Volkswagen is out. Just like that, the world’s second-biggest car brand has quietly bowed out of the Philippine market—marking yet another major name that didn’t survive under the Ayala banner.
It’s a bit jarring when you think about it. Ayala is one of the biggest and most respected conglomerates in the country. The name alone carries weight in banking, finance, real estate, and investments. They build cities. They bankroll empires. But for some reason, the magic hasn’t quite translated to cars.
To be fair, Ayala does have winning stakes in Isuzu and Honda. Those two are solidly run and remain among the strongest brands in the country. But they operate under their own management teams and have long established their playbooks even before Ayala came in.
The real story is Ayala’s own push into mobility under AC Mobility. Over the past decade, they brought in several big names—Kia, BYD, Maxus, Volkswagen, and KTM. These are not obscure brands. They have great products, a rich heritage, and a global presence. But three of them are now gone.
First KTM. Then Maxus. Now Volkswagen.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern.
As of today, ACMobility is left with just two brands: Kia and BYD. BYD is on fire, riding the global EV wave and making serious inroads locally. Kia, on the other hand, isn’t doing as well as it should, which is strange considering its cars look sharper and feel more distinctive than its cousin, Hyundai.
It’s clearly not a product problem. Kia’s lineup is good. BYD’s tech is leading-edge. But somewhere between the cars arriving and the cars actually selling, something gets lost. Marketing, dealer support, brand-building—call it what you want, but it hasn’t been firing on all cylinders.
And that raises the big question: is the mobility business simply not Ayala’s thing?
Cars are not like condos or credit lines. They require constant, gritty work on the ground. Building dealerships, fueling hype, keeping aftersales tight, being visible in motorsports, showing up at every car meet and mall show—it’s an entirely different kind of hustle. It’s loud, emotional, and deeply personal.
Ayala’s corporate machine excels at many things, but passion-driven retail might not be one of them. And if they don’t inject that into their remaining brands, even BYD’s current momentum and Kia’s potential might not be enough to keep them on the road.
Because if Volkswagen—the second biggest car brand in the world—can stall out under their watch, what chance does anyone else really have?
