AC Industrial Technology Holdings, a unit of Ayala Group, announced the appointment of Antonio “Toti” Zara III as the new president of AC Motors effective Oct. 1, 2020 in a move that signals a slew of changes in the Ayala auto team.
AC Motors is the automotive business unit of the conglomerate, which houses the portfolio of distributorships for the Kia, Volkswagen, and Maxus brands, and dealerships for the Honda, Isuzu, Kia, Volkswagen, and Maxus brands.
“Toti brings with him 30 years of experience in the global and local automotive industry covering service, sales, and marketing functions. We welcome his experience and hope he can add fresh and innovative perspectives to help accelerate the strategies we have set forth and started in order to navigate this crisis and take advantage of the long-term trends that continue to drive the industry’s evolution,” AC Industrials chairman and CEO Arthur Tan.
Concurrently, Zara will serve as president of the different dealership companies of AC Motors while Tan will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of the various companies under the AC Motors’ umbrella.
AC Motors announced executive movements to strengthen the organization and to move past the current pandemic and prime itself for future growth.
Moving forward, AC Motors will organize itself into two distinct businesses – automotive and motorcycle – to allow the group to capitalize on the unique growth opportunities in each sector.
Manny Aligada will continue to serve as president of the Kia distributorship under the KP Motors Corporation, while Felipe Estrella will likewise continue as president of Automobile Central Enterprise, the distributor company for the Volkswagen and Maxus distributorship businesses.
Dino Santos, meanwhile, will transition to lead and focus on AC Motors’ motorcycle group which is tasked to carve its own path as a major player in the two-wheel space.
The motorcycle division currently houses the manufacturing, distribution, and retail operations of the KTM and Husqvarna brands.
AC Industrials is Ayala Corporation’s wholly-owned industrial technologies arm and direct parent of the AC Motors, group’s vehicle distribution & retail dealerships division,
The company builds on the collective strengths of Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc., a pioneering manufacturer in the Philippines and the sixth-ranked (based on revenues) automotive EMS provider worldwide, and AC Motors, the country’s largest multi-brand dealership group