There’s no other exciting moment for the local motoring press to witnessed the much-anticipated unveiling of Kia Philippines latest sub-compact car entry—the Kia Soluto.

If you’ll recall, Kia, which now operates under AC Industrials, made a brilliant effort to spice up car buyers and enthusiasts last month by creating a PR buzz about their 3 red container box inside the Bonifacio Global City (BGC). Obviously, the 3 box contains cars that will unbox on January 30.

Last Wednesday, Kia unbox these cars and took a powerful arsenal hashtag #AllKindsofWow on which introduces the Kia Soluto together with their diminutive Picanto, Rio Hatchback, new Sportage, new Grand Carnival, and new Sorento.

Of all the cars that was launched, the Soluto remained the last car standing and main highlight of the event. For those who are not familiar with this subcompact car, the Soluto is based on the PB platform used in the Soul and Rio, which is targeted for younger audience.

Launch in 2017 at the Auto Shanghai, the Soluto or (Pegas) in China is a B-segment sedan which manufactured under Dongfeng Yueda Kia, a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Kia Motors.

The new Soluto comes with a 1.4-liter Inline-4 Dual-CVVT gasoline engine that comes out with 95 ps of power and 132 Newton Meter of torque.

As we inspect the car, it looks like it will go toe-to-toe with the Mitsubishi Mirage G4, Toyota Vios, and Hyundai Accent.

The suspension is beefed up by McPherson Strut at front and Torsion Beam Axle at the rear. Inside, there are generous space for passengers as well as standard 7-inch Touchscreen Audio with Android Auto & Apple Carplay, 6-speaker system, rearview camera and steering wheel controls with EX-exclusive features such as leatherette seats and rear parking distance warning.

Now let’s talk about the price. The Kia Soluto has four variants and priced at P625,000 (1.4-liter LX Manual Transmission); P675,000 (1.4-liter LX Automatic Tranny); P685,000 (1.4-liter EX Manual Transmission) and top-of-the-line P735,000 (1.4-liter EX Automatic Tranny). You can choose from Clear White, Titanium Silver, Aurora Black Pearl, Blue Stream, and Marcato Red colors.

While we all know that it’s sister-company Volkswagen latest products started importing from China, this means that Kia brand will also get the same direction from the AC Group.

It’s not a surprise that Kia suffered so much bad reputation in the after sales. AC Industrials wanted to removed that remarks and focus in providing customers with best after-sales experience.

Henceforth, Kia vehicles will have a comprehensive warranty coverage under its Promise to Care Programs. This includes the five years or 160,000-kilometers general warranty, whichever comes first.

Here’s the short video of the Kia Soluto:

With Kia PH now on our local shores, we expect an all out war this year from its rivals. Let’s wait and see.