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THE
people of the booming province of Cebu are now being
eyed as a major market by Chinese carmaker Chery.
The
company recently opened a new dealership right in the
heart of Metro Cebu and is expected to open another one
within the year in order to meet the market’s expected
demand for new but inexpensive quality cars.
“People
here in Cebu are already tired of buying old and
remanufactured vehicles that flooded the market for
years now. They are now choosier in buying their own
vehicles, which they use for both business and pleasure.
They want new cars that are affordable and of quality,”
said 25-year-old Raymund Basubas, managing director of
Chery Cars Cebu located on MC Briones Street in Mandaue
City.
Basubas
theorized that the days of the proliferation of
remanufactured vehicles in Cebu are numbered since “many
are now turning to new, affordable and dependable cars
that are now in the market.”
Basubas
added, “Chery cars are the answers to all their needs.
Our cars have been gobbled up by local consumers since
we opened two months ago. We had a total of 12 cars in
our stock and they were all taken.” Basubas also
revealed that they are now in the process of opening up
another dealership in Minglanila.
That is
also the thrust of the home office in Manila, according
to Tito Yupangco, Chery dealership network manager, who
was with chief executive officer Ricky Lam and other top
Chery Car officials during the opening of the recent
Cebu Auto Show, which this writer attended.
“That is
also our forecast in many places where we are coming out
with our own dealership. With the high cost of gasoline
and the surge in the prices of new vehicles, people are
now thinking twice before buying those other branded
cars. Our Chery cars are less expensive but very
dependable. There are some questions that are being
asked by prospective buyers since our car is new in the
market. But there are many who had already known that
Chery cars are the dominant vehicles in China today. We
don’t need to prove to them anymore the capabilities of
our cars,” Yupangco said.
As of
today, Chery has 11 dealerships nationwide, and six more
are set to open before August. The additional
dealerships will be in Manila Bay, Manila, Balintawak,
Rizal, Davao and Tarlac. “We have one dealer who had
already committed to get 300 cars even before he could
open his showroom. Before the end of the year, we hope
we can have at least 30 nationwide,” shared Yupangco.
One
other thing that gives a lot of incentives to Chery
buyers is the full warranty of five years or 150,000 km,
whichever comes first. “We have already introduced it
and many are surprised how we can do it. We have a lot
of trust in our products, that’s why we can give
warranties like that. Our after-sales are now being
aggressively beefed up in order to give full services to
our customers,” he added. |
