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ANOTHER
product of China has come to Philippine shores. Focus
Ventures Inc. has opened its doors to introduce another
automobile from the wakening giant—Chana automobiles and
First Automobile Works (FAW) trucks—in what they chose
to call a simple opening ceremony, which was attended by
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Song Tao, Trade
Secretary Peter Favila, as well as a whole slew of
dignitaries and members of the press.
Chana
Motors claims to be China’s leading manufacturer of
minivans and that country’s fourth-largest vehicle
manufacturer, while FAW is said to be China’s No. 1
vehicle manufacturer.
Launched
in the Philippines during the Manila International Auto
Show in April, Focus Ventures now showcased the complete
Chana vehicle lineup, featuring the flagship Benni
subcompact.
These
really small minivans all have 1.3-liter, 16-valve EFI
engines that Chana claims to be Euro-III compliant. Its
variants include the Benni hatchback and four different
configurations of minivans and minitrucks. And the
clincher here is that all of them are priced below
P500,000.
FAW has
been China’s No. 1 vehicle manufacturer since 1953 and
has had joint ventures with automobile stalwarts such as
Toyota, Volkswagen and Mazda. In 2007 alone, FAW claims
to have sold more than 1.4 million units.
Their
four- and six-wheeler trucks feature the most powerful
engines in their class: a 3.2-liter inline-four diesel
with 86 hp for the four-wheeler and 118 hp for the
6-wheeler. The engines have claimed maximum torque of
210 Nm at 2,100 rpm and 300 Nm at 2,000 rpm,
respectively.
Focus
Ventures Inc., the manufacturer’s distributor in the
Philippines, is housed in a 3,500-square-meter lot along
Sheridan Street in Mandaluyong. It boasts of a large
show room and service center that will provide the
essential parts and service support for their vehicles.
Its warehouse is located there, together with a 14-work
bay service center and an oven paint booth. And as for
parts, the company claims they’re readily available
since almost all vehicles carry the same engine (1.3L,
except for the 1,000 cc Multicarry Single-cab).
Additional good news is that Chana passenger cars and
minivans are backed by a three-year, 100,000-km
warranty, while the minitrucks and FAW full-size trucks
have a one-year or 20,000-km warranty.
Those
who looked at the cars and the trucks could not help but
say, “Wow, they are really making them smaller every
year.” And these vehicles all come from a country that
owns one of the largest landmasses in the world and a
population that is almost half of the world’s total
inhabitants.
But
Chery cars are also “oh, so small,” too, and they have
been selling pretty well. So why won’t this new product
Chana?
Of
course, safety features are quite a concern for both,
but if you use this in our city streets only in daytime,
there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. After all,
Edsa is literally a parking lot at rush hour.
The
bottom line is, China has begun competition in the
automotive industry here in the Philippines. And, as
they historically do, they eventually conquer the
market, whether directly or indirectly.
But
whoever said, “Big or small, in the end China will win”
must have had his sights trained on a very long-term
goal, because this automobile gamble for China is really
going to be very long-term. |
