12.3-inch digital gauges and 10.25-inch touch screen found in the Sorento.
Considering that we’re a market that likes diesel engines, it wouldn’t be surprising if these two vehicles will be powered by Hyundai Motor Group’s tried-and-tested 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine that produces 200 hp and 441 Nm of torque. Expect these engines to be mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Other markets receive a 2.4-liter naturally-aspirated inline-4 gasoline engine, a 3.3-liter V6 naturally-aspirated gasoline engine, or a smaller 2.0-liter inline-4 turbo diesel engine.
As for the two remaining cars, these could possibly be for Volkswagen. Considering that our Volkswagens are sourced from China through its joint venture partner with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and the fact that crossover SUVs are what’s hot right now, it would be safe to assume that two of these could either be the Volkswagen T-Cross, Tharu, Tiguan or Teramont.
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