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SEEING
the growth of the automobile industry in the
Philippines, General Motors Corp. (GMC) has decided to
join the fray and even up the ante on automobile sales.
It was a
cozy
noon when a handful of motoring journalists recently joined
General Motors Corp. (GMC) executives for a power lunch
at the Red Restaurant in Makati Shangri-La, where we
were briefed by no less than Stephen Carlisle, president
and general manager of GMC Southeast Asia Operations,
and GM Philippines head Francis Burdett.
Top of
the talk was Carlisle’s presence in the Philippines,
where we always thought that our country was at the
bottom of the food chain when it came to automobile
sales in the Southeast Asian region.
Gung ho.
Stephen Carlisle,
president of General Motors Corp.-Southeast Asia
Operations, plans to raise the level of competition in
the Philippine auto scene
Apparently, although we really are not that high in
numbers, we are rife in quality and potential. And in
that aspect, GMC has begun refocusing on the Philippine
market by introducing new products into its line.
The
Captiva, the latest product in GMC’s foray into the
Philippine market, is an attempt at penetrating the
much-coveted crossover variant, which combines the
luxury of a sedan with the cargo space of a van and the
size of an urban car.
Carlisle
admits GMC still has some way to go when competing with
the more established car brands like Toyota and Honda in
the Philippines.
For now,
GMC only have limited variants on the block for its
consumers like the Suburban, Captiva, Yukon, Savanna and
Lumina, but Burdett says they do have plans to complete
their vehicle lineup to compete toe-to-toe with the
other leading local manufacturers and distributors.
GMC’s
line at present holds at least 3 percent to 5 percent of
the Philippine automobile market, which is a big boost
from almost nothing compared with 10 years ago.
General
Motors was one of the first automobile manufacturers
that came into the country after the Second World War
and smatters of its products can still be seen in the
countryside.
It had
to pull out of the country after severe financial
difficulties and is only now reiterating its presence in
the Philippine market.
Burdett
says they have so far reached their targets, and he
expects to maintain their forward movement.
Carlisle
is very upbeat about the opportunities GMC has within
the Philippines—as much as he was about the steak we had
for lunch. Carlisle is also General Motors GM and
Chevrolet sales head in Thailand and remains a member of
the GM Asia-Pacific Strategy Board. |
