JUST stepping out of the plane into the tube to the airport gave us, a small contingent of Motoring journalists from Manila, a teaser of the piercing cold weather we’d be facing in Wuhu City, China. We were thoroughly reminded to prepare for it, but there was a tinge of excitement to find out if the protective clothing we piled up in our suitcases would actually hold up against imminent subzero temperatures. It was of utmost importance after all, for us to bear witness to a new beginning from a failed start, of the Chinese automotive brand Chery in the Philippines.
Failure is such a heavy word, and it’s in stark contrast—actually the exact opposite of what Chery is all about in China—as the company is the largest and leading independent automotive manufacturer with an annual production output of 900,000 cars to begin with. It’s in the Philippines, whose automobile market has generally been raised to trust, choose and patronize Japanese auto brands above all else, where Chery, through its then local distributor Iseway Motors Philippines Inc., began with a good start and ended up with a meltdown within a relatively short period of time. Elaborating on the details as to why it happened would require some serious column real estate and a more serious amount of verification that could open a veritable Pandora’s box, but suffice to say that local operations crumbled and eventually dematerialized. Chery owners found themselves in the dark with regard to service and spare parts for their cars. It’s hard to woo a skeptical market for their trust to begin with, it’d definitely be much harder to win back jilted customers and undo the damage that’s been done.
Determined to change all that even if it means having to start over from a soiled drawing board, Chery Motors Philippines Inc. (CMPI) was formed to fully take over all operations and assume sole distributorship of Chery automobiles in the Philippines. The signing of an agreement between Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. and CMPI took place at the Chery International Headquarters in Anhui Province, and we were there to see how dead serious the brand is about getting back on track, and turning the Philippine market into their biggest in the Asia-Pacific region. A very brief and simple ceremony consummated the agreement, as Chery president for Asia-Pacific Tony Sun and newly appointed CEO of CMPI Dr. Si-Chung Chang signed and exchanged contracts in our midst. Immediately after, we embarked on a grand tour to see the immense machinery behind the brand whose namesake connotes a diminutive fruit.
Being the first time that this writer was able to visit the Chery factories, the 2.8-million-square-meter total area of the facilities was nothing short of mind-boggling. We passed yard after humongous yard filled with thousands of Cherys in ruler-straight rows, before finally arriving at one of four assembly plants for a walk-through. Cars at various stages of completion tethered briskly through fluid assembly lines manned by workers who were seemingly oblivious of our presence. Going through their engine and transmission plants revealed an impressively vast array of CNC (computer numerical control) machines that robotically produce components directly from computer-aided design, apparently the same precision machinery that the top Japanese manufacturers employ for their own production operations. We proceeded to a display area near their R&D facility, and found several EVs (electric vehicles) they prepared for us to test drive. The first one we got behind the wheel of was a fully electric-powered version of Chery’s popular subcompact QQ (which really should fall under “ultra-compact”, had there been an actual category), and we chanced upon it while it was still plugged to a nearby socket, amusingly, like an appliance. A lap around the buildings showed it was a bit lacking on power and a tad rough on the edges, but driving a similarly sized unit badged under their premium line Riich was certainly a hop-up. They allowed us to take it out for a spin on an actual highway, and it was quite amply powered—the Chery representative who rode shotgun had to politely remind this writer of the speed limit. Laid out in the adjacent show room is the entire line of Chery EVs and Hybrids—all of them no different in appearance to their conventional mass-produced counterparts. Keeping abreast with new and alternative automotive technologies, they stressed, is only part of their drive to globalize Chery even further (their cars are exported to 70 countries), as they are expanding their collaborations and partnerships with British, Austrian and Italian-based companies to constantly improve their product line.
Our gracious host Dr. Chang made certain that the next day was spent enjoying some special sights and exquisitely exotic cuisine, so we headed for Nanjing, traversed the centuries-old city wall and even scaled hundreds of steps to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s magnificent tomb amid an awesome view of surrounding mountains. Still, conversations over dinner touched lightly on the company’s directions in the Philippines, with infrastructure already in the works and in place.
More than just a vivid display of the Chinese giant’s credentials through the tour we were invited to, it was a sincere display of commitment, of the willingness to start off from square one with a few penalty spaces behind, and an honest request to relay the message that Chery shall return with their cards laid out on the table. The changes remain to be seen, from the second chance they rightfully deserve.
In Photo: An electric-powered Chery QQ sits on display along with other EVs from the Chinese automobile giant.
