First, it was Volkswagen. Now, reports are circulating that the next major car brand the Ayala conglomerate is letting go of is Honda. Having been invested in the largest dealers of Honda cars for some time, Ayala is expected to opt out by the end of the year.
Ayala dipped its hand into selling cars long ago. Although Volkswagen cars were no longer attractive to local car buyers, Ayala tried to revive its old magic, to no avail. Thus, the decision by the Ayalas to let go of the iconic brand. Lately, Ayala is still with Isuzu, Kia, and BYD.
What has surprised the local automotive scene lately, however, are these reports emanating straight from Ayala insiders that the conglomerate is now readying to let go of their nine Honda dealerships (yes, Ayala is the biggest among the Honda showroom owners in the country) nationwide. Among these are Honda Cars Iloilo, Honda Cars Negros, Honda Cars Cagayan de Oro, Honda Cars Bacoor, Honda Cars Mandaue, Honda Cars Cebu, Honda Cars Makati, Honda Cars Show, and Honda Cars Pasig.
While severing their hold on these nine dealerships is already a foregone conclusion, Ayala is reportedly hanging on to their precious share with the local mother Honda company, Honda Cars Philippines, in which the conglomerate reportedly has more than a 12 percent share.
Letting go of Isuzu would be far-fetched from the minds of the Ayalas since the company is lording it over its local rivals in diesel-engine truck sales. Isuzu is very popular among local buyers and boasts of being the No. 1 truck manufacturer for more than 10 years now.
Kia, its old reliable partner from Korea, is still a dependable money-making venture for the Ayalas, although there are some problems with their supplies.
The biggest car business for them definitely is selling the BYD vehicles here, as can be seen from the launch of several models one after the other this year. One thing going great with the Ayalas (which is represented by its ACMobility company) is that BYD is sharing with them the idea of having zero-emission in the near future. And those New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) such as full-electric and hybrids are giving them a healthy business proposition as they set to expand their electrification drive throughout the country.
